The publication of Fastmarkets' quarterly aluminium 6063 extrusion quarterly billet premium, cif main Japanese ports (MJP) was delayed on October 18 due to a reporter error. The aluminium 6063 extrusion quarterly billet premium, cif MJP over the MJP ingot and London Metal Exchange cash price was calculated at $140-155 per tonne per tonne on Friday. The quarterly premium should have been publi...Read More

Unionised workers at Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, have threatened strike action, and have called on miners across Chile to 'paralyze' the mining industry, after a state of emergency was declared at the weekend.The state of emergency was instigated after a protest over fare rises on the country's metro system, erupted into deadly violence, with the military and police resor...Read More

The zinc price was nearing $2,500 per tonne on the upside in morning trading on Monday October 21 on the London Metal Exchange, with stock drawdowns boosting prices across the base metals.The three-month zinc price was recently at $2,472 per tonne, up from its close of $2,457 per tonne on Friday after 2,500 tonnes of zinc were booked out of LME-registered warehouses in New Orleans, taking on-warra...Read More

The global nickel market remained in the deficit in the first eight months of this year, with apparent demand exceeding production by 77,100 tonnes, according to figures released by the World Bureau of Metal Statistics (WBMS) last week.This compares with a deficit of 106,200 tonnes over the same period of 2018, although that for the whole of last year was lower, at 102,900 tonnes, the bureau told...Read More

Steel plate prices in the United States fell to their lowest in nearly two years on Friday October 18, but plate mills have been offering additional discounts in order to compete for orders, sources said.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel cut-to-length plate carbon grade, fob mill US slipped to $32 per hundredweight ($640 per short ton) on October 18, down by 4.5% from $33.50 per cwt fro...Read More

Cold heading quality (CHQ) and high-carbon wire rod prices in the United States have again been dented by lower ferrous scrap costs and ongoing soft demand, Fastmarkets has learned.Fastmarkets' assessment for steel wire rod cold-heading quality, ddp was at $35.50 per hundredweight ($710 per short ton) on Friday October 18, down by 7.8% from $38.50 per cwt one month earlier and off by 22....Read More

(Adds timings) By Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan and William James LONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson willtry to drive the legislation needed to take Britain out of theEuropean Union through parliament in the next 10 days, or elsebreak his "do or die" pledge to leave on Oct. 31.On Monday, Johnson was forced to abandon his attempt to havea straight 'yes or no' vote...Read More

ArcelorMittal has appointed Jorge Luiz Ribeiro de Oliveira to be chief executive officer at AM/NS Calvert, a steel mill jointly owned by the company and Nippon Steel, it said on Monday October 21.The executive was, until August this year, the vice president for flat steel at the South American branch of ArcelorMittal. He has worked...Read More

Brazilian apparent steel consumption was down by 6.4% in September, compared with the corresponding month in 2018, with demand retreating for both domestic and imported materials, national industry association Instituto A??o Brasil said on Thursday October 17.Consumption totaled 1.78 million tonnes during the month, down from 1.9 million tonnes in an annual comparison, according to the institute's...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 10 points in pre-opening trade.Apple gained $1.33 to $237.74 after Raymond James raised its target price to $280 from $250. Boeing dropped another $4.25 to $339.75 following revelations that the company may have withheld information on software used in the 737 Max aircraft.Hewlett Packard Enterprises gained $0.32 to $1...Read More

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

The trade war is taking a heavy toll on China. Chinese growth slowed to 6% in the third quarter, slower than expected and the slowest growth rate since 1992.That 6% growth represents a sharp drop from the 6.8% growth China registered in the first quarter of 2018. China’s growth still exceeds developed economies by far, but it is notably weak relative to China’s past performance and rel...Read More

During the 9 to 5, 40 hour a week working life, there's not a lot of time for your passions. Between work and family obligations, you're lucky to fit in a few hours to relax and flex your creativity on the weekends.Once you retire, though, you've suddenly got an ocean of time to fill. You can totally indulge in your hobbies, and if you like, you can even use them to make some extra side cash.If yo...Read More

Turkish domestic scrap prices increased up over the past week in response to rising imported scrap values, sources said on Monday October 21.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap, auto bundle scrap, domestic, delivered Turkey, was TRY1,380-1,505 ($239-261) per tonne on Monday, up from the TRY1,300-1,430 per tonne of last week.The upturn in the assessment came following rising b...Read More

The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for iron ore, pig iron, direct-reduced iron and other steelmaking raw materials.Latest transactions: iron oreIron oreRio Tinto, tender, 170,000 tonnes of 61% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, traded at $83.68 per tonne cfr China,...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices continued to retreat on Monday October 21 to just above $85 per tonne cfr China amid pessimism about prices and margins.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $85.40 per tonne, down by $0.96 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $85.05 per tonne, down by $0.35 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $84.24 per tonne, down by $0.69 per...Read More

Trading activity in the seaborne coking coal market was muted on Monday October 21, following last week's prices increases.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $151.77 per tonne, up $1.04 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $164.76 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $129.92 per tonne, up $4.42 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $142.29 per tonne, u...Read More

Seaborne iron ore concentrate prices fell last week, with narrower discounts, while pellet prices continued to edge upward despite pressure from rising port stock levels in China.ConcentrateThe weekly Fastmarkets index for iron ore 66% Fe concentrate, cfr Qingdao, stood at $95.32 per tonne last Friday October 18, down by $4.56 per tonne week on week.The daily Fastmarkets index for iron ore 65% Fe...Read More

China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices were mixed on Monday October 21, with those in the eastern region gaining some stability while the market in the north weakened further.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,500-3,510 yuan ($494-496) per tonne, narrowing upward by 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,480 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneMills in northern China lowered their offer...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices were unchanged on Monday October 21 despite falling futures, with steady demand providing some stability to the market. Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,580-3,610 yuan ($506-510) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing): 3,550-3,590 yuan per tonne, unchangedOctober's mild weather makes it a seasonally strong month for the rebar market when it comes to demand. The retur...Read More