Slab export prices from Brazil went up by $10 per tonne in the week ended Friday March 22 because higher offers were reported, although these were resisted by buyers, Fastmarkets heard.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment of Brazilian slab export prices went up to $510-550 per tonne fob on March 22, from $500-540 per tonne fob a week earlier.Producers continued to offer material mainly to the United Sta...Read More
The market for CIS export steel billet finally saw a thaw in buying activity in the week ended Friday March 22 despite the fact that not all customers were ready to accept the prices being offered by mills.Offers from CIS producers for April- and May-rolling material varied within the range of $460-465 per tonne fob Black Sea, while most bids were still lower than $450 per tonne fob Black Sea.The...Read More
Prices in the domestic rebar market in Egypt decreased in the week ended Thursday March 21 on a lack of trading activity, Fastmarkets has heard."There is a feeling that prices will drop further so everyone is in wait-and-see mode," a local source told Fastmarkets."Besides," he added, "the government has begun big projects and, although...Read More
The price range in Europe for grade-304 stainless steel cold-rolled (CR) sheet widened upward this week, with some of the higher offers heard last week finally being accepted by buyers, although business was also done at the same prices as before, Fastmarkets heard on Friday March 22.Despite the partial increase, buyers said that many offers were still considered to be unrealistically high, and th...Read More
Some ferro-chrome suppliers to China have been charging the country's domestic stainless steel mills wider premiums to monthly tenders amid strong demand, market sources told Fastmarkets. Domestic Chinese stainless mills release yuan-based tender prices every month, announcing the price they are prepared to pay for ferro-chrome from domestic suppliers. Overseas ferro-chrome suppliers are often exp...Read More
China's leading stainless steel mills announced increases in their April tender prices for high-carbon ferro-chrome by 300 yuan ($45) per tonne month on month on Friday March 22.The rises will be imposed by Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Tisco), Tsingshan Group and Baosteel, Fastmarkets heard.After this adjustment, Tisco's April tender price for high-carbon ferro-chrome will be 6,950 yuan ($1,038) per tonn...Read More
The implementation of tariffs and quotas against US steel and aluminium imports has been heralded and criticized as an unusual trade remedy, with President Donald Trump's administration applying blanket duties rather than more focused - and more typical - anti-dumping and countervailing margins.Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, a cold-war era law, allows the president to place restri...Read More
As of March 23, it has been a full year since US President Donald Trump's administration imposed tariffs against imported steel and aluminium under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows the president to place restrictions on imports on national security grounds.Trump's trade measures have drawn criticism from several US trading partners who argue that these actions violate e...Read More
China's importers of stainless steel billet and slab, as well as stainless hot-rolled plate and coil originating from the European Union, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia have been instructed to pay a deposit to the country's customs authorities from Saturday March 23 onward.This is a preliminary measure relating to an ongoing anti-dumping probe into such imports, which is expected to come to a co...Read More
Buyers in the United States continued to book pig iron during the week ended Friday March 22 at prices higher than those heard in February, due to a stronger scrap market and lower material availability, Fastmarkest has learned.Fastmarkets' import price assessment for pig iron in the US was unchanged week on week at $365-370 per tonne cfr on March 22.Several cargoes were heard to have been booked...Read More
Slab export prices from Brazil went up by $10 per tonne in the week ended Friday March 22 because higher offers were reported, although these were resisted by buyers, Fastmarkets heard.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment of Brazilian slab export prices went up to $510-550 per tonne fob on March 22, from $500-540 per tonne fob a week earlier.Producers continued to offer material mainly to the United Sta...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
The implementation of tariffs and quotas against US steel and aluminium imports has been heralded and criticized as an unusual trade remedy, with President Donald Trump's administration applying blanket duties rather than more focused - and more typical - anti-dumping and countervailing margins.Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, a cold-war era law, allows the president to place restri...Read More
Copper's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange was lower at the close of trading on Friday March 22, ending the week down more than 3% and closing just above $6,300 per tonne.Meanwhile, a host of weaker-than-expected PMI data releases also softened price sentiment over the afternoon.The red metal's total volumes traded over the day were high, leading the complex at 25,647 lots changing ha...Read More
Southwest China's Kunming Intermediate People's Court will fine the Fanya Metal Exchange 1 billion yuan ($149.39 million) for violating national law and illegally raising funds from the public, according to local media reports on Friday March 22, with minor metals markets now wondering how funds will be raised. Shan Jiuliang, board chairman and president of Fanya, was sentenced to 18 years' impris...Read More
Warrant traders are reporting a big spike in Korean aluminium warrant premiums amid a substantial supply shortage in the region, Fastmarkets understands.Offers for aluminium warrants have been reported to Fastmarkets at $50-60 per tonne this week, considerably higher than earlier in the month. "You could get hold of Korean aluminium warrants for $30 per tonne a few weeks ago," a Europe-based...Read More
As of March 23, it has been a full year since US President Donald Trump's administration imposed tariffs against imported steel and aluminium under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows the president to place restrictions on imports on national security grounds.Trump's trade measures have drawn criticism from several US trading partners who argue that these actions violate e...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets andthe reasons for any price moves.An overview of...Read More
Gains in non-ferrous auto shred (twitch) prices in the United States have whittled the spread to benchmark A380.1 aluminium to an over 20-month low.Fastmarkets AMM's assessments for non-ferrous auto shred (twitch) prices increased to 56.5 to 58.5 cents per lb on Thursday March 21, while benchmark A380.1 prices were steady at 83-85 cents per lb, sending the spread between both grades to 26.5 cent p...Read More
Copper's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange was lower at the close of trading on Friday March 22, ending the week down more than 3% and closing just above $6,300 per tonne.Meanwhile, a host of weaker-than-expected PMI data releases also softened price sentiment over the afternoon.The red metal's total volumes traded over the day were high, leading the complex at 25,647 lots changing ha...Read More