The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.While steel markets in Asia have demonstrated the most strength with regards to pricing through much of 2020, recent weeks have seen prices in Europe and the United States outperform those elsewhere.In a way, much of this is simply catching up on the gains already made by Asian steelmakers. They were able to obtain higher pri...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloys forecast highlights:Prices across most ore and alloy markets trended higher in September, buoyed by improving demand from steelmakers with the end of the summer holiday season in Europe and the United States, as well as maintained demand from Chinese steel mills. Tightening of alloy inventories...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Chinese blast furnace (BF) utilization rates have stagnated and iron ore port stock volumes are rising, reaching their highest levels since March, which suggests that iron ore supply is becoming excessive while demand is not growing. Unsurprisingly, prices dropped last week and we expect the trend to continue. The market has...Read More

The London Metal Exchange three-month copper price made an impressive comeback on Friday October 2, gaining 3.5%, amid strong turnover, on a day of positive moves for many of the base metals.The LME three-month copper price, which had tumbled 5.1% on Thursday, in its deepest sell-off since March 18, closed the day on Friday at $6,566 per tonne, with just over 24,000 lots traded.Fastmarke...Read More

Steel producers in Turkey returned to the deep-sea scrap markets on achieving lower prices in the week ended Friday October 2, while the Asian markets were largely stable amid reduced availability and holiday absences in the territory.Turkish steel mills resume deep-sea bookings, prices downSentiment in US export market negative, with falling pricesVietnamese import prices stable on reduced supply...Read More

Secondary aluminium alloy producers in the United States have continued to push offers higher in a market pressured by rising input costs and limited supply, Fastmarkets understands.Fastmarkets assessed the price for aluminium alloy A380.1, delivered Midwest at 77-79 cents per lb up on Thursday October 1, up by 1 cent from 76-78 cents per lb the previous week.The price has now risen in eight...Read More

Copper production from Chile fell by 6.2% year on year in August 2020 amid lower volumes from Escondida and Anglo American Sur, according to data from national copper commission Cochilco published on Friday October 2.Chilean copper output totaled 481,700 tonnes in August, down from 513,300 tonnes a year before. During the first eight months of 2020, output was 3.78 million tonnes, up by 0.4% from...Read More

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

Fastmarkets' copper concentrate treatment and refining charge (TC/RC) index moved down slightly on Friday October 2, with market activity light due to China's Golden Week National Day holiday (October 1-8).Fastmarkets' copper concentrates TC index, cif Asia Pacific was at $45 per tonne / 4.5 cents per lb on October 2, down from $45.50 per tonne / 4.55 cents per lb on September 25.Smelters elsewher...Read More

The benchmark fob Australia alumina index hit a three-month low on Friday October 2 with wide availability of cargoes and weak demand pressuring the market.Fastmarkets' daily alumina index, fob Australia was at $264.19 per tonne on Friday, down from $268.54 per tonne at the start of the week. The index is now at its lowest since July 9. A deal concluded on Thursday at $264 per tonne fob Western Au...Read More

Chile expects investment of $74.05 billion in 49 new mining projects during the 2020-29 period, mainly in the copper sector, the country's mining ministry and the Chilean copper commission, Cochilco, said on Wednesday September 30.The latest list of investments in the Chilean mining industry represents an increase of $1.54 billion from $72.5 billion in the previous report, published last year. Som...Read More

Primary aluminium stocks at the three main Japanese ports (MJP) of Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama fell by 4.4% month on month at the end of August, according to data released by major Japanese trading house Marubeni Corp.Total aluminium stocks at the three ports stood at 326,500 tonnes on August 31, down by 14,900 tonnes from 341,400 tonnes at the end of July, figures released on Wednesday September 3...Read More

Prices for cold-rolled and galvanized steel sheet in the United States have increased to their highest level since late January after mills continued to fill their order books, with some stating that availability will be scarce for the remainder of the year.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel cold-rolled coil, fob mill US climbed to $39 per hundredweight ($780 per short ton) on Thursday...Read More

Fastmarkets' Ferrous Analytics report helps subscribers keep track of hot metal costs and steel production spreads in China, along with key pricing components of the steelmaking raw materials supply chain in Asia.Read More

Companhia Sider??rgica Nacional (CSN) is preparing for a November restart of blast furnace No2 at its Presidente Vargas mill in the city of Volta Redonda in southeast Brazil, sources said this week."CSN is not a part of our association, but the information we have is that it will restart the No2 BF in November," Marco Polo de Mello Lopes, executive president of the Brazilian steelmakers' associati...Read More

Scoped for growth: Nevada Copper shifts into production modeSPONSOREDnevada copper corp.Osisko has acquired 50% of a royalty on the Mina Volare claim within Regulus' AntaKori landholding that hosts about 75% of the overall project's current indicated resource of 2.6 billion pounds of copper, 2.3 million ounces of gold and 61Moz of silver, and half the inferred 2.4 billion pounds of copper, 2.2Mozf...Read More

The domestic Indian hot-rolled coil price rose by 4.2% week on week on Friday October 2 after steel mills raised offer prices for material delivered in October, while export prices dropped by $15 per tonne. Fastmarkets assessed the steel hot-rolled coil domestic, ex-whs India price at 43,000-43,250 rupees ($586-590) per tonne on Friday, up 1,500-2,000 rupees per tonne week on week. "Domestic...Read More

American Pacific permitted to realise $2bn in valueSPONSOREDamerican pacific borate and lithiumPantoro bullish on bigger production profileSPONSOREDpantoro limitedGenesis opens new chapter at UlyssesSPONSOREDgenesis mineralsRamelius now among WA gold frontrunnersSPONSOREDramelius resourcesThe first hole into the Cacharposa target has so far hit over 500m of visual copper sulphide mineralisation, h...Read More

Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Europe were fairly stable day on day on Friday October 2, while buyers have stepped out of the market due to long lead times for material, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe at ?,?491.03 ($576.55) per tonne on Friday October 2, up by ?,?0.26 per tonne from ?,?490.77 per tonne on...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were for the most part weaker this morning, Friday October 2, but our focus is on the broader markets because US President Donald Trump has tested positive for Covid-19, which in itself is a major development, but is also going to have ramifications on the run-up to the presidential election on November 3.* Pre-market major western equity index futur...Read More