For a number of years problems at Ilva, the largest steelworks in Europe, have been casting shadow over the performance of the whole Italian steel industry. Will an acquisition of Ilva by a consortium led by ArcelorMittal, now in its final stage, be a game changer for the market?Following multiple reports of environmental and health problems caused by the Taranto plant, in 2013 Ilva was placed und...Read More
China ended steel production in all of the country's illegal induction furnaces by the end of June last year, it ha claimed.Most operators in China are primarily small private mills that use low-quality scrap to produce substandard rebar. This is mixed with grade III (HRB400) rebar and sold at a discount to construction contractors.For a long period, the government had neither a record of nor cont...Read More
China's month-on-month new electric vehicles (NEV) sales rebounded in August after month-on-month declines in June and July. The drop in sales between May and June was the first drop since September 2016, but Fastmarkets MB had expected Chinese NEV sales to dip temporarily after the June subsidy changes came into effect because consumers and NEV manufacturers would have to adjust to the new subsid...Read More
Seaborne pig iron has become relatively competitive versus ferrous scrap over the past year in most regions, and China is no exception. As the first chart below illustrates, the gap between the MBR's proxy for imported pig iron price in China and the Metal Bulletin's Chinese domestic heavy melt scrap price assessment had shrunk by late 2017. The premium averaged $17 per tonne this year to date, co...Read More
The closure of some induction furnaces in China in 2016 followed by the government's crackdown on all unlicensed IFs in mid-2017 freed up some scrap volumes, albeit arguably of low-quality material. Chinese domestic scrap prices came under pressure from the increased supply, which prevented them from keeping pace with the rise in steel and other raw material markets in the fourth quarter of 2016;...Read More
About a year ago, metallurgical coal embarked on a long journey of great volatility and disruption. It emerged as the best performing commodity in 2016 after several years of declining prices. Prices have dropped and spiked several times since then and the volatility continued in 2017 with a cyclone disrupting the market and eventually also affecting the way the commodity is priced. Although therm...Read More
The past year, soaring metallurgical coal prices have greatly affected the costs involved in producing pig iron, a form of crude iron which is the product of the blast furnace. Metal Bulletin Research's Global Steel Cost Service details how coking coal and coke costs usually averaged around 35% of total pig iron production expenditure in 2014 and 2015 while iron ore stood for the majority of costs...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in London on Friday October 5....Read More
Turkish domestic scrap prices have increased over the past week, in line with rising imported scrap values, sources said on Monday October 8....Read More
Technology is playing a significant role in transforming the way the metals industry develops and operates. And from production through to trading, the question to be answered is how the industry can benefit from the increasing use of technology across the metals value chain....Read More
To mark the start of LME Week 2018, which is being held at various locations across London this week, the London Metal Exchange's analysis of the base metals market has begun, with an initial focus on zinc and lead....Read More
Stefan Boel, who left German copper smelter Aurubis in July, has joined the Geneva-based commercial group Industrial Minerals, Fastmarkets learned on Monday October 8. ...Read More
The London Metal Exchange's position paper on responsible sourcing does not go far enough and its proposals will be ineffective in their current form, according to a campaign leader at Global Witness. ...Read More
The most constructive supply development for aluminium prices so this year has been the large downgrade in Chinese primary aluminium production, explains Natasha Kaneva, executive director of global commodities research and strategy at JP Morgan. Speaking on the metals debate panel at the London Metal Exchange's seminar, Kaneva said that there were expectations that production growth would increas...Read More
Base metal prices on the London Metal Exchange were lower across the board during morning trading on Monday October 8, with a strong dollar adding downward pressure to prices and capping recent gains....Read More
The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Tuesday October 9.Base metal prices on the London Metal Exchange were split at the close of trading on Monday October 8, with some metals caving in to pressure from a stronger US dollar while trade tensions continue to deter commodity investment. Read more in our live futures report.Here are how prices looked at the close of tradi...Read More
Brazilian domestic prices of flat steel products went mostly up late last week, while producers attempted to apply new price increases amid currency volatility and an uncertain political scenario....Read More
Offers of hot-rolled coil (HRC) to the EU from Turkey will continue to pose a threat to domestic prices, market sources told Fastmarkets on Monday October 8....Read More
The Brazilian automotive association, Anfavea, has adjusted its forecasts for production, sales and exports this year, to better reflect rising domestic sales and lower shipments to Argentina....Read More
A leading Japanese steel major will increase its offers for November-shipment hot-rolled coil sold to major buyers in Southeast Asia by $5-10 per tonne cfr from October's offers....Read More