The tight Chinese domestic tin market may loosen after China's Yunnan Tin, the world's largest tin producer, resumed production in early August after its annual maintenance, sources said.Although a tin shortage remains in China, sources expect tightness to alleviate in the near future.Sources estimate that Yunnan Tin's maintenance reduced tin output by approximately 1,500-2,000 tonnes, althou...Read More
Chinese copper smelter Guangxi Nanguo has brought forward its maintenance schedule because the local government has stepped up its measures to restrict power consumption by industrial facilities, Fastmarkets has learnt.The private smelter, which has capacity for 300,000 tonnes per year, will be shut for 45 days across August-September and therefore will not be procuring extra copper raw material o...Read More
Deliverable stocks of base metals diverged in the week to Friday August 6, with zinc leading the growth and tin topping the decline.Zinc inventories totaled 39,982 tonnes in the week to August 6, up by 3,758 tonnes (10.4%) from the previous week. R&S Logistics warehouse in Shanghai reported the largest inflow, with volumes rising by 1,490 tonnes (68.3%) week on week to 3,671 tonnes, according to t...Read More
Fastmarkets has identified a necessary clarification to the nickel sulfate specification with regard to delivery time.The delivery time for Fastmarkets' nickel sulfate ex-works China price assessment is seven days, which was not reflected in the specifications when the price was launched in July 2018.Fastmarkets confirms that the specifications read as follows, with the clarification in italics:MB...Read More
Brazilian slab export prices were stable in the week ended Friday August 6, with few deals booked.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob main port Brazil was unchanged at $920-930 per tonne on Friday, though prices are down from $975-985 per tonne on July 23.Brazilian slab export prices have been affected by a similar drop...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States slipped after touching $94 per hundredweight ($1,880 per short ton) for the second time ever on Thursday August 5, but remained above $93 per cwt for an eighth consecutive business day while buyers grumbled about the lack of spot material.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $93.46 per cwt ($1,869.20 per ton) on F...Read More
South American flat steel import prices did not show a clear trend in the week to Friday August 6, with some products being offered higher - especially due to tax rebate cuts in China - while others were down due to discounts or the absence of more expensive material in the market.Demand also took a hit during the period. Some customers were concerned that a Chinese export tax for hot-rolled produ...Read More
Cold-rolled and galvanized steel sheet prices in the United States set fresh records this past week, and all indications point to further gains in the coming weeks.Some mills were offering sporadic spot material at levels much higher that those recorded previously, and while some buyers have been pushing back those in dire need of material were paying the premium price.Fastmarkets' weekly price as...Read More
German industrial group Thyssenkrupp has agreed the sale of its Infrastructure business to compatriot company FMC Beteiligungs KG, an entrepreneur-led investment firm, Thyssenkrupp said on Thursday August 5.The deal was expected to be closed later this year but will be subject to approval from merger control authorities as well as Thyssenkrupp's own supervisory board. The financial details of the...Read More
Indian hot-rolled coil export prices rose by $25-40 per tonne in the week to Friday August 6 due to mills expanding their markets to the Gulf region, North Africa, Central and South America.Fastmarkets assessed steel hot-rolled coil (commodity) export, fob main port India at $920-950 per tonne on Friday, an increase of $25-40 per tonne from $895-910 per tonne last week."Indian mills are...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves in the week to Friday August 6.Susan Zou, Yingchi Yang and...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing sessions in Europe, Asia and the United States for the week ending Friday August 6.ChinaThe seaborne low-grade manganese ore price edged lower after suppliers cut offers on September cargoes amid rising port inventories and weakness in the domestic portside market.The seaborne high-grade manganese ore price ticked up with higher offer prices in the spot market, t...Read More
Turkish steel mills were silent on Friday August 6 after booking at least five deep-sea cargoes earlier this week, market participants told Fastmarkets.The most recent deal was recorded on Wednesday August 4, when a steel mill in the Izmir region booked a United States cargo comprising 15,000 tonnes of heavy melting scrap 1&2 (80:20) at $464 per tonne, and 14,000 tonnes of shredded and 2,000 tonne...Read More
Major steelmakers in China and Japan lowered their domestic scrap buy prices on Friday August 6 amid reduced intake volumes, sources told Fastmarkets.Large Chinese steelmakers drop domestic scrap purchase pricesJapan's Tokyo Steel reduces buy prices for most grades at most factoriesSouth Korea closes deals at lower prices for Japanese scrap.ChinaTwo major mills in Jiangsu province lowered their do...Read More
A summary of operational results for Ukrainian steelmaker Metinvest for the second quarter of 2021In brief?EUR? Merchant slab production decreased by 19% quarter on quarter to 395,000 tonnes due to the redistribution of slab to flat-rolled product.?EUR? Flat product output increased by 9%...Read More
Iron ore prices increased slightly on Friday August 6 after a slump on Thursday, although overall sentiment remains bearish, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $172.51 per tonne, up $0.96 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $173.53 per tonne, up $0.77 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $139.23 per tonne, up $2.95 per ton...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices maintained their upward trend in both the cfr and fob markets on Friday August 6, with good buying interest in the latter.Prices for seaborne pulverized coal injection (PCI) material inched upward in both the cfr and fob markets in the week to August 6, amid continuous supply tightness and necessary restocking demand, market sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard...Read More
Eastern China rebar prices were flat on Friday August 6 on rising demand from trading houses, but the end user demand kept weak, causing a week-on-week decrease of 130-140 yuan per tonne.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,200-5,240 yuan ($804-811) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing) weekly assessment: 5,100-5,150 yuan per tonne, down by 150-170 yuan per tonneHeavy rain in Sichuan provinc...Read More
Base metal prices were mixed on the London Metal Exchange during morning trading on Friday August 8, with copper and aluminium leading the complex and lead down by 0.7%."Concerns about the delta strain's impact on growth have been weighing on metals this week - about half of China's provinces are trying to limit the spread. In Australia, two-thirds of the population is back in lockdown," Anna Stab...Read More
The price of shredded steel scrap into Pakistan and India fell on Friday August 6 having moved progressively lower across the working week, sources told Fastmarkets.PakistanFastmarkets calculated its weekly steel scrap, shredded, index, import, cfr Port Qasim, Pakistan at $530.64 per tonne on Friday, down from $544.77 per tonne one week earlier.Offers and deals were reported during the first half...Read More