Brazil's iron ore exports increased by a third in December compared with a year earlier, according to statistics from the country's economy ministry.It shipped 33.17 million tonnes of the steelmaking raw material last month, compared with 24.99 million tonnes in December 2019.Strong demand for steel in in China has...Read More
China aims to diversify its iron ore supply sources and strengthen its bargaining power in purchasing, according to the country's Ministry of Industry & Information Technology (MIIT).Seeking feedback on a steel masterplan that will form part of the country's 14th Five-Year Plan, MIIT said in a document published on Thursday December 31, that one of its goals was to strengthen the iron ore res...Read More
Chinese steelmakers have wasted no time in booking ferrous scrap from abroad following a change in the country's import rules for the steelmaking raw material, with purchases of several cargoes from Japan agreed in the last few days.A notice released by the Chinese Ministry of Ecology & Environment late on December 31 formally confirmed the relaxation of steel scrap import regulations for material...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday January 5 that are worth another look.Russia's government has done as was expected and has approved an increase in the export duty to be applied to ferrous scrap for the next six months.London Metal Exchange...Read More
A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday January 5.Please click...Read More
Steel scrap prices in Mexico resumed an upward trend in the week ended Friday January 1, with many consumers accepting higher prices for scrap in the final days of 2020 when struggling to secure supply.At least two steel producers in Mexico increased their scrap purchase prices because it has been difficult to secure material, due to the strong competition.In mid-December, tough competition betwee...Read More
Three-month LME copper and tin prices continued to rise on Tuesday January 5, with the red metal coming close to its 2020 high, on a day when the rest of the base metals all saw increases, supported by a low US Dollar Index.Copper's three-month price settled at $8,002 per tonne on Tuesday at the 5pm close, just a few dollars short of the metal's 2020 high of $8,028 per tonne reached on Decemb...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday January 5 that are worth another look.Russia's government has done as was expected and has approved an increase in the export duty to be applied to ferrous scrap for the next six months.London Metal Exchange...Read More
London Metal Exchange spreads are usually a key driver for duty-unpaid aluminium premiums in Europe but this was not the case toward the end of 2020, leaving market participants wondering what will be main driver in 2021. Since late November, the Rotterdam duty-unpaid premium has been steadily rising despite spreads trading at levels that would usually bring it down. Fastmarkets assessed the ...Read More
Three-month LME copper and tin prices continued to rise on Tuesday January 5, with the red metal coming close to its 2020 high, on a day when the rest of the base metals all saw increases, supported by a low US Dollar Index.Copper's three-month price settled at $8,002 per tonne on Tuesday at the 5pm close, just a few dollars short of the metal's 2020 high of $8,028 per tonne reached on Decemb...Read More
The cfr premium hard coking coal price jumped again on Tuesday January 5 after two transactions were sealed at higher prices.The fob market, meanwhile, remained relatively quiet, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $103.74 per tonne, up $0.25 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $207.44 per tonne, up $4.27 per tonneHard co...Read More
Iron ore prices increased on Tuesday January 5, with active trading in the seaborne and port markets supported by record high prices in coke futures, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $167.86 per tonne, up $2.57 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $168.00 per tonne, up $2 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao:&nbs...Read More
China-based minor metals producer Vital Materials has acquired the industrial site of PPM Pure Metals at Langelsheim, Germany. Vital will operate the assets through a newly established subsidiary, Vital Pure Metal Solutions GmbH (VPMS), that will be fully integrated into Vital's global network as a platform to provide sales and recycling solutions to the global customer base, Vital told Fastmarket...Read More
An overview of the chrome ore and alloy markets on Tuesday January 5 and their latest price moves. China Tsingshan and Baosteel increased their ferro-chrome tender prices by $31 per tonne for January. Market sentiment was propelled higher after ferro-chrome producers adjusted up their offer prices. The imported ferro-chrome price surged...Read More
For the first quarter of 2021, the quarterly benchmark main Japanese port (MJP) aluminium premium has settled at $130 per tonne, its highest level since it was settled in July-September 2018 at $132 per tonne.Market participants said that this high premium was unexpected, and attributed it mostly to the open Chinese arbitrage window, which at premiums as high as $150 per tonne was driving aluminiu...Read More
Peru reported a year-on-year increase in both zinc and tin production during November 2020, while output of copper and lead fell on the same basis of comparison, the country's ministry of energy and mines, Minem, said on Tuesday January 5.Copper output was down from a year before but remained close to the highest levels seen through 2020, the data showed. Production hit 206,387 tonnes in November,...Read More
Chile's output of copper decreased by 3% year on year in November 2020 amid a drop in volumes from large mines such as Escondida and Collahuasi, national copper commission Cochilco said on Tuesday January 5.Production in Chile totaled 485,100 tonnes during November, down from 500,100 tonnes a year earlier, data from Cochilco showed.Government restrictions to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in Chile re...Read More
Chilean copper producer Codelco is to go ahead with the $1.38-billion Rajo Inca expansion project at its Salvador mine, the state-owned company said on Tuesday January 5.The company expects commercial production to begin in the second half of 2022 and aims to achieve full production capacity of 90,000 tonnes per year in the first half of 2023. The mine's current output is 60,000 tpy, the company s...Read More
London Metal Exchange spreads are usually a key driver for duty-unpaid aluminium premiums in Europe but this was not the case toward the end of 2020, leaving market participants wondering what will be main driver in 2021. Since late November, the Rotterdam duty-unpaid premium has been steadily rising despite spreads trading at levels that would usually bring it down. Fastmarkets assessed the ...Read More
The three-month tin price on the London Metal Exchange crossed the $21,200-per-tonne mark while copper edged above $7,900 per tonne during morning trading on Tuesday January 5, with a weak dollar continuing to offset worries about new lockdowns in Europe and the Georgia run-off election in the United States. Tin's forward price stood at $21,215 per tonne as at 9am London time, a 0.8% rise on its M...Read More