Iranian export prices for steel billet remained firm in the week to Wednesday February 10, with bookings heard within the same price range as was assessed by Fastmarkets in the previous week.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel billet, export, fob ports Iran, was $510-520 per tonne fob on February 10, unchanged week on week.A cargo of 16,000 tonnes was reported sold at $520 per tonne fob...Read More
Molybdic oxide and ferro-molybdenum prices were back on an upward path during the first half of the week, mainly due to tight oxide availability, which has been heightened by recent shipping delays out of Chile. Fastmarkets' price assessment for molybdenum drummed molybdic oxide 57% Mo min, in-whs Rotterdam, rose by 2% on Wednesday February 10 to 11.50-11.70 per lb from $11.30-11.45 per lb on Febr...Read More
The market for higher grades of high-carbon ferro-chrome in Europe rose strongly in the week ended Tuesday February 9 due to a shortage of available material while suppliers focused their attention on Asia.Fastmarkets' price assessment for ferro-chrome, high carbon, 6-8.5% C, basis 65-70% Cr, max 1.5% Si, delivered Europe, rose by $0.03-0.07 per lb (1.8%) on Tuesday to $1.10-1.22 per lb Cr, from $...Read More
The import market for charge chrome in China rose on Tuesday February 9, with tight supply continuing to strengthen sentiment despite the damping effect of the approaching Lunar New Year holiday, February 11-17, on activity in the chrome market.Fastmarkets' price assessment for ferro-chrome, 50% Cr, import, cif main Chinese ports, rose by $0.04 per lb (3.8%) to $1.10 per lb contained Cr on Tuesday...Read More
China's Shaanxi Iron & Steel has booked its first-ever imported scrap cargo, the company said this week.Its trading subsidiary Tong Chuan Import & Export booked 5,000 tonnes of steel scrap from Peru, with the cargo due to arrive at Rizhao Port in mid-March.This is the first import business in northwest China since restrictions on imports of ferrous scrap were relaxed."Ferrous scrap...Read More
German industrial group Thyssenkrupp will close its heavy plate business by the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2021, the company said on Wednesday February 10. The company is going through a major restructuring process and in November 2020 said that the likelihood of the agreed closure of the heavy plate unit is increasing due to a lack of interested parties in the bidding process. I...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday February 10 that are worth another look.A shortage of containers to ship commodities around the world and the consequent soaring in associated freight rates have led to a revival of interest in breakbulk cargoes.China increased refined and...Read More
Tin premiums in Taiwan and the United States reached new heights in the week to Tuesday February 9, with growing global supply concerns prompting sharp inclines in bids and offers while sellers continue to take control. Chinese buying momentum hits TaiwanMyanmar production faces setbacksUS premium sets new highs amid material shortagesEuropean participants lament spot market difficultyTaiwan tin p...Read More
Molybdic oxide and ferro-molybdenum prices were back on an upward path during the first half of the week, mainly due to tight oxide availability, which has been heightened by recent shipping delays out of Chile. Fastmarkets' price assessment for molybdenum drummed molybdic oxide 57% Mo min, in-whs Rotterdam, rose by 2% on Wednesday February 10 to 11.50-11.70 per lb from $11.30-11.45 per lb on Febr...Read More
A shortage of containers to ship commodities around the world and the consequent soaring in associated freight rates have led to a revival of interest in breakbulk cargoes. Producers and physical traders of metals, agricultural, chemical and timber products have been starting to book shipments in breakbulk vessels, which cost far less and doesn't require vast amounts of equipment in port. On the m...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday February 10 that are worth another look.A shortage of containers to ship commodities around the world and the consequent soaring in associated freight rates have led to a revival of interest in breakbulk cargoes.China increased refined and...Read More
The Biden administration's focus on US manufacturing and domestic supply chains will benefit established and developing minerals and metals sectors, including steel, rare earths, graphite and lithium.US President Joe Biden's executive order on the strengthening of American manufacturing, which he signed during his first week in office, is expected to have a direct effect on demand for US-produced...Read More
Tin's cash/three-month spread came to a new historic backwardation on Wednesday February 10, on the same day that a low dollar index propelled the futures contracts for all London metal Exchange base metals prices - except for zinc - to new 2021 highs. Tin's benchmark spread widened to a $2,490 per tonne backwardation during trading on Wednesday, the most on record, further proving the ongoing squ...Read More
Base metals prices were putting in a strong performance on the last trading day before the Chinese New Year holiday, with all the metals, with the exception of an already strong tin, seeing gains this morning, Wednesday February 10.Bank loans in China were at new highs in January, with aggregate financing of 5.17 trillion yuan ($802 billion)Optimism grows while focus is on vaccine rollout and US s...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The uptrend in European flat steel prices continued in January 2021 as expected, with the prices for hot-rolled coil in the North and South of the region averaging ?,?698 and ?,?686 ($840 and $826) per tonne respectively, within 1% of the Fastmarkets research forecasts.With European HRC prices climbing to their highest level...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The conequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on energy demand affected oil and gas prices through much of 2020 and weighed on drilling rates and demand for oil-country tubular goods (OCTG) in most regions.These effects were most likely to continue well into 2021 and perhaps longer, according to Fastmarkets OCTG Intelligence Serv...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view. buoyant flat steel market and rising raw material prices resulted in large price rises for welded pipe products across all regions in January 2021.Increases in the price assessments for helical submerged arc-welded (HSAW) pipes were of the magnitude of $140-190 per tonne, with the exception of Europe, where prices were...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.It was only a couple of months ago that contract buyers of coated steels - represented in large part by market participants from the automotive sector - were grudgingly resigned to paying as much as ?,?100 ($120) per tonne more for their contracted shipments in 2021 compared with in 2020. Increases in contract prices of...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:?EUR?In a strong start to the year, January saw ore and alloy pricing gains across all markets priced by Fastmarkets - with the exception of Chinese silicon metal export prices, which retreated slightly last month after posting impressive gains in December 2020.The combination...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Key ferro-alloy forecast highlights for the coming months:?EUR? A strong recovery in both bulk and noble alloys is expected in 2021 but the markets are unlikely to return to the levels seen before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. We have seen a quicker-than-expected recovery across various regions amid the economic fal...Read More