The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.A 6% decline in the daily average 62% Fe iron ore fines benchmark last week contributed to the lowest quarterly price rise for the first quarter in five years, in spite of clear evidence of supply-side constraints. Although there were clear demand-related obstacles to iron ore suppliers raking in more typical, seasonal price...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

The U.S. Department of Energy recently released a roadmap for rebuilding the country's nuclear energy sector, including commitments to bolster domestic production of uranium, increase its enrichment as a fuel source and expand the export market for nuclear technologies.U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette unveiled the strategy on April 23. The report: Strategy to Restore American Nuclear Ener...Read More

An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for their latest price moves.Read More

Domestic prices for cold-rolled coil in Europe have dropped due to poor demand and lower import offers, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday April 29.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel CRC, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was ?,?530-540 ($574-585) per tonne on April 29, down by ?,?10-20 per tonne from ?,?540-560 per tonne.The assessment was based on a few deals and "workable" prices he...Read More

Downstream aluminium product producer Constellium reported a fall in revenue and a net loss during the first quarter this year on a drop in shipments and prices, according to its latest quarterly earnings report. The company recorded revenue of ?,?1.44 billion ($1.57 billion), down 6.4% from ?,?1.54 billion last year and a net loss of ?,?31 million compared to net income of ?,?24 million in the fi...Read More

The three-month copper price on the LME was higher at the close of trading on Wednesday April 29, staying firmly above nearby support levels despite only average turnover, while tin futures showed some weakness over the afternoon. Copper's outright price on the London Metal Exchange closed at $5,273 per tonne on Wednesday afternoon, climbing from an intraday low of $5,197 per tonne, while turnover...Read More

(IDEX Online) - India's diamond polishing revenue is set to plunge next year from $24bn in 2019 to as little as $13bn in fiscal 2021, according to the latest forecasts.  That's a drop of almost half to the lowest level in a decade. Exports to the US and Europe - over 45 per cent  of India's market - fell 41 per cent year-on-year in February as the coronavirus pandemic inte...Read More

(IDEX Online) - De Beers says its total production of rough diamonds across its mines in Botswana, Canada, South Africa and Namibia in the first quarter of this year was in line with expectations. The impact of coronavirus was negligible, as lockdowns only came into effect at the end of March, during the final days of Q1. An on-target total of 7.75 million carats were recovered, according the mine...Read More

The supply and demand balance in both nickel and copper markets is expected at a surplus this year despite lower output due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Brazilian mining company Vale said in its first-quarter earnings report on Tuesday April 28. Supply of finished nickel, for example, is forecast to have declined by 12,000-15,000 tonnes in the first quarter because of coronavirus-related closures and...Read More

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Morale is reportedly high as Covid-masked and physically distanced South African mineworkers get back to mining underground for companies that have gone the extra mile to ensure that they have been fully remunerated and host communities generously funded during the national lockdown.In a two-hour-plus Minerals Council South Africa online media briefing on Tu...Read More

The import arbitrage window opened for zinc metal into China in the week ended Tuesday April 28 for the first time in over a year, prompting a flurry of activity, while a struggling US auto industry and poor end-user demand in Europe for zinc left premiums flat and caused an influx of material on exchange. Thousands of tonnes of zinc traded this week following the opening of the import arbitrage.&...Read More

Global nickel premiums held steady amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in the week to Tuesday April 28, with demand lackluster in all regions, sources said. Sluggish spot trade keeps premiums in the United States steady China premiums flat on closed arbitrage window, lack of appetite  European premiums unchanged despite forward demand optimism US in holding pattern Slow spot trade amid t...Read More

While US hot-rolled coil prices have remained below $23 per hundredweight ($460 per short ton), sources expressed hopes that higher ferrous scrap prices in May - as well as the potential restart of automotive production next month - could provide some relief in the market.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $22.69 per cwt ($453.80 per ton) on Wednesday Apr...Read More

Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Europe have dropped in the week to Wednesday April 29 due to low demand, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, ex-works Northern Europe, was ?,?426.25 ($461.99) per tonne on Wednesday, down by ?,?13.75 per tonne day on day from ?,?440.00 per tonne.Wednesday's index was calculated based on deals and workable prices...Read More

Domestic prices for heavy steel plate in Europe have been largely stable over the past week, but downward pressure has been mounting due to poor demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday April 29.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel domestic plate, 8-40mm, exw Northern Europe, was unchanged at ?,?490-500 ($531-542) per tonne on April 29. The assessment was based on offers heard...Read More

United States-based car manufacturer Ford will restart production at various sites in Europe in a phased approach from May 4, the company said on Tuesday April 28.Vehicle and engine production will restart at continental European sites following the implementation of health and safety precautions agreed with trade unions, which will include personal body-temperature checks and the use of facemasks...Read More

Prices for hollow steel sections in Europe moved downward this week, with demand not yet showing any sign of rebounding, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday April 29.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?580-595 ($629-645) per tonne on Wednesday, down from ?,?585-600 per tonne one week before.Demand in Northern and Southern...Read More

The price for steel H-beams in Europe remained flat on Wednesday April 29, with demand remaining at low levels because of the lockdown measures related to the Covid-19 pandemic, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel beams, domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was unchanged at ?,?535-570 ($580-618) per tonne on Wednesday."Beams and sections have the lowest act...Read More

Fastmarkets will publish its Poland rebar price assessment a day early this week, on Thursday April 30, because of the Labor Day holiday on Friday May 1. In accordance with the Fastmarkets holiday pricing schedule, weekly and monthly EMEA, CIS and Turkey ferrous prices will not be published during UK public holidays and holidays that take place in the country where the price in question is based....Read More