The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Tuesday January 1.Base metals on the London Metal Exchange were predominantly down at the close of trading on Monday December 31, consolidating lower despite slight upticks in equity markets and a continued easing in the US dollar index. Read more here in our live futures report.Here is how prices looked at the close of...Read More
The fob Australia alumina index declined below $400 per tonne on December 31, hitting its lowest level since March 2018 following the last Nalco tender of the year concluding at $396.21 per tonne. Fastmarkets' benchmark daily fob Australia index was calculated at $396.84 per tonne on Monday, edging down from $405.83 per tonne on Friday December 28. Key driversThe index level is now 43% lower than...Read More
The treatment charges (TCs) paid for zinc concentrates continued to climb in December, while the market closed out a highly volatile 2018 at multi-year highs.Fastmarkets assessed the spot TCs for zinc concentrates at $210-230 per tonne basis cif China on December 28, the highest recorded since pricing began in December 2014.Zinc TCs have skyrocketed from decade lows in April after smelters in Chin...Read More
Key data from the pricing session in Shanghai on Friday December 28. Key drivers- The fob China grade-553 silicon price was unchanged amid thin inquiries and trades. - Suppliers adopted a "wait-and-see" stance due to squeezed profit margins. - Following a round of stockpiling in the past couple of...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import price has gone down by around $6 per tonne on Monday December 31 following the news of a booking of a fresh deep-sea cargo.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $283 per tonne and P&S at $295 per tonne cfr on Saturday December...Read More
Comex copper prices dipped to start the week in the United States on a lack of trading volumes and continued market worries over a prolonged trade war.The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange declined 2.50 cents to $2.6565 per lb."Broader risk-off sentiment continues...Read More
Buyers in the export market for flat steel products from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are waiting for lower prices in early 2019 due to oversupply, sources told Fastmarkets MB.Fastmarkets MB's weekly price assessment for CIS-origin HRC exports was $440-460 per tonne fob Black Sea on Friday December 28, down $10 per tonne week on week.The CIS-origin HRC price fell by $117.50 per ton...Read More
Turkey's imports of flat steel decreased by 52.69% year on year in November 2018, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) said on Monday December 31.The country imported 358,826 tonnes of flat steel, compared with 758,499 tonnes in November 2017, TUIK statistics showed. The decrease in imports was largely due to the negative sentiment prevalent in the domestic steel market since August this year,...Read More
Suppliers of hot-rolled (HR) and cold-rolled (CR) steel sheet to Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow kept prices unchanged for early 2019, despite an increase in the domestic value-added tax (VAT) rate.Effective 1 January 2019, VAT in Russia will increase to 20% from 18%.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for Russia-origin 4mm HR sheet remained at 39,200-40,000 roubles per...Read More
Import prices for rebar in Singapore were unchanged this past week amid thin spot trading caused by the year-end holiday season.Fastmarkets MB's assessment of import prices for rebar in Southeast Asia - which mainly looks at cargoes sold into Singapore on a theoretical weight basis - was $475-485 per tonne cfr for the week to Monday December 31, unchanged from a week earlier.Spot trading was even...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import price has gone down by around $6 per tonne on Monday December 31 following the news of a booking of a fresh deep-sea cargo.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $283 per tonne and P&S at $295 per tonne cfr on Saturday December...Read More
Turkey's imports of flat steel decreased by 52.69% year on year in November 2018, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) said on Monday December 31.The country imported 358,826 tonnes of flat steel, compared with 758,499 tonnes in November 2017, TUIK statistics showed. The decrease in imports was largely due to the negative sentiment prevalent in the domestic steel market since August this year,...Read More
A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Monday December 31.Note that in line with our publication schedule, the weekly base metal premiums table is...Read More
While base metals prices began the first quarter of 2018 following the uptrend from the previous year, the advent of sanctions, global trade tensions and tariffs - notably Section 232 - swiftly became a focal point in what became a year of volatile price action.In addition, a broad trend of depleting LME stocks further exacerbated choppy price action, while strength in the US dollar index above th...Read More
Base metals on the London Metal Exchange were predominantly lower at the close of trading on Monday December 31, consolidating lower despite slight upticks in equity markets and a continued easing in the US dollar index. The worst affected of the day, the three-month lead price closed around 2% lower but remains supported above $2,000 per tonne amid a multi-year low in total LME inventory. &n...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import price has gone down by around $6 per tonne on Monday December 31 following the news of a booking of a fresh deep-sea cargo.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $283 per tonne and P&S at $295 per tonne cfr on Saturday December...Read More
The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Tuesday January 1.Base metals on the London Metal Exchange were predominantly down at the close of trading on Monday December 31, consolidating lower despite slight upticks in equity markets and a continued easing in the US dollar index. Read more here in our live futures report.Here is how prices looked at the close of...Read More
Good morning from Fastmarkets MB's offices in Asia as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Monday December 31.Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were all up during Asian morning trading on Monday amid renewed optimism in the market after US President Donald Trump reported "big progress" in trade talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.Check Fastmarkets MB's live...Read More
While base metals prices began the first quarter of 2018 following the uptrend from the previous year, the advent of sanctions, global trade tensions and tariffs - notably Section 232 - swiftly became a focal point in what became a year of volatile price action.In addition, a broad trend of depleting LME stocks further exacerbated choppy price action, while strength in the US dollar index above th...Read More
The treatment charges (TCs) paid for zinc concentrates continued to climb in December, while the market closed out a highly volatile 2018 at multi-year highs.Fastmarkets assessed the spot TCs for zinc concentrates at $210-230 per tonne basis cif China on December 28, the highest recorded since pricing began in December 2014.Zinc TCs have skyrocketed from decade lows in April after smelters in Chin...Read More