Brazilian miner Vale closed a deal with investment fund Hankoe FIP to acquire New Steel, a company focused on developing iron ore processing technologies.The purchase price is $500 million, and the transaction is expected to be concluded in 2019, as it is subject to approval of the Brazilian competition regulator, Cade, and other conditions."The New Steel...Read More
Turkish steel mills remained out of deep-sea scrap markets on Tuesday December 11 because of continued uncertainty in the Chinese steel market, sources told Fastmarkets MB.Market pessimism weighed on China's rebar prices in both the domestic and the export market again on Tuesday December 11.Buyers kept procurement rates low amid bad weather in China, with work suspended at many construction sites...Read More
The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for iron ore, pig iron, direct-reduced iron and other steelmaking raw materials. Latest transaction: iron oreIron oreSpot market, bilateral sale,...Read More
Physical iron ore prices stayed rangebound on Tuesday December 11 while steel markets weakened further. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $65.97 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.15 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $65.24 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.15 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $69.68 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.18 per tonne. MB 58% Fe Premium Index: $59.67 per ton...Read More
The price gap in the seaborne coking coal market between fob Australia and cfr China segments continues to leave market participants in a daze."There are more than 50 vessels waiting at the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal (DBCT) as of today. All four berths at DBCT were closed from the 8th-10th of December due to fears of cyclone. It has since reopened," an Indian end-user source said.He added that th...Read More
China's ferrous futures moved in different directions during morning trading on Tuesday December 11, with steel and coke futures prices moving up while that of coking coal fell.Futures closing prices - morning session Shanghai Futures Exchange May rebar: 3,306 yuan ($478.70) per tonne, up 17 yuan per tonneMay hot-rolled coil: 3,281 yuan per tonne, up 23 yuan per tonneDalian Commodity Exc...Read More
The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Tuesday December 11.Base metal prices started the week with a step downward on the London Metal Exchange on Monday December 10. Read more in our live futures report.Here are how prices looked at the close of trading:A drop in demand for alumina and supply from new projects coming on stream in 2019 will put Chinese alumina prices under...Read More
Base metals trading on the London Metal Exchange were broadly higher during morning trading on Tuesday December 11. Lead was the best performer in the morning, up 1.1% to $1,972 per tonne. Only aluminium and tin posted slight losses, falling to $1,942 and $18,920 per tonne respectively. Reports of US and China trade talks continuing despite the detention of China technology company Huawei's chief...Read More
Arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel imported into China on Tuesday December 11* Copper -$96.63 (-668.44 yuan) Aluminium -$440.06 (-3,043.98 yuan) Zinc -$107.90 (-746.36 yuan) Nickel $392.60 (2,715.73 yuan) *Fastmarkets calculates the physical arbitrage for import into China daily by using SHFE front-month and LME three-month...Read More
Market pessimism weighed on China's rebar prices in both the domestic and the export market on Tuesday December 11. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,770-3,800 yuan ($546-550) per tonne, down 20-30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,470-3,500 yuan per tonne, down 30 yuan per tonneBuyers kept procurement rates low amid bad weather, with work suspended at many construction sites in no...Read More
Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were for the most part firmer this morning, Tuesday December 11, with average gains of 0.2%. This after they again tested support levels on Monday, when support held to varying degrees.Copper led on the upside this morning with a 0.6% gain to $6,133 per tonne, while aluminium dipped 0.1% to $1,945 per tonne. Volume across the complex has...Read More
Thin spot activity in the European antimony market pressured prices lower still in the region while an improvement in Chinese sentiment enabled prices there to stabilize. Chinese market steadyFastmarkets MB assessed the price of MMTA standard grade-II antimony, delivered duty-paid, in China at 49,500-50,000 yuan per tonne on Wednesday December 5, unchanged from the previous week. Sellers proved re...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in London and Shanghai on Friday December 7.China The Chinese grade-553 silicon price range narrowed upward by $10 per tonne to $1,580-1,650 per tonne last week from the previous week.Japanese traders continued to buy cargoes for delivery in the first quarter of 2019, prompting the slight rebound in the price.Europe Grade-441 and grade-553 silicon prices in Europ...Read More
Comex copper prices softened on Monday morning in the United States amid weak Chinese data and continued equity market weakness.The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange dipped 2.25 cents to $2.7370 per lb."We expect copper prices to strengthen in the coming days," Fastmarkets analyst Boris Mikanikrezai said. "Although there is plenty of uncert...Read More
South African state transport operator Transnet has reopened the railway transportation route for iron ore and manganese deliveries to Saldanha port earlier than expected, the company announced on Monday December 10.Transnet had to declare force majeure on deliveries when a railway bridge on the route was damaged on November 28 due to a collision. This prompted leading manganese ore miners to decl...Read More
Base metals continue to face headwinds from the continuing trade dispute between the United States and China, but also from tension over the arrest of Huawei's chief financial officer, Brexit, social unrest in France and stuttering equity markets.Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were down across the board on Monday December 10, with average losses of 0.5%, ranged between...Read More
Good morning from Fastmarkets MB's offices in Asia as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Monday December 10.All base metals prices, barring that of aluminium, on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell during Asian morning trading on Monday December 10 amid disappointing economic data out of China.Check Fastmarkets MB's live futures report here.The US Treasury Department's Office of Fo...Read More
Stainless steel prices in the United States have mostly declined in December, extending a downward trend largely stemming from a decrease in alloy surcharges that have weighed on transaction prices, market participants said.Fastmarkets' assessment for Type 304 and Type 304L stainless steel cold-rolled sheet stood at $1.25 and $1.28 per lb respectively on Monday December 10, down by $0.04 and...Read More
Turkish steel mills started the trading week without any deep-sea bookings because of uncertainty prevalent across Asian markets, sources told Fastmarkets MB.The mills were mostly watching the situation in Chinese steel market for clues to market direction, sources said on Monday December 10."The phone did not ring... Everybody is watching China and is not willing to buy scrap until the situation...Read More
Turkish domestic scrap prices have gone down over the past week in line with falling finished steel values, sources said on Monday December 10.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic auto bundle (DKP grade) ferrous scrap was TRY1,590-1,710 ($300-323) per tonne delivered on December 10, narrowing down from TRY1,590-1,780 per tonne on December 3.The change in the assessment came after some...Read More