Trading activity in the European hot-rolled coil market remained subdued on Monday October 18, with mills and buyers both holding back from trading, sources told Fastmarkets.Sentiment remains gloomy due to the drop in demand from the automotive segment. Auto-industry output - and, consequently, steel demand - has fallen due to a shortage of semiconductors. Market sources reported that mills supply...Read More

Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil declined in the European Union in the week to Friday October 15, reflecting bearish sentiment in the market and poor demand from the automotive segment.Buyers and sellers have held back from making deals, with only limited volumes traded in Europe during the week.Steel prices have been under downward pressure from weak automotive demand, high distributor stocks...Read More

The Commonwealth of Independent States' (CIS) billet export prices increased following a couple of Black Sea cargoes reportedly sold to Turkey, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday October 18.A 10,000-tonne cargo from Russia was reportedly sold to Turkey at $650 per tonne fob late last week, several sources told Fastmarkets.Another billet cargo of around 20,000 tonnes was sold from Ukraine to Iskend...Read More

Export prices for rebar and wire rod originating from the Commonwealth of Independent States increased during the week to Monday October 18 on bullish offers from mills amid increased rolling costs, Fastmarkets heard.A steady uptrend in the international scrap market since last week, as well as increasing costs of production due to surging electricity and gas prices, pushed offers for CIS-origin l...Read More

Brazilian apparent steel consumption rose by 8.52% year on year in September amid a surge in imports and an increase in long steel demand, national steelmaker association Instituto A??o Brasil said.Consumption totaled 2.20 million tonnes in September, up from 2.03 million tonnes in the corresponding month last year, the association said on Friday October 15.Growth was more pronounced for long stee...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were generally up strongly this morning, Monday October 18, with energy shortages and high energy prices continuing to affect supply. The market seems to be ignoring, for now, the weaker economic data out of China.* China’s gross domestic product climbed 4.9% in the third quarter, down from 7.9% in the second quarte...Read More

A summary of the operational results for Russian steelmaker Severstal for the third quarter (July-September) of 2021In brief Steel sales were up by 1% quarter on quarter to 2.69 million tonnes due to strong sales of pig iron and slabs. Sales of hot-rolled steel and plate increased by 1% quarter on quarter to 1.12 million tonnes. The total share of export sales volume, including sales of pig iron,...Read More

Giuseppe Pasini, chairman of Italy's Feralpi Group, one of the leading long steel manufacturers in the European Union, spoke with Fastmarkets' Julia Bolotova about the challenges facing the European steel sector and Feralpi's strategy in light of the EU's ambitious greenhouse emissions reduction goals and global trade restrictions.Energy crisis in EuropeThe recent jump in electricity and gas price...Read More

World equity indices moved higher again last week. Seasonal influences for developed nations naturally turn positive in the first half of October for a trade that frequently lasts to the first week in January. ObservationsFavourable seasonal influences by U.S. and Canadian equity indices were extended last week. Indices have entered into their strongest twelve week period of the year.Short term sh...Read More

Turkish steelmakers continued to book deep-sea scrap cargoes for December shipment at the start of the week, market participants told Fastmarkets on Monday October 18.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, consist of 6,500 tonnes HMS 1&2 (95:5) at $512 per tonne cfr. Market participants were unsure of the premium for this transaction over HMS 1&2 (80:20),...Read More

Turkish domestic scrap prices have increased during the week to Monday October 18 in line with rising imported scrap values, market participants said.Turkish steelmakers have been paying higher prices for deep-sea scrap in recent weeks due to limited supply and firm demand.Fastmarkets' daily index for steel scrap HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix) United States origin, cfr Turkey was $489.99 per tonne on Mo...Read More

Brazilian iron ore producer Vale has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese steel group Jiangsu Shagang to explore low-carbon steelmaking solutions, the former said on Monday October 18.The companies intend to develop feasibility studies on using products such as higher-purity iron ore, which has a lower carbon footprint, in the iron-making process, and cooperation on Tecnored facilitie...Read More

Seaborne coking coal prices increased slightly on Monday October 18. And the number of trucks for transporting Mongolian coal is expected to increase, sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $612.56 per tonne, up by $1.46 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $565.06 per tonne, up by $3.39 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $400.30 per tonne, up by $0.6...Read More

Iron ore prices were mostly down a bit on Monday October 18 with limited liquidity amid weak steel demand, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $124.32 per tonne,down $0.90 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $125.97 per tonne,down $0.53 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $94.47 per tonne, up $0.18 per tonne65% Fe Brazil-origin fines,...Read More

A summary of Rio Tinto's third-quarter production and shipment results, released by the company on Friday October 15. In brief Pilbara iron ore production (100% basis) in the third quarter of 2021 was 4% lower year on year due to heritage management, brownfield mine replacement tie-ins and project completion delays.Iron ore shipments from Pilbara increased by 2% year on year in the third quarter d...Read More

Seaborne iron ore concentrate and pellet prices rose in the week ended Friday October 15, benefitting from an uptrend in futures and increased buying interest ahead of upcoming sintering restrictions, market sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indicesPellet premium over 65% Fe fines, cfr China: $46 per tonne, up $4.10 per tonne66% Fe concentrate, cfr Qingdao: $149.31 per tonne, up $10.80...Read More

Spot prices for hot-rolled coil (HRC) in China retreated on Monday October 18 with the latest economic data sparking concerns over demand.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai) was 5,700-5,800 yuan ($886-901) per tonne, down by 30-60 yuan per tonne.Offers for spot HRC in Shanghai slipped to lows of 5,700-5,720 yuan per tonne on Monday morning, with the most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Ex...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange mostly rose during morning trading on Monday October 18, due to continued fears of supply tightness.Copper has hit a high of $10,452 per tonne already this morning. The three-month copper price was last at $10,292.50 per tonne, up slightly from $10,281 per tonne at Friday's close. Available stocks on the LME hit their lowest since 1974 per tonne on F...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices dropped on Monday October 18 following the release of data by National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showing a decrease in new housing starts.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,730-5,770 yuan ($890-896) per tonne, down by 30-40 yuan per tonneThe construction area of newly started houses came to 1.53 billion square meters in the first three quarters of 2021, down by 4.5%...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were generally up strongly this morning, Monday October 18, with energy shortages and high energy prices continuing to affect supply. The market seems to be ignoring, for now, the weaker economic data out of China.China's gross domestic product climbed 4.9% in the third quarter, down from 7.9% in the second quarter.Autom...Read More