The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Tuesday October 23.Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were higher across the board by the close of trading on Monday October 22, with prices elevated despite a slightly weaker stock market opening in the United States and a strong US dollar index. Read more in our live futures report.Here are how prices looked at the close...Read More
Production by Brazilian steelmakers increased by 2.5% year-on-year in September 2018, while national apparent consumption rose by 3.2% in the same month, according to figures published by local steel association A??o Brasil on Friday October 19.The data showed that crude steel output was 3.03 million tonnes during the month, up from 2.96 million tonnes in the corresponding month last year. Rolled...Read More
Water levels in the Rhine and its canals system are at critically low levels, which may mean that steel - especially rebar - and other freight deliveries intending to ship on that route in the coming weeks and months may need to find other delivery options at greater cost.The hot summer earlier this year has given way to continued unseasonably warm and dry conditions - water depths along the Rhine...Read More
CIS steel billet suppliers continued to seek support in the markets of Southeast Asia in the second half of October, with customers' interest in imported billet in the Middle East-North Africa (Mena) region remaining low while the finished long steel market is subdued.Offers of CIS-origin billet varied mainly within the range of $460-470 per tonne fob Black Sea, market participants told Fastmarket...Read More
The latest metal markets news and price moves to start the North American day on Monday October 22. Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were predominantly higher during morning trading on Monday October 22, buoyed by a sharp uptick in Chinese stock markets, while a sizeable fresh cancelation in LME aluminium stock provided upward momentum for the light metal.Appreciating by just...Read More
Import prices for re-rolling-grade hot-rolled coil in Vietnam dipped further over the past week on persistently thin demand among re-rollers.The Fastmarkets MB weekly import price assessment for HRC in Southeast Asia - which mainly looks at Chinese 2-3mm SAE1006 HRC and equivalent grades sold into Vietnam - was $560-565 per tonne cfr for the week ending Monday October 22, down $5-10 per tonne from...Read More
Chilean lithium producer Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM) sold 15% less lithium carbonate quarter-on-quarter in July-September 2018, it said in an announcement preceding its third-quarter earnings statement.A delay to the ramp-up process at SQM's lithium operations at Antofagasta in Chile, and logistical challenges created by low inventory levels, were the core reasons behind the reduced v...Read More
The latest ferro-tungsten and ammonium paratungstate (APT) transactions, bids, offers and assessments in Europe, Vietnam and China, with blue tungsten oxide (BTO) and yellow tungsten oxide (YTO) deals taken into consideration.To view the latest price quotations, follow the links below:China- APT, fob China- Ferro-tungsten, fob China Europe- APT, cif Rotterdam - Ferro-tungsten, in-warehou...Read More
The ammonium paratungstate (APT) price edged up in Europe at the end of last week, credited to a pick-up in spot activity and amid talks of another round of environmental inspections in China that could take supply out of the market. Fastmarkets' APT quotation in Europe moved up for the first time since June Concentrate prices edge up slightly; market awaits clearer direction Ferro-tung...Read More
A sudden reduction in published estimates of chrome ore stock in China has contributed to a recovery in prices for the steel-making raw material since September after earlier high estimates had weighed on prices, market sources told Fastmarkets MB.Published Chinese chrome ore stock estimates from Chinese price reporting agency Ferroalloynet have dropped below the 3 million tonnes reported late in...Read More
Good morning from Fastmarkets MB's offices in Asia as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Monday October 22.Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange saw limited movement during Asian morning trading on Monday, with only zinc seeing a significant change - falling 1.5% - after large deliveries of the metal entered SHFE sheds last week. Check Metal Bulletin's live futures r...Read More
Turkish domestic scrap prices have fallen over the past week because the country's lira continued to regain some of its former value, sources said on Monday October 22.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for auto bundle (DKP grade) ferrous scrap was TRY1,770-1,940 ($313-343) per tonne delivered on Monday, compared with last week's TRY1,850-2,040 per tonne.The rise in the assessment came after som...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices rose on Monday October 22 amid bullishness in the steel and ferrous futures markets.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $73.80 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up by $0.52 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $72.83 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up by $0.52 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $79 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up by $1.32 per tonne.MB 58% Fe Premium Index: $62.26 per t...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 oreVale, Beijing Iron Ore Trading Center (Corex), 170,000 tonnes of 62% Fe Brazilian Blend fines,...Read More
Buying interest for premium low-vol hard coking coal remains robust, with three trades involving top-grade materials being concluded on Monday October 22.A December-laycan cargo fetched the highest price of $218.50 per tonne cfr China, while a November-laycan shipment and a January-laycan one were traded at $217.50 per tonne cfr and $213.50 per tonne cfr respectively, sources told Fastmarkets.A ca...Read More
Seaborne iron ore pellet prices have fallen - as was expected by market participants - while demand for pellet cargoes in China eased due to the looser restrictions imposed on steel mills for November.The MB 65% Fe Iron Ore Pellet Index, published by Fastmarkets MB, was at $155.63 per tonne cfr China on Friday October 19, down by $4.91 per tonne from a week earlier.The fall in the MB 65% Fe Iron O...Read More
Import prices for containerized scrap in Taiwan continued to dip last week on weak downstream demand while those in Vietnam rose on expectations of thinner supply.VietnamFastmarkets MB's import price assessment for heavy melting scrap (HMS) 1&2 (80:20) sold into Vietnam was $355-360 per tonne cfr for the week ended Friday October 19, up $5 per tonne from the preceding week.Steel mills submitted bi...Read More
Arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel imported into China on Monday October 22*Copper -$185.44 (-1,288.51 yuan)Aluminium -$461.51 (-3,206.74 yuan) Zinc -$107.33 (-745.79 yuan) Nickel $231.15 (1,606.11 yuan) *Fastmarkets calculates the physical arbitrage for import into China daily by using SHFE front-month and LME three-month prices...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices picked up some gains in east China on Monday October 22, but market participants' outlook has become more bearish due to a possible increase in supply amid weak demand.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,210-4,220 yuan ($607-609) per tonne, up 20-30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 4,100-4,110 yuan per tonne, unchangedPrices in Shanghai picked up a bit on Monday follo...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in London and Shanghai on Friday October 19. China The Chinese grade 553 silicon export price rose against a backdrop of tight supply on the looming dry season from November to May when refineries in Sichuan and Yunnan province curb production as a result of a lack of cheap hydroelectric power. Stockpiling activity among both traders and downstream co...Read More