Chinese aluminium production in July of 3.26 million tonnes was down by 0.9% from June, according to National Bureau of Statistics data published on Monday August 16.Although domestic aluminium production in July was still up by 7.4% year on year, it was down for the third consecutive month following June's production of 3.29 million tonnes and May's 3.32 million tonnes.China produced 22.89 millio...Read More
Fastmarkets has identified a necessary clarification to the nickel sulfate specification with regard to timing of loading.The timing of loading for Fastmarkets' nickel sulfate ex-works China price assessment is within seven days, which was not reflected in the specifications when the price assessment was launched in July 2018.Fastmarkets confirms that the specifications are as follows, with the cl...Read More
Prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed at the close on Monday August 16, with only tin making a solid advance, while the rest of the metals were either down or around their Friday levels. Tin's three-month price was up to $35,680 per tonne on Monday, up 1% from last Friday's closing price of $35,680 per tonne. It reached its latest all-time high of $35,955 per tonne on Thursday of last wee...Read More
Fastmarkets has identified a necessary clarification to the nickel sulfate specification with regard to timing of loading.The timing of loading for Fastmarkets' nickel sulfate ex-works China price assessment is within seven days, which was not reflected in the specifications when the price assessment was launched in July 2018.Fastmarkets confirms that the specifications are as follows, with the cl...Read More
Secondary aluminium ingot prices in Europe rose during the week to Friday August 13 due to surging costs for alloying elements. Despite quieter market conditions due to the seasonal summer lull, ingot prices rose in both Europe and the United Kingdom this week due to ascending prices for elements used in aluminium alloying such as silicon and copper. Fastmarkets assessed the price for aluminium sc...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States remained above $95 per hundredweight ($1,900 per short ton) for the third consecutive business day, with demand and lead times stable in the domestic market.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $95.07 per hundredweight ($1,901.40 per short ton) on Monday August 16, a decrease of 1.08% from $96.11 per cwt on Friday...Read More
Manganese flake prices hit record highs in Europe and the United States in the week ended Friday August 13, amid short supply, talk of further production cuts and persistent delays in transportation from China.Fastmarkets' price assessment for manganese, 99.7% electrolytic manganese flake, in-whs Rotterdam, rose by 5.6% to $5,050-5,250 per tonne on August 13, up from $4,750-5,000 per tonne in the...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in China's domestic market remained stable on Monday August 16, subdued by weak economic data but supported by a sharp decline in output.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,750-5,810 yuan ($888-897) per tonne, upward widening by 30 yuan per tonneThe most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange slipped to 5,675 yuan per tonne on Monday morning, before clawing bac...Read More
Aluminium premiums in Japan dropped by an average of $2.50 per tonne to $175-190 per tonne on Friday August 13, from $180-190 per tonne on August 10, with low buying interest weakening demand in recent weeks. Fastmarkets assessed the aluminium P1020A main Japanese ports (MJP) spot premium, cif Japan at $175-190 per tonne on Friday, marking its first change in since July 20.No spot trades were repo...Read More
Key participants in India's steel and scrap sectors welcomed the launch of the National Automobile Scrappage Policy at an investor summit held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with private companies signing Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to set up vehicle scrapping facilities, Fastmarkets has heard.The investor summit was held in Gujarat on August 13, and was addressed by Modi via video confere...Read More
Eastern China's domestic rebar price decreased slightly on Monday August 16 after the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released housing industry data for July.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,190-5,220 yuan ($801-806) per tonne, down by 10 yuan per tonneThe total area used for new housing construction totaled 1.19 billion square meters in January to July, down by 0.9% year on year, while the...Read More
Prices of flat steel coil products in the Brazilian spot market remained stable in August, with distributors finding it difficult to compete with a strong influx of imported material.High volumes of coil material arrived through July and continued into August, all booked at lower prices several months ago.Imports of flat steel reached 190,854 tonnes in July 2021, up by 141% from the 79,186 tonnes...Read More
Key data from Friday August 13 pricing session in Shanghai.Key drivers Sellers reduced their offers in the hope of facilitating sales. Regular participants held their offers at 530-550 yuan ($82-85) per kg but offers below 520 yuan per kg were also...Read More
Key data from the Friday August 13 pricing session in Shanghai.Key drivers China's domestic magnesium prices surged due to spot supply shortage from producers.Some producer sources said they had signed forward contracts with buyers, because they did not have spot material available for the...Read More
Domestic hot-rolled coil prices were stable across Europe on Monday August 16, reflecting typically quiet market conditions over the summer, sources told Fastmarkets.Most of the region's buyers and producers have been holding back from trading during August; activity is not expected to pick up until early September, as is traditional.Fastmarkets calculated its steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday August 16 that are worth another look.Apparent steel use in the European Union will increase by 11.2% year on year in 2021, the European steel association Eurofer said in the week to August 16.A lack of available containers for shipments out...Read More
Rebar and wire rod export prices from the Commonwealth of Independent States continued to decrease in the week ended Monday August 16, pressured by the downward trend in the Turkish market that was spurred by a lack of demand and lower costs for imported scrap.Scrap prices in Turkey declined at the beginning of this week due to the latest transaction.Thus, Fastmarkets' index for steel scrap,...Read More
Export slab prices from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) remained largely unchanged in the week to Monday August 16 on limited trading activity.Customers in Europe, particularly those in Italy, had little appetite for imported material due to the traditional holiday season in the region.Buyers from Turkey, meanwhile, were facing limited demand for finished...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday August 16 that are worth another look.Apparent steel use in the European Union will increase by 11.2% year on year in 2021, the European steel association Eurofer said in the week to August 16.A lack of available containers for shipments out...Read More
Turkish steel producers started the week with a single deep-sea cargo, which further deepened the decrease in prices, market participants told Fastmarkets on Monday August 16.A steel mill in the Izmir region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising 18,500 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $455 per tonne, along with 5,000 tonnes of shredded and 1,500 tonnes of bonus at $470 per tonne cfr.The previous cargo...Read More