An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Janie Davies, Dalila...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 3 points in pre-opening trade. U.S. equity index futures were quiet prior to release of the July Producer Price Index at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus is an increase of 0.6% versus a gain of 1.0% in June. Excluding food and energy, consensus was a gain of 0.5% versus a gain of 1.0% in June. eBay advanced $1.98 to $70.50 after...Read More
Australia's Port Hedland shipped lower volumes of iron ore in July month on month, according to data from the Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA) released on Wednesday August 11.The port on the northern coast of Western Australia exported 44.3 million tonnes of iron ore in July - a 12.1% drop compared with the 50.4 million tonnes shipped in June. On a year-on-year basis, exports...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil were stable in Northern Europe and down in Italy on Wednesday August 11 due to seasonally weak trading activity, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe at ?,?1,138.13 ($1,334.51) per tonne on August 11, down by ?,?0.62 per tonne from ?,?1,138.75 per tonne on August 10.The index was dow...Read More
Global aluminium premiums were supported across the globe by insufficient supply, strong demand and rising freight rates, although market illiquidity kept Asian and Brazilian markets static during the week to Tuesday August 10.US Midwest market sets another record high on tight supplyRotterdam premiums hold at all-time high amid strong fundamentalsJapanese, South Korean premiums unchanged due to s...Read More
A summary of the financial results for Egypt's biggest steelmaking group, Ezz Steel, for the period from January 1 to June 30, 2021.In brief"Local rebar consumption reached 3.36 million tonnes in the first half of 2021, an increase of 2% over the first half of 2020," the company said in a release to the London Stock Exchange on Monday August 9."However, consumption in...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday August 10 that are worth another look.Germany's Thyssenkrupp ended force majeure at its Steel Europe division on August 6, the company's spokesperson told Fastmarkets on August 10.If any member was going...Read More
The 2022 Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympic Games will test China's resolve on decarbonization, with new pollution control measures likely to be imposed for the major sporting event, sources told Fastmarkets.Beijing and the surrounding area of Hebei, including Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, will host 109 sporting events in 15 disciplines on February 4-20 in 2022 for Winter Olympic Games and March 4-1...Read More
Iron ore prices fell significantly on Tuesday August 10 due to continuing weak demand, with production cuts and pollution-control measures in China's Tangshan city, in preparation for February's 2022 Winter Olympics, further depressing market sentiment.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $162.44 per tonne, down $10.07 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $162.75 per...Read More
Prices of hot-rolled coil in China's domestic market rose on Tuesday August 10, reflecting growing expectations that output will drop following the release of Tangshan's new production curb plan to ensure good air quality for the forthcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,760-5,820 yuan ($889-898) per tonne, up by 40 yuan per tonneTangshan, China's main steelmaking...Read More
Prices for domestic steel rebar in Russia's Central Federal District have continued to decline, losing another 3000-5000 roubles ($41-68) per tonne in the seven days to Monday August 9.Market participants expect the downward trend to prevail until the busy construction season ends in early November.Considering the high prices on offer from traditional suppliers in the Moscow area, stockists have b...Read More
Tin's three-month price reached a new all-time high of $35,300 per tonne on the London Metal Exchange, with continued tightness continuing to grip the market, while the rest of the complex rose by an average of 1.3% on Tuesday August 10. Tin's three-month price has increased by around 9.5% in the last month, having had an intraday high of $32,250 per tonne on July 12. Around 470 lots of tin h...Read More
The waiting time to deliver aluminium out of Istim's London Metal Exchange-registered warehouses in Johor, Malaysia, has risen to 78 days, according to the LME's latest queue report.The 78-day queue at the end of July is up from just eight days at the end of June. Over July, no fresh units were delivered into Istim's Johor warehouses and only 34,275 tonnes were delivered out. Total stock now sits...Read More
Turkish steel mills booked no new cargoes on Tuesday August 10, keeping prices stable, but older cargoes have been reported, sources told Fastmarkets.Despite a lack of new bookings on Tuesday, cargoes booked the previous week were reported by the market.A United Kingdom booking comprised of 25,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $460 per tonne cfr was traded late in the week to August 6....Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday August 10 that are worth another look.Germany's Thyssenkrupp ended force majeure at its Steel Europe division on August 6, the company's spokesperson told Fastmarkets on August 10.If any member was going...Read More
Rebar futures on the Shanghai Futures Exchange increased on Tuesday August 10 and spot prices quickly followed suit, with production cuts widely expected for the rest of 2021, sources told Fastmarkets.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,200-5,230 yuan ($802-807) per tonne, up by 10-20 yuan per tonneAccording to a report by a local information provider on Monday, Hebei province plans to cut 21.71 m...Read More
Aluminum smelters in China's Guangxi province have been notified by Guangxi Power Grid Company to reduce their regular power consumption by at least 30% before August 15 by staggering power usage, sources told Fastmarkets.Guangxi province has a yearly operating capacity of 1.9 million tonnes per year of aluminium and is currently operating at 93% of capacity. "We estimate that [output will re...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States achieved yet another record high, with debate now intensifying over whether mills can eventually collect $2,000 per short ton ($100 per hundredweight) on hot band.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $94.67 per cwt ($1,893.40 per ton) on Tuesday August 10, an increase of 0.65% from $94.06 per cwt on Monday August...Read More
Mixed signals have emerged over the next direction for the US Midwest ferrous scrap market, but sources seem fairly certain that No1 busheling could face its first downward correction since August 2020 in the next round of trading.September's outlook is murky. Some feel shredded scrap could hold up due to strong demand, while others disagree; and while there is consensus that prime scrap could dro...Read More
Ferrous scrap prices in Mexico were stable or down in the week ended Friday August 6, with some buyers succeeding in applying price cuts for obsolete grades.In Mexico's central Baj?-o region, at least two buyers were announcing a price reduction of 200 pesos ($10) on all grades.While price decreases were possible for obsolete grades, market participants did not see one for No1 busheling."The...Read More