The European Commission (EC) is planning to again review its safeguard measures for hot-dipped galvanized (HDG) flat steel destined for the automotive sector, market sources told Fastmarkets this week.In the definitive measures for metallic-coated sheets (product category 4), the EC split the product category into two sub-categories, 4A and 4B, with the automotive sector mainly consuming...Read More
Overcapacity in the global steel sector has been an issue for many years, but has intensified in the recent years, according to Ankur Dana, chief executive officer of Dubai-based multinational Dana Group .Global overcapacity causes steel prices to fall, so governments should only approve new capacities if there is need, Dana said at Fastmarkets' Middle East Iron and Steel Conference in Dubai on De...Read More
Christopher Lewis8 hours ago (Dec 24, 2019 05:17 PM GMT)Gold markets broke out above the $1500 level during the trading session on Tuesday, as it looks like we are ready to go much higher. The $1520 level should continue to be an area where we could see a bit of resistance but breaking above there allows the market to go much higher, perhaps as high as the $1550 level in the short term. Clearly, g...Read More
One of the main challenges facing the Middle East steel sector is a lack of protection in an industry where protectionism is increasing, according to Abu Bucker Husain, chief executive officer of United Arab Emirates-based galvanized coil producer Al Ghurair Iron and Steel.North America, South America, Europe and Asia have taken protectionist measures to curtail imports, and this opens up the Midd...Read More
David HaggithThis little monster that feeds beneath the surface of global banking at its core briefly raised one ugly eye out of the water as 2018 turned into 2019. I wrote back then that the interest spike we saw in the kind of overnight interbank lending known as repurchase agreements (repos) was just the foreshock of a financial crisis being created by the Fed's monetary tightening. I said th...Read More
Joseph T. SalernoThe flood of obituaries that noted the passing of Paul Volcker (1927-2019) last week have almost all lauded his achievement as Fed chair (1979-1987) in reining in the double-digit inflation that ravaged the US economy during the 1970s.Volcker was referred to as the "former Fed chairman who fought inflation" (here); "inflation tamer" and "a full-fledged inflation warrior" (here...Read More
- Clint Siegner, Money MetalsZero Interest Rate Policy (ZIRP) was considered "extraordinary" when central bankers rolled that out roughly ten years ago. At that time, people would still have laughed at the idea of negative interest rates. Lenders didn't pay borrowers and nobody paid their bank to hold their deposits.So much has changed in the past 10 years. Now negative interest rate policies (N...Read More
StrengthsThe best performing metal this week was silver, up 1.57 percent with money managers raising their net long position by about 20 percent. The number of gold bulls outnumbered the bears for a third straight week, according to the Bloomberg survey of gold traders and analysts. Turkey increased its gold reserves overall in the month of November to 18.16 million ounces, up from 17.79 milli...Read More
Gold and silver are bullish at the moment and can rise further. The more the rise, the more will be short covering and increase in long positions. This a golden Christmas for gold bulls but not so golden Christmas for the masses. Central bank are eating away are hard earned by using inflation as a policy measures for decision making. Inflation is nothing but price rise. Salaries are stable for m...Read More
A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday December 24.Click the above image to...Read More
Iranian billet producers set high targets for a new round of export sales this week, seeking $405-407 per tonne fob, spurred on by last week's higher sales prices, sources told Fastmarkets on December 24.Last week, several bookings of the material scheduled for shipment in February were concluded at around $398-402 per tonne fob Iranian ports, while this week market sources reported few more...Read More
The domestic price for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe has been stable day on day due to limited market activity, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday December 24.Fastmarkets' daily index for steel hot-rolled coil index domestic, ex-works Northern Europe was unchanged at ?,?439.39 ($487.01) per tonne on Tuesday December 24.The calculation of the index was based on the latest deals and achie...Read More
Ferrous scrap prices in Mexico maintained their upward trend this week, with sellers gradually applying price changes in response to a stronger market in the United States.At least one major steelmaker in Monterrey city increased its prices, according to several sellers. The move was initially reported by a scrap dealer in the middle of last week and later confirmed by other market parti...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday December 24 that are worth another look.The recent downtrend in spot ferro-chrome prices in China was capped by strength in the domestic stainless steel market, while the European and US markets were flat ahead of the Christmas holiday break.Aluminium premiums in South Korea rose in the week ending Tuesday December 24, while the...Read More
A string of long-term deals for cobalt hydroxide show that bullish forecasts for cobalt consumption from the electric vehicle (EV) sector are coming into play. Glencore will supply battery manufacturer SK Innovation with up to 30,000 tonnes of cobalt contained in hydroxide over six years, it said last week - a deal worth about $1 billion in today's market. And other deals also point...Read More
Copper hit a fresh seven-month high today on the London Metal Exchange on Tuesday December 4 while Chinese smelters were preparing for a meeting at which potential cuts to refined supply will be a talking point.Copper for three-month delivery on the LME peaked at $6,235 per tonne, its strongest since May 7, before closing at $6,215 per tonne, still up 0.4% from yesterday's 5pm close.Improved trade...Read More
Trading activity continued in the seaborne coking coal market on Christmas eve, with prices staying above $130 per tonne fob Australia basis for premium quality materials.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $133.13 per tonne, down $1.84 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $147.47 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $122.33 per tonne, uncha...Read More
China's hot-rolled coil exporters achieved higher prices on Tuesday December 24, bolstered by overseas buyers' willingness to pay more for material, even as weakness prevailed in the domestic market, sources said.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,900-3,910 yuan ($556-558) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,630-3,640 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneSpot prices in Shanghai were...Read More
Copper hit a fresh seven-month high today on the London Metal Exchange on Tuesday December 4 while Chinese smelters were preparing for a meeting at which potential cuts to refined supply will be a talking point.Copper for three-month delivery on the LME peaked at $6,235 per tonne, its strongest since May 7, before closing at $6,215 per tonne, still up 0.4% from yesterday's 5pm close.Improved trade...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia, Europe and the United States for week ended Friday December 20. ChinaDomestic spot alloy prices remained static, with producers keeping quotations firm. Export prices held steady - while the yuan was strengthening, trading activity remained lackluster. Europe The European ferro-silicon spot price was steady over the week - no deals were reported am...Read More