Most base metals registered declines in inventories at Shanghai Futures Exchange-registered warehouses during the week to Friday August 27, with nickel falling the most in percentage terms at 16.6%.Recording four consecutive weeks of losses, nickel stocks dropped by 16.6% to 4,455 tonnes from 5,344 tonnes last week. The largest outflow was from warehouses operated by Zhongchu Dachang based in Shan...Read More
Treatment charges for lead concentrate rose in August on a strongly negative import arbitrage and a steep backwardation on the London Metal Exchange, market participants told Fastmarkets.In addition, more mined material has become available to the Chinese market, which has been tightly supplied for the past three months.Fastmarkets' lead spot concentrate TC, low silver, cif China and the lead spot...Read More
Fastmarkets copper concentrate treatment charge/ refining charge (TC/RC) index continued to rise in the week to August 27. Fastmarket's calculation of the copper concentrates TC index, cif Asia Pacific is now at its highest level since mid-April 2020, with smelters bidding for clean tonnage at mid-to-high $60s. Blended cargos from Asia were offered in the mid-$60s...Read More
At $3 below $2,700 per tonne, aluminium reached its highest three-month price on the London Metal Exchange since May 2011 on Friday August 27, and most prices on the complex were also up following long-awaited statements from the US Federal Reserve Chair. The new year-to-date peak for aluminium was $2,697 per tonne on Friday; the metal was up by 1.1% at 5pm to $2,649.50 per tonne from Thursday's $...Read More
Indian domestic prices for secondary steel billet tumbled by 1,900 rupees ($26) per tonne in the week ended Friday August 27 with the price of the key raw material, direct-reduced iron (DRI), dropping by 1,200 rupees per tonne.The slide in billet prices through the week was driven by sluggish demand and fewer inquiries from buyers.The price of steel billet, domestic, exw India, assessed by Fastmar...Read More
The price of flat-rolled stainless steel in Europe increased in the week ended Friday August 27 on a continuing shortness of supply, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grade 304, transaction domestic, delivered North Europe, was ?,?3,950-4,000 ($4,645-4,704) per tonne on Friday, up by ?,?50 per tonne week on week.Base pric...Read More
Color-coated steel coil prices decreased in Turkey during the week to Friday August 27 in a slow market, sources told Fastmarkets.Uncertainty over the future direction of prices, which have decreased recently for most markets, made buyers refrain from booking material.Most export markets are still in holiday season, sources said.Domestic pricesFastmarkets assessed steel hot-dipped galvanized coil....Read More
The Latin American market continued to render support to CIS billet exporters with a second deal to the region reported during the week to Friday August 27. The price of the second one was, however, lower than the first.A cargo of 35,000 tonnes of Ukraine-origin billet with increased manganese content was sold to Latin America at $685 per tonne cfr. Sources said the price for basic grade would be...Read More
Indian domestic prices for secondary steel billet tumbled by 1,900 rupees ($26) per tonne in the week ended Friday August 27 with the price of the key raw material, direct-reduced iron (DRI), dropping by 1,200 rupees per tonne.The slide in billet prices through the week was driven by sluggish demand and fewer inquiries from buyers.The price of steel billet, domestic, exw India, assessed by Fastmar...Read More
The domestic steel rebar price in Poland was flat in the week to Friday August 27 due to a seasonal slowdown, though expectations for September are rather bright amid solid construction demand, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, exw Poland was unchanged at 4,050-4,100 zloty ($1,041-1,054) per tonne on Friday.Read More
Indian domestic prices for secondary steel billet tumbled by 1,900 rupees ($26) per tonne in the week ended Friday August 27 with the price of the key raw material, direct-reduced iron (DRI), dropping by 1,200 rupees per tonne.The slide in billet prices through the week was driven by sluggish demand and fewer inquiries from buyers.The price of steel billet, domestic, exw India, assessed by Fastmar...Read More
Fastmarkets has corrected its weekly price assessment for Molybdenum drummed molybdic oxide 57% Mo min, in-whs Rotterdam following a data entry error.The weekly price assessment for MB-FEO-0003 molybdenum drummed molybdic oxide 57% Mo min, in-whs Rotterdam on Friday August 27 should have been $20.50-20.65 per lb Mo, but was published as $2.50-20.65 per lb MoFastmarkets' pricing database has been u...Read More
Low-volatility pulverized coal injection (PCI) prices in both the fob and cfr market jumped following price gains in coking coal the week to Friday August 27. And a shortage of railway wagons in Russia has delayed the transport of PCI to China, sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $408.51 per tonne, down $0.42 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $385.67 per...Read More
Premiums in Europe and the United States continue to push higher, with market participants starting to negotiate contracts for 2022 supply.EuropeFastmarkets assessed the aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, ddp North Germany (Ruhr region) at $1,220-1,270 per tonne on Friday August 27, up from $1,200-1,250 per tonne a week earlier and from $1,190-1,240 at the beginning of the month.Fastmarkets'...Read More
Strict real estate regulations issued by China's central and local governments have slowed down growth in the country's housing market in the first seven months of 2021.Participants expect these policies to continue to have a strong effect on the market for the remainder the year, which would slow down growth for rebar demand.Three red linesThe People's Bank of China and the Ministry of Housing &...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States vaulted above $97 per hundredweight for the first time, with mill shutdowns and robust demand seen prolonging the already extended rally, market participants said.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $97.06 per hundredweight ($1,941.20 per ton) on Friday August 27, up by 0.24% day on day and week on week from $96....Read More
Major steel production exports out of China in July decreased from June due to the removal of an export rebate on May 1.For instance, the hot-rolled coil export was 817,276 tonnes in July, down by 20% from 1.03 million tonnes in June, according to customs data.Market participants expect exports to keep the month-on-month...Read More
Fastmarkets has plotted the locations of the continuing and proposed projects for the decarbonization of the European steel sector.This includes projects and targets for green steel, carbon capture, carbon neutral, net zero, low-carbon emissions and fossil-free steel. Hotspots appear in Germany, France and Sweden, where steelmaking is already well established. Policy, funding and sharing of infras...Read More
Strict real estate regulations issued by China's central and local governments have slowed down growth in the country's housing market in the first seven months of 2021.Participants expect these policies to continue to have a strong effect on the market for the remainder the year, which would slow down growth for rebar demand.Three red linesThe People's Bank of China and the Ministry of Housing &...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices mostly increased on Friday August 27 amid stable trading activity in the physical market, particularly at China's ports, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $157.55 per tonne, up $4.63 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $157.84 per tonne, up $4.04 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $126.50 per tonne, up $3.62...Read More