An aluminium producer has offered fourth-quarter 2019 supply of aluminium to main Japanese ports (MJP) at a premium of $110 per tonne, according to market sources. The number is 1.9% higher than the cif MJP premium for the third quarter of $108 per tonne. "We are quite surprised that the offer is above $105 per tonne because demand in Japan is not good and there is a lot of inventories a...Read More

All base metal stocks at Shanghai Futures Exchange-approved warehouses were lower week on week on Friday August 30, with the biggest percentage fall in nickel stocks, which tumbled by 15.2% or 4,509 tonnes to 25,262 tonnes. The largest outflow in nickel inventories was from CMST Dachang's warehouse in Shanghai, which delivered out 3,927 tonnes leaving 12,981 tonnes of material, according to SHFE's...Read More

Jiuquan Iron & Steel Group (Jisco) plans to temporarily close its Alumina Partners of Jamaica (Alpart) refinery for over a year in the next two to three months, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday August 30. Sources close to the matter said the refinery, which is located in Nain in St Elizabeth, Jamaica, needs to shut to modernize its facilities. "It previously reopened early on high alumina prices...Read More

Nickel's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange continued to trend higher during morning trading on Friday August 30, breaking through the 2018-high while its cash/three-month spread remains tight. Reaching an intra-morning high of $16,835 per tonne, nickel futures surged past the key $16,690-per-tonne resistance level achieved in the wake of US-imposed sanctions on Russian aluminium produ...Read More

Cold-rolled coil prices in the United States were steady on Thursday August 29, while hot-dipped galvanized pricing slipped modestly.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment for cold-rolled coil, fob US mill, was unchanged at $37.50 per hundredweight ($750 per short ton) on Thursday, while that for the hot-dipped galvanized base price slipped by 1.3% to $37.50 per cwt from $38 per cwt on August 22...Read More

Steel beam prices in the United States have fallen in tandem with recent mill cuts, while fresh offers have lowered import prices. Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for steel beams 8 x 8-inch, fob mill US, declined to $35.25 per hundredweight ($705 per short ton) on Thursday August 29, down 7.8% from July's assessment of $38.25 per cwt and down nearly 19% from $43.50 per cwt one year ago. ...Read More

Brazilian slab export price remained stable this week, with information of the first fresh deals to the United States at higher levels circulating later in the week.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment of steel slab export, fob main port Brazil, remained at $425-435 per tonne fob on Friday August 30, unchanged from the previous week.Price offers started at $430 per tonne fob, but were said to be negotia...Read More

South American flat-rolled steel import prices continued to fall during the past week amid a continuing downtrend in China and discounted offers from other regions.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil import, cfr main ports South America, was $505-515 per tonne on Friday August 30, down from $515-525 per tonne a week before.Material for October delivery to the Pacific coast sett...Read More

The Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy has called for the South African Diamond and Precious Metal Regulator (SADPMR) to transform the sector, as well as to capacitate its existing transformation office to ensure these sectors reflect the demographics of the country.On Thursday, the committee visited three entities of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy – the SADP...Read More

Indian domestic prices for secondary steel billet increased by 600 rupees ($8) per tonne over the week ended Friday August 30, even though the prices of semi-finished steel products slipped slightly toward the weekend.The price of steel billet, domestic, exw India, assessed by Fastmarkets on August 30, rose to 26,700-26,900 rupees ($372-375) per tonne compared with last week's assessment at 26,100...Read More

FREETOWN – Sierra Leoneans living next to the country's largest diamond mine are taking their government to West Africa's regional court for failing to protect them from alleged environmental lapses by the company that runs it, a subsidiary of Octea Limited.The complaint, filed to the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) court of justice on Thursday, alleges that the go...Read More

Prices in Southeast Asia's steel billet market fell on Friday August 30 after suppliers of Indian and Russian material lowered their asking prices to entice customers in the region, market sources said. Steel billet produced in India were available at $425-430 per tonne cfr Manila and $420-425 per tonne cfr to Indonesia. One shipment involving 10,000 tonnes of billet originating in India was repor...Read More

China's hot-rolled coil exporters maintained their high offers on Friday August 30 even though overseas buyers put in lower bids amid a stable domestic market in the country.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,620-3,630 yuan ($506-507) per tonne, up 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,600-3,620 yuan per tonne, unchangedSpot prices were largely stable during the day amid rising futures, t...Read More

Minerals Council South Africa was in the process of developing a draft exploration strategy to present to the Council for Geosciences (CGS) and the Department of Minerals Resources and Energy (DMRE), Minerals Council CEO Roger Baxter told attendees of the Afriforesight Future of Metals Conference earlier this month.The Minerals Council has also established an Exploration Leadership Forum to assist...Read More

The Brazilian export price for pig iron has fallen over the past week on poor sentiment among buyers due to weakness in the scrap market, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday August 30. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for pig iron, export, fob Vitorio/Rio, Brazil was $310-320 per tonne on Friday, down from $325-327 per tonne last week.Sources from the buy side estimated a workable market l...Read More

The inter-merchant spot market for UK light iron scrap, which hit a ten-week run of stability this week, is set to drop in the near term amid weakening demand for feed from steel producers in Europe, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel scrap 5C, loose old light, domestic, delivered inter-merchant, UK, was flat week-on-week at ?80-100 ($98-122) per tonne on Friday Augu...Read More

Alloy steel scrap prices in the UK domestic market widened upwards this week on a nickel price surge on Friday August 30, sources told Fastmarkets.Prices had been largely flat throughout the week in reflection of a stable nickel market. On Friday morning, however, nickel prices started to increase quickly and continued through the day. By Friday's close, the three-month nickel price on the Lo...Read More

Markets are once again consolidating in the morning of Friday August 30, waiting to see how the United States responds to China’s comments that it wants to make a trade deal.While any deal would likely turn sentiment bullish quickly, it does look as though the market is skeptical that anything will come of this. We should be braced for an active day because the next wave of US tariff increase...Read More

The deep-sea scrap market was quiet on Friday August 30 because of a public holiday in Turkey, sources told Fastmarkets. The Victory Day holiday means that all Turkey-based market participants have been absent from the market and traders...Read More

Prices for ferrous scrap imported into India were expected to fall due to the decline of prices in the international market, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday August 30.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap, shredded, index, import, cfr Nhava Sheva, India, was $291.20 per tonne on Friday, down from $292.71 per tonne on August 23.Offers of shredded scrap from Europe and the UK have...Read More