A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday August 25.Please click...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States have slipped below $96 per hundredweight ($1,920 per short ton), with some participants indicating that the market was stalling temporarily before spot offers open from September.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $95.31 per cwt ($1,906.20 per ton) on Wednesday August 25, down by 1.28% from $96.55 per cwt on Tu...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices and margins for stainless steel producers have risen notably over the past few months in both Europe and the United States, but there are now signs that the rally is petering out.A clear reason for the halt to rising prices comes from the near 20% drop in nickel prices seen in late February/early March,...Read More
Chilean copper producer Codelco has initiated construction work on Rajo Inca, a $1.38-billion addition to its Salvador mine, which should begin operations in 2022, the state-owned company said on Tuesday August 24.Rajo Inca increases the mine life at Salvador by 47 years, to 2070, with copper capacity to reach 90,000 tonnes per year, from 60,000 tpy currently. Mineral exploration will move from an...Read More
The Turkish steel producers resumed their deep-sea scrap purchases with a European cargo deal, market participants told Fastmarkets on Wednesday August 25.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked the Belgian cargo comprising 22,500 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) and 12,500 tonnes of bonus at an average price of $450 per tonne cfr. The transaction is for prompt shipment.The HMS 1&2 (80:20) price of...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday August 25 that are worth another look.The global markets for containerized freight have entered even deeper water in recent weeks, with closures at the key port of Ningbo-Zhoushan in China leading to worsening cargo delays, port congestion and a further...Read More
The provincial government of Liaoning in northeastern China has approved a merger between Anshan Iron & Steel (Angang) and Benxi Iron & Steel (Bengang), according to a notice released by the latter's listed arm, Bengang Plate, on Thursday August 19.The owner of Bengang - Liaoning's State-owned Assets Supervision & Administration Commission - will transfer a 51% controlling stake in the steelmaker...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.With nickel prices down by almost 20% over the space of around ten days during late February and early March, one might have been expecting us to be reporting sharply-lower prices of stainless steel, at least for the most common nickel-containing grades of stainless steel.This is not the case, at least in Europe and the Unite...Read More
Iron ore prices mostly increased on Wednesday August 25 despite weaker trading activity in the physical market, especially at Chinese ports, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $148.66 per tonne, up by $2.53 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $148.95 per tonne, up by $0.99 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $116.96 per to...Read More
The Turkish steel producers resumed their deep-sea scrap purchases with a European cargo deal, market participants told Fastmarkets on Wednesday August 25.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked the Belgian cargo comprising 22,500 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) and 12,500 tonnes of bonus at an average price of $450 per tonne cfr. The transaction is for prompt shipment.The HMS 1&2 (80:20) price of...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Global welded pipe prices surged in May as strong demand and still-insufficient supply lifted flat steel prices.The biggest jumps were seen in China, which was hit by the unexpected announcement of the elimination of export rebates on welded pipes in April. Chinese seaborne prices reached $1,570 per tonne fob for longitudina...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.United States sheet prices hit record highs again in May, with upward momentum carrying into June. Actual US HRC prices averaged $1,712 per tonne in May, largely in line with our forecast of $1,698 per tonne. Strong underlying supply-and-demand conditions both in the US and globally are supporting prices as well as long lead...Read More
Nickel premiums were unchanged in both the United States and China in the week to Tuesday August 24, with higher levels of spot business reported in Asia due to an opened arbitrage window between London and Shanghai.US 4x4 cut cathode premium steady, after rising by 11.1% in the previous week with market participants awaiting price direction.Spot activity up in Asia on an open arbitrage window bet...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices suspended their upward trend on Wednesday August 25 amid a drop in sales volumes.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,200-5,230 yuan ($803-808) per tonne, unchangedRestocking demand continued to weaken due to traders' concerns about high prices in September.End users slowed their procurement rates slightly to see if spot prices would drop...Read More
London Metal Exchange ring dealing members have a decision to make - whether to remain one or not.The LME has just announced it will reopen the open outcry trading floor, which was temporarily closed due to Covid-19, on September 6.Its plan, however, comes with a twist; some ring dealers say, a knife.The official prices - which the global trade and industry use as the global reference for physical...Read More
Tsingshan Group has lowered its tender price for September-delivery ferro-chrome to 9,995 yuan ($1,543) per tonne, the Chinese stainless steelmaker said on Wednesday August 25.The tender price is 800 yuan per tonne (7.41%) lower than what the eastern Chinese mill - the country's largest ferro-chrome buyer - had sought for August-delivery material.While lower than the previous month's 13-year high,...Read More
Eight of the nine Category 1 members of the London Metal Exchange have indicated their support for continuing to trade official lunchtime prices in the open-outcry ring.Does this mean that one company does not support ring trading? And could one of the exchange's members be preparing to leave the trading floor?The exchange revealed on Monday August 9 that it had majority support for the ring, in a...Read More
Recyclers on the East Coast of the United States reduced their dock prices in the week to Monday August 23 in the wake of a lower-priced deep-sea ferrous scrap export sale to Turkey and ahead of an anticipated $20- to $30-per-gross-ton drop in September's domestic trade."Next month, because we are on the East Coast, I am sure local mills will take cuts down a minimum of $20 per gross ton and will...Read More
The UG2 chrome ore and ferro-chrome markets in China were on hold in the week to Tuesday August 24, with participants waiting for major stainless steel mills to release their September tender prices.Fastmarkets' calculation of the chrome ore, South Africa UG2 concentrates index, basis 42%, cif China was $182 per tonne on Tuesday, unchanged from one week earlier. The market was quiet with many buy...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday August 25.Key drivers The titanium alloy market was steady in the assessment week, with suppliers holding their offer prices steady ahead of an expected renewal of demand from steelmakers for both prompt and fourth-quarter deliveries. Industry sources reported hearing some offer prices close to $8 per kg, with the emergence of some...Read More