Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed at the close of trading on Friday December 28, with most of the complex trading in narrow ranges while both lead and tin futures climbed more than 1% over the afternoon.Lead's three-month price was the best performer over the afternoon, climbing 1.5% and trading at its highest level since October 17. By contrast, zinc's three-month pr...Read More
Glencore-owned Access World has delisted eight of its LME-registered warehouses this week, according to a notice to members on Friday December 28, continuing its move beyond LME storage amid its company-wide diversification strategy. Access World delisted four of its warehouses in Chicago yesterday, leaving just one remaining in the region, and has since delisted two sheds in Singapore and two mor...Read More
Chinese iron ore buyers continued to take caution on Friday December 28, the last trading day for most market participants in 2018.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $72.73 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $1.25 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $72.56 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $1.25 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $74.12 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $0.56 per tonne. MB 58% Fe Premium...Read More
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) export slab prices slipped by another $15 per tonne over the week ended Friday December 28 due to the weak fundamentals in the CIS finished flat-steel market and the end-user market.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for CIS-origin slab was $400-405 per fob Black Sea on December 28, down from $415-420 per tonne fob a week earlier.A customer in Turkey was...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import markets continued to be quiet at the end of the week amid the holiday period, sources said on Friday December 28.Offers for HMS 1&2 (80:20) were reported around $290 per tonne cfr from European suppliers, while offers from other sources were at around $295-300 per...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
Glencore-owned Access World has delisted eight of its LME-registered warehouses this week, according to a notice to members on Friday December 28, continuing its move beyond LME storage amid its company-wide diversification strategy. Access World delisted four of its warehouses in Chicago yesterday, leaving just one remaining in the region, and has since delisted two sheds in Singapore and two mor...Read More
The Chinese Smelters Purchase Team (CSPT) is to raise its treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) purchase price for the first quarter of 2019 to $92 per tonne and 9.2 cents per lb, sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Fastmarkets MB. This represents an $2 rise on the fourth quarter rate of this year and was set by CSPT in Shanghai on Thursday December 27."Demand is expected to be...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were predominantly higher during morning trading on Friday December 28, supported by strong gains across global equity markets, while the largest outflow of 2018 in LME tin stocks keeps the metal's futures price elevated. Despite consolidating higher over the morning, the three-month aluminium price remains under pressure below $1,900 per tonne after...Read More
Base metals stocks at Shanghai Futures Exchange-approved warehouses were mostly down in the week ended Friday December 28, with nickel and copper bucking the trend.Zinc, aluminium, lead and tin stocks all fell this week, with lead registering the steepest decline and largely erasing the increase recorded last week. Deliverable lead stocks at SHFE warehouses fell by 3,521 tonnes or 18.2% over the p...Read More
Arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel imported into China on Friday December 28* Copper -$67.35 (-462.89 yuan) Aluminium -$353.46 (-2,429.18 yuan) Zinc $41.71 (286.65 yuan) Nickel $39.14 (268.98 yuan) *Fastmarkets calculates the physical arbitrage for import into China daily by using SHFE front-month and LME three-month...Read More
Good morning from Fastmarkets MB's offices in Asia as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Friday December 28.Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were broadly up during Asian morning trading on Friday, with weakness in the dollar buoying most of the complex.Check Fastmarkets MB's live futures report here. The Chinese antimony market showed signs of softening in...Read More
Indian domestic secondary billet prices rose by at least 600 rupees ($9) per tonne over the past week on sustained buying by long product makers and improved trading.Fastmarkets MB assessed the Indian secondary billet price at 31,200-31,400 rupees ($446-449) per tonne ex-mill on Thursday December 27 - an increase of 600 rupees per tonne compared with 30,600-30,800 rupees...Read More
Prices for coated-steel coil products in Turkey were mostly stable in the week to Friday December 28 amid continued limited demand.Last week's price cuts did not help improve buying, sources told Fastmarkets MB, because buyers usually postpone booking toward the end of the year to avoid building up inventories. Domestic prices One producer in northern Turkey was still offering 0.5mm hot-dippe...Read More
The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, hot-dipped galvanized coil, pre-painted galvanized iron, steel plate, steel sheet and other flat steel products. Latest transactions: HRC, CRC, HDG, PPGI Hot-rolled coilTurkey, domestic, hot-rolled coil, offered at $500-515 per tonne ex-works, February production.Turkey, domestic, hot-rolled coil, traded...Read More
Domestic prices for steel coil products in Turkey fell this week on continued slow demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday December 28."Buyers are not willing to book despite low stock levels," a source told Fastmarkets MB. "The first quarter of 2019 will also be slow for steel trading."Fastmarkets MB's weekly price assessment for Turkish domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) was at $500-510 per tonne...Read More
China's hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices dipped on Friday December 28, although trading was moderate because downstream demand was stable, sources told Fastmarkets MB.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,680-3,700 yuan ($535-538) per tonne, down 20-30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,630-3,650 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneThe dominant price range in Shanghai was 3,690-3,700 yuan per t...Read More
Large investment into construction, power and transport in North Africa will support further steel demand growth in the region but not significantly, Fastmarkets heard at the 22nd Middle East Iron and Steel Conference in Dubai on December 10-12.In North Africa, there are major infrastructure projects - either under construction or still in the planning stages - with investment totaling close to $6...Read More
No activity was reported in the global pig iron market over the past week, because buyers in the United States and Europe - the key outlets - left the market for end-of-year holidays, as did exporters from Brazil; the holiday period for suppliers from the Commonwealth of independent States will start next week. Pig iron sentiment remained pessimistic due to weakness in final steel product markets...Read More
Chinese iron ore buyers continued to take caution on Friday December 28, the last trading day for most market participants in 2018.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $72.73 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $1.25 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $72.56 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $1.25 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $74.12 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $0.56 per tonne. MB 58% Fe Premium...Read More