Ferro-chrome and chrome ore prices in China were unchanged in the week ended Friday December 21 amid low liquidity while market participants awaited January ferro-chrome tender prices from major Chinese stainless steel mills. Ferro-chrome, chrome ore prices in China unchangedJapanese, South Korean ferro-chrome prices stallHigh-carbon ferro-chrome prices decline in EuropeUS high-carbon ferro-chrome...Read More
Turkey produced 3.10 million tonnes of crude steel in November 2018, a 2.1% decrease compared with November 2017, according to the Turkish Steel Producers Association (T???oeD).In January-November 2018, crude steel production in the country was 34,429,000 tonnes, a 0.51% year-on-year rise compared with 34,256,000 tonnes produced in January-November 2017, T???oeD said last week.The country produced...Read More
Brazil's apparent steel consumption increased by 6.90% year on year in November, to 1.70 million tonnes, mostly due to an improved performance in the flat steel sector, according to the national steel association A??o Brasil.Apparent consumption of flat steel products grew by 11.70% in the same comparison, to 1.10 million tonnes, while long steel use declined by 0.80% year-on-year, to 606,000 tonn...Read More
Fastmarkets MB hosted the 22nd Middle East Iron & Steel conference in Dubai last week. Here are five things we learned...1 High-grade iron ore derivative will be an important tool for Middle East DRI industry A world-first 65% iron ore derivative launched by the Singapore Exchange in early December was hailed as an important hedging tool for the Middle East direct-reduced ironmaking (DRI) industry...Read More
Chinese battery materials producer GEM has signed a memorandum with South Korea's Ecopro to supply the latter with 170,000 tonnes of nickel-rich nickel-cobalt-aluminium (NCA) precursor materials in the next five years, according to an announcement on Sunday December 23. Nickel-cobalt-manganese and NCA are the primary materials used to produce lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).Ecopr...Read More
China's leading stainless steel mills - Tsingshan Group, Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Tisco) and Baosteel - have lowered their January tender prices for high-carbon ferro-chrome, pressured by declining stainless steel prices and relatively high steel stocks at plants. Early on Monday December 24, Tisco announced that its January tender price for high-carbon ferro-chrome was 6,650 yuan ($963) per tonne, a...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices were rangebound on Wednesday December 26 amid conservative trading activity.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $71.39 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.19 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $71.22 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.19 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $73.60 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $0.08 per tonne. MB 58% Fe Premium Index: $63.67 per tonne cf...Read More
Trading in the seaborne coking coal spot market came to a standstill on Wednesday December 26, with Australia on Boxing Day holiday and participants in China remaining in a wait-and-see mode."[Seaborne coking coal] prices have yet to bottom out so end users are not in a hurry to enter the market," a Chinese trader said."The recent call for another 100 yuan ($14.50) per tonne decrease in the c...Read More
The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Thursday December 27.The London Metal Exchange will reopen Thursday following a two-day break in trading - for Christmas and the annual Boxing Day holiday.Here is how prices looked at the most-recent close of trading, on December 24:Chinese battery materials producer GEM has signed a memorandum with South Korea's Ecopro to supply the latter...Read More
Good morning from Fastmarkets MB's offices in Asia as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Wednesday December 26.Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were on divergent paths during Asian morning trading on Wednesday December 26, with aluminum registering the largest gain on news of further capacity cuts in China. Check Fastmarket MB's live futures report here. Ferro-c...Read More
Years ago, the idea that machines would replace humans on the trading floor seemed far-fetched and the suggestion that algorithms might replace humans entirely ridiculous.But both have happened in some shape or form, making the advent of blockchain - now being vaunted as the next game-changer in technology - a lot more realistic than naysayers might initially think.Dozens of trials and projec...Read More
Since its merger with Xstrata, Glencore - previously a trading and marketing firm - has become a mining firm whose earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization is dominated by earnings from its industrial activities. The recent appointment of Peter Freyberg as head of the company's industrial mining assets, a newly created position with oversight and responsibility for all Glenco...Read More
Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were on divergent paths during Asian morning trading on Wednesday December 26, with aluminum registering the largest gain on news of further capacity cuts in China.The most-traded February aluminium contract on the SHFE stood at 13,860 yuan ($2,011) per tonne as at 10.12am Shanghai time, up by 70 yuan per tonne from Tuesday's close.The increases...Read More
Iron ore prices fell sharply in the second half of November after climbing through October, with prices for higher-grade material pioneering the decline.Fastmarkets MB daily benchmark for 65% Fe fines dropped by 22% by Monday November 26 after peaking on October 29. The 62% Fe iron ore index declined by 16% over the period, as some Chinese steelmakers started to seek larger volumes of cheaper ores...Read More
The steel scrap sector in the United States still depends on exports to Turkey, a member of the Fastmarkets research team said during the ferrous session at the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) conference in London.This dependence persists despite the changes in the international markets created by the US' imposition of its Section 232 tariffs on imports of steel products, metals analyst Le...Read More
Export prices for Chinese cold-rolled coil (CRC) and hot-dipped galvanized (HDG) coil edged up during the week ended Wednesday December 26 following a two-week decline, with most mills no longer in a rush to secure overseas sales.Major mills in China generally lowered their asking prices for both products, but only accepted smaller discounts on their offers for confirmed bookings, in contrast to t...Read More
China's hot-rolled coil prices were little changed on Wednesday December 26 both domestically and in the export market amid sparse trading.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,720-3,750 yuan ($540-544) per tonne, down 10-20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,650-3,660 yuan per tonne, narrowing downward 10 yuan per tonneWhile prices in Shanghai were as high as 3,740-3,750 yuan per...Read More
The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Thursday December 27.The London Metal Exchange will reopen Thursday following a two-day break in trading - for Christmas and the annual Boxing Day holiday.Here is how prices looked at the most-recent close of trading, on December 24:Chinese battery materials producer GEM has signed a memorandum with South Korea's Ecopro to supply the latter...Read More
The past 12 months have served as a reality check for the battery raw materials markets.While 2017 was a year of soaring prices and investor interest, 2018 has seen supply responses, substitution debates, and at times, plummeting prices. It's not that the fundamentals aren't still strong. By 2025, Fastmarkets' forecast is for plug-in electric vehicle (EV) sales to grow at a compound annual growth...Read More
Good morning from Fastmarkets MB's offices in Asia as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Wednesday December 26.Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were on divergent paths during Asian morning trading on Wednesday December 26, with aluminum registering the largest gain on news of further capacity cuts in China. Check Fastmarket MB's live futures report here. Ferro-c...Read More