Summer maintenance work at steel mills was continuing across Japan but reduced generation volumes and strong prices paid by South Korea were continuing to support export scrap prices, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 28.On the lower-grade H2 material, reduced supply has been balanced by continued poor demand from Taiwan and Vietnam, sources said."I feel that the market is not so strong,...Read More
Prices for steel billets imported to the Philippines have jumped in the week to July 28 after Chinese buying activity inflated offer prices for mills in Southeast Asia, sources told Fastmarkets.Trading activity into the Philippines had been quiet the previous week in the face of huge Chinese demand, with just one deal for Vietnamese induction furnace (IF) billet heard done at $688 per tonne cfr Ma...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Europe remained fairly stable on Wednesday July 28 despite slow trading and pressure from cheap import offers to Southern Europe, sources told Fastmarkets.Demand has been weak due to the seasonal summer-holiday slowdown across the EU.In addition, the number of offers from European mills has been limited. Suppliers in Germany were reported to be holding back f...Read More
China's domestic sellers for hot-rolled coil kept prices stable on Wednesday July 28 due to stronger demand and exporters insisted on high offers ahead of the month end, sources told Fastmarkets.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,880-5,900 yuan ($904-907) per tonne, unchangedThe weather was clear in Zhejiang and Shanghai, so demand and logistics resumed, supporting HRC prices.Demand in parts of J...Read More
Base metals prices remained mixed on the London Metal Exchange at the 5pm close of trading on Wednesday July 28, with the month-end approaching and the market still waiting for signals of fresh direction from the US Federal Reserve bank."While we are very positive on the fundamentals [for copper] in the long term, we remain cautious in the short term due to the presence of macro headwinds," Fastma...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday July 28 that are worth another look.German steelmaker Salzgitter has delivered green strip steel to automotive producer Mercedes-Benz, the company recently announced.The main workers union at Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, has called on its members...Read More
A growing number of steelmakers cutting production in China has prompted steel mills to reduce their consumption of direct-charge iron ore - iron ore pellets and lumps, market sources told Fastmarkets.Earlier in July, several steelmakers in various regions across China told Fastmarkets that they intend to keep this year's steel output levels from exceeding last year's.Growing uncertaintyThis has c...Read More
An arbitrage between two of the world's main copper contracts has had the market chasing shadows over the week ended Wednesday July 28.On July 26, the Comex active (September) contract traded at more than $300 per tonne above London Metal Exchange price levels for the month to date, in what was a record spread between the two contracts.The massive premium came at the end of a month in which the Ch...Read More
Brazilian steel and iron ore producer Companhia Sider??rgica Nacional's (CSN) adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) soared by 324.62% year on year due to higher steel and iron ore prices and sales volumes in the second quarter.In brief Sales of iron ore from CSN's mining division, CSN Minera????o, rose by 17.65% year on year during the quarter, to 9.11 mi...Read More
Copper premiums in China continue their uptrend with an rise in buying and an improved arbitrage, while premiums elsewhere in the world were stable in the week to July 27.European premiums were stable due to approaching holiday season Premiums in the United States were stable despite Comex copper prices hikeLondon Metal Exchange stocks were at 230,225 tonnes on Wednesday, their highest since...Read More
An arbitrage between two of the world's main copper contracts has had the market chasing shadows over the week ended Wednesday July 28.On July 26, the Comex active (September) contract traded at more than $300 per tonne above London Metal Exchange price levels for the month to date, in what was a record spread between the two contracts.The massive premium came at the end of a month in which the Ch...Read More
China's domestic and imported ferro-chrome prices were both boosted again in the week ended Tuesday July 27 after major stainless steel mills raised their August tender prices by 2,400 yuan ($369) per tonne from the previous month, to a level not seen in the past 13 years.Due to continuing supply interruptions and strong demand for material, Tsingshan announced its tender price for August-delivery...Read More
The main workers union at Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, has called on its members to reject BHP's last wage offer and vote for industrial action, the union said in a statement on July 28. "After analyzing the conditions of the last offer of Minera Escondida, controlled by Anglo-Australian BHP, it has been found that [the company] seeks to increase working times, decrease breaks, chan...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices continued to drop on Wednesday July 28 due to early-hour weak futures, but demand increased after typhoon In-fa weakened, sources told Fastmarkets.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,270-5,300 yuan ($810-815) per tonne, down by 10 yuan per tonneThe most-traded October rebar futures contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange was lower than Tuesday's settlement price of...Read More
Steelmakers in India have welcomed a newly approved Production Linked Incentive (PLI) program for the specialty steel sector to encourage domestic production, new investment and reduce imports. The South Asian country's Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on July approved the PLI program for specialty steel in a push for a self-reliant India, a policy known as "Atmanirbhar...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday July 28 that are worth another look.German steelmaker Salzgitter has delivered green strip steel to automotive producer Mercedes-Benz, the company recently announced.The main workers union at Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, has called on its members...Read More
While tight flows continue to be a concern for dealers, processors and consumers, the stainless steel scrap market in the United States has remained firm, sources said, with prices for 300 grades increasing while 400 grades mostly held steady."Now it looks like the Covid-19 delta variant has caused supply concerns while scrap demand continues to be strong from the mills, as their order books conti...Read More
Steel H-beam prices in Europe were stable on Wednesday July 28 following a seasonal slowdown in demand, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel beams, domestic, delivered Northern Europe was ?,?1,050-1,080 ($1,239-1,275) per tonne on Wednesday, unchanged week on week.A distributor said that mills were keen to push prices to ?,?1,100 per tonne, but this was not curre...Read More
Base metals prices were mixed on the London Metal Exchange during morning trading on Wednesday July 28, with the market hesitant ahead of the Federal Reserve meeting later on Wednesday."United States' equity index futures traded mixed ahead of the Fed's policy statement, with analysts expecting modest tweaks on the inflation language and virus risks," Anna Stablum, LME desk analyst at Marex, said....Read More
U.S. equity index futures were mixed 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 U.S. economic reports at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for second quarter annualized real GDP is an increase of 8.6% versus a gain of 6.4% in the first quarter. Consensus for June Personal Income is a drop of 0.3% versus a decline of 2.0% in...Read More