New 2018 low... The slide in nickel prices...ACCESS RESTRICTEDTo read the rest of this analysis please take a free sample or subscribeFREE SampleReceive a free sample of market analysis and price forecasts.Free SampleSUBSCRIBEReceive unlimited access to all current and archive content going back to 2008 including downloadable pricing data and forecasts.Plus download the latest issu...Read More
Technical rather than fundamental sell-off The LME 3M tin price registered a 4.5% loss last week after a sell-off of 4% on Friday – the largest percentage drop since August 15. That made tin the second-worst performer on the LME after nickel (-4.6%). The sharp decline in LME open interest last week suggests that the tin’s sell-off was primarily driven by long liquidation rather than shor...Read More
Import prices for flat steel products into South America fell last week after low offers - driven by persistent weakness in the Chinese flat steel market - continued to arrive at South American coasts.Fastmarkets MB's weekly import price assessment for hot-rolled coil in South America was $540-550 per tonne cfr on Friday November 23, compared with $550-560 per tonne cfr in the week prior. Market p...Read More
The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, hot-dipped galvanized coil, pre-painted galvanized iron, steel plate, steel sheet and other flat steel products. Latest transactions: HRC, CRC, HDGHot-rolled coilChina, export, hot-rolled coil, offered at $520-530 per tonne cfr, to Saudi Arabia.India, export, hot-rolled coil, offered at $540 per tonne cf...Read More
Supply/demand dynamics weigh on Chinese HDG...ACCESS RESTRICTEDTo read the rest of this analysis please take a free sample or subscribeFREE SampleReceive a free sample of market analysis and price forecasts.Free SampleSUBSCRIBEReceive unlimited access to all current and archive content going back to 2008 including downloadable pricing data and forecasts.Plus download the latest iss...Read More
ACCESS RESTRICTEDTo read the rest of this analysis please take a free sample or subscribeFREE SampleReceive a free sample of market analysis and price forecasts.Free SampleSUBSCRIBEReceive unlimited access to all current and archive content going back to 2008 including downloadable pricing data and forecasts.Plus download the latest issue as soon as it’s published.SubscribeRead More
The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for steel billet, slab and bloom. Latest transactions: billetBillet China, export, billet, offered at $460...Read More
Click here to download the Selected Demand IndicatorsACCESS RESTRICTEDTo read the rest of this analysis please take a free sample or subscribeFREE SampleReceive a free sample of market analysis and price forecasts.Free SampleSUBSCRIBEReceive unlimited access to all current and archive content going back to 2008 including downloadable pricing data and forecasts.Plus download the lat...Read More
Domestic and import rebar prices in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were mostly stable this week but weak demand pressured billet import prices lower.Buying was weak again because of high stocks and the expectation of more price falls, sources told Fastmarkets MB on Tuesday November 27.Domestic rebarThe country's largest producer, Emirates Steel, is still offering rebar at 2,016 dirhams ($549) per...Read More
Chrome ore and ferro-chrome markets were subdued in China in the week ended Friday November 23 ahead of December ferro-chrome tender announcements. UG2 prices hold in ChinaCharge chrome import prices hold in China, domestic alloy prices edge lowerAlloy prices hold in Japan, weaken in South KoreaAlloy prices continue lower in Europe Chrome ore and ferro-chrome prices were largely stable in China o...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 12 points in pre-opening trade. United Technologies slipped $1.98 to $126.00 after announcing plans to spinoff of its Otis and Carrier divisions.Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS $70.09 Cdn) is expected to open lower after reporting slightly lower than consensus fiscal fourth quarter earnings.Apple dropped $3.79 to $170.83 aft...Read More
Fastmarkets MB proposes to launch an assessment of chrome ore inventories at the main Chinese ports of Tianjin, Qinzhou, Lianyungang and Shanghai to monitor the changes to stock flows of this raw material and help market participants better understand supply and demand in the physical market. The rapid accumulation in Chinese chrome ore inventory this year put pressure on chrome prices as well as...Read More
A new round of environmental inspections started on Sunday November 25 in Jiangxi province, a major ammonium paratungstate production hub in China, and is expected to last for 24 days, multiple well-informed sources told Fastmarkets MB. The inspections will track the progress of improvements made by local industrial producers following the previous environmental inspection in the second quarter of...Read More
Turkish steel producers remained out of deep-sea scrap market on Tuesday November 27 because of uncertainty about Asian markets and sluggish demand for finished products, sources said.After booking three deep-sea cargoes at lower prices at the end of last week, mills have not returned to the scrap market so far this week.The most recent transactions put the HMS 1&2 (80:20) price at $320 per tonne...Read More
Shipments of steel products and pig iron from Ukraine have not yet been affected by the country imposing restrictions under martial law, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday November 27."For the moment, I do not see any problems for civil vessels from Black Sea ports, but it is only the first day after the announcement of the martial law decision," one trader from Ukraine said on Tuesday. "Those mo...Read More
When I was young, and my rich dad would tell me he didn't like an investment I wanted to pursue, he'd always say, "I hope I'm wrong." He believed that by giving me enough warning, I would have the time to prepare, just in case he was right.He said, "The question is not whether I'm right or wrong. The question is: are you prepared just in case I'm right?"This has stuck with me and it motivated me t...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices were rangebound on Tuesday November 27 after a rapid drop below $65 per-tonne cfr on Monday.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $65.19 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $0.94 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $64.46 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $0.94 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $69.02 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $0.05 per tonne.MB 58% Fe Premium Index: $57.06 per...Read More
I was in Baltimore a few days ago to attend some business presentations and to catch up with colleagues and old friends.One of the presentations was held in an old theater that was being renovated.The Parkway Theater was built in 1915 and its design was modeled on London’s West End Theater.Being one of the first movie palaces on the east coast, The Parkway Theater was a runaway success from...Read More
The share of basic oxygen furnace (BOF)-based steel production in Asia may increase from 2019 onward, even as more integrated mills are commissioned in the region. There are at least six new BOF-based steelmaking projects in China and Southeast Asia which are either in development stages or will fire their blast furnaces between 2018 and 2023, according to World Steel Association head of technolog...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices softened further on Tuesday November 27, with participants staying on the sidelines amid a weakening steel market in China."The billet price in China [tumbled] during the day. It has fallen by 800-900 yuan ($115-130) per tonne since the first [working day] of November. The situation doesn't bode well for coking coal prices," a Chinese trading source said. Fastmarkets' d...Read More