The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The latest forecast of global oil country tubular goods (OCTG) consumption paints a stark picture of the slowdown in demand from the energy industry in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent oil and gas retreat.For 2020, total global consumption is expected to amount to 13.2 million tonnes, a decline of nearly 3.5...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Depending on which market one looks at, prices of coated steels have either risen, fallen or remained roughly the same since mid-May. One crucial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic that has swept the world this year is the decoupling it appears to have created between global steel markets.In China, prices of most steel products...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In previous reports, we noted that upside risks to our forecasts existed. These were based on Chinese steel production, and in turn alloy consumption, outperforming our expectations.Chinese crude steel production is rising each month in a year-on-year comparison, prompting our revised view that Chinese alloy consumption will...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The Covid-19 pandemic and the associated impacts on steel production, mining and manufacturing activity, end-use consumption, and trade and transportation continue to dominate ferro-alloy markets. US steel mills are operating at around 50% of capacity, with similarly low operating rates evident in Europe as well. Chinese ste...Read More

Ferro-alloys prices have generally retreated over the past month, with demand concerns gaining in prominence.The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Ferro-alloy pricing trends have generally diverged ove the past month, depending on the security of the supply-side position of the market. With most supply concerns fading with the resumption of industrial activity i...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:While the ferro-alloy industry's initial response to the Covid-19 outbreak was marked by rising prices primarily in response to supply-side concerns, focus has now shifted somewhat. As Chinese activity slowly returns to more normal levels, for alloys with a strong Chinese prod...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In a webinar we conducted on Asian ferro alloys, our research team discussed the Chinese authorities' announcing some major infrastructure investments that will increase demand for steel and steel raw materials, including iron ore. Our research shows that the recent infrastructure investment announcements are equal to about...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Judging by a recent webinar we conducted on Asian ferroalloys last week, many market participants believe the steel and steelmaking raw materials' world - outside of China - will record an 'L' shaped recovery, effectively failing to recover. With crude steel production outside of China falling close to a third in April and o...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The recent price fall in the iron ore market signals the start of a downturn, after prices averaged at the highest level in almost a year in June. A combination of both supply-related events in Brazil and demand factors in China have put pressure on prices. Vale has received permit to resume mining operations in Itabira, whi...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices are relatively stable this month, showing little change since our previous tracker. Such stability masks growing issues for stainless steelmakers, however, who are increasingly unable to pass on rising costs to consumers and are, thus, facing cuts to their margins.In general, this is due to an excess of...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices are on the increase in June. As far as this market is concerned, it appears as though the Covid-19 pandemic has had little impact so far, with prices on the most common grades of stainless steel just 2-4% lower than they were at the turn of the year in most markets.Even in Asia, a region often talked ab...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Having first hit Asia during early 2020, the Covid-19 viral outbreak is now having an even bigger impact on European countries and the US. Widespread lockdown measures have been put in place on people and industry, and economic activity has slowed markedly.For now, stainless steel markets in Europe and the US are yet to show...Read More

Brazilian steel slab export prices narrowed downward in the week ended Friday July 10 because the country's quota for steel imports into the United States has approached its limit.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob main port Brazil, narrowed downward by $10 for the second consecutive week on Friday, to $375-380 per tonne, from $375-390 per tonne a week earlier.Past of...Read More

Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia, Europe and the United States during the week ending Friday July 10.Europe The high-carbon market continued to soften in response to weakening demand with Europe entering the summer slowdown.The low-carbon ferro-chrome market tumbled further to a multi-year low with producers slashing offer prices to win available...Read More

The posting of 1.81 trillion yuan in new Chinese loans early in the European trading session on Friday July 10 led to a rally across all London Metal Exchange three-month base metals prices.LME base metals futures moved higher as fund positioning became less bearish, with bids moving into firmly bullish territory, and all metals, apart from tin, ended the day up compared with Thursday's close."You...Read More

A vast amount of investment will be required to achieve meaningful change in the carbon footprint of aluminium across a broad portion of the industry, and the commercial impetus is not there yet, according to the secretary general of the International Aluminium Institute (IAI). Nonetheless, the industry needs to meet the challenge of changing consumer expectations and work together to collectively...Read More

Aluminium has an opportunity to play a key role in the government-led rebuilding of economies following the Covid-19 pandemic, including in the drive to a low-carbon economy as well as developments in infrastructure, transportation and construction, the secretary general of the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) said.Miles Prosser told Fastmarkets in an interview that this opportunity wi...Read More

Caution over South American copper mining supply disruption weighed on processing charges for copper concentrate in the week to Friday July 10. This week, miner-to-trader deals were most settled in the range of the mid-$30s to low $40s per tonne, although a Carmen concentrate tender for delivery in the second half of this year was reportedly awarded at numbers below $30 per tonne / 3 cents per lb....Read More

An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More

KSM Castings has become the second German diecaster to start administrative proceedings due to Covid-19, with the company filing for bankruptcy on July 2, sources close to the matter told Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets understands the company, based in Hildesheim, Germany, began voluntary administration proceedings at Hildesheim District Court in a bid to restructure and reposition itself in what many p...Read More