CIS export prices for steel slab soared in the first half of February, supported by a reduced allocation of the material in the region as well as rising prices for finished flat steel products.The lower availability of slabs was a result of maintenance work undertaken by Metinvest in Ukraine, and by a reduced allocation of slabs to third parties as a consequence.Meanwhile, given the positive marke...Read More

The prices for steel billet and rebar in the United Arab Emirates increased this week on higher offers from producers, but demand was only moderate, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday February 12.Domestic rebarLocal rebar producers in the UAE increased their offer prices.The country's largest producer, Emirates Steel, was offering rebar to be shipped in February at 2,007 dirhams ($546) per tonne...Read More

Export billet prices from the CIS region continued to climb early this week due to the reduced availability of material amid massive sales in the previous week as well as due to higher raw materials prices in the global market.Fastmarkets' daily index for the CIS export billet price was $454 per tonne fob Black Sea on Monday February 11, up from $450 per tonne fob on February 8.A large cargo of Ru...Read More

High-carbon and low-carbon ferro-chrome prices into Europe and the United States edged up over the past week, while Lunar New Year holidays across Asia kept markets in the region quiet. Charge chrome and ore prices into China stable Chinese domestic ferro-chrome price assessment rolled over Japanese and South Korean ferro-chrome prices unchangedAlloy prices into US and Europe tick up Prices for c...Read More

The outlook for the Brazilian mining industry has become very murky following a major accident in one of Vale's mines and the consequent increased scrutiny on operations by authorities, according to analysts.After Vale, the world's largest iron ore producer, announced it would be taking40 million tonnes per year (tpy) off its output to decommission older tailings dams, local regulators c...Read More

Turkey's biggest steel producer, Erdemir Group, reported earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) for 2018 of TRY8.302 billion ($1.579 billion*), up 52.24% from TRY5.453 billion for 2017. The group sold 7.482 million tonnes of flat steel products in January-December 2018, down by 1.47% from the 7.594 million tonnes sold in 2017, it said last week. The increase in ear...Read More

Flat steel import prices remained stable during the past week in South America as market participants were waiting to see if price increases from China and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region would truly materialize.Fastmarkets assessed South American hot-rolled coil import prices at $525-540 per tonne cfr on Friday February 8, the same as a week before. Cold-rolled coil prices rem...Read More

Aluminium premiums in Rotterdam continued to have support over the past week from wide contango spreads on the London Metal Exchange, while premiums in Asia, the United States and South America were generally stable amid a lack of buying interest in the spot markets. Rotterdam premiums ticks higher on LME contango Premiums in Japan, South Korea lower on mounting supply China premium steady on lack...Read More

A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday February 12.Please click...Read More

CIS export prices for steel slab soared in the first half of February, supported by a reduced allocation of the material in the region as well as rising prices for finished flat steel products.The lower availability of slabs was a result of maintenance work undertaken by Metinvest in Ukraine, and by a reduced allocation of slabs to third parties as a consequence.Meanwhile, given the positive marke...Read More

Copper's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange continued to trend lower at the close of trading on Tuesday February 12, with nickel futures also moving downward amid an increasingly negative appetite for risk across the commodity markets.Copper futures topped the complex for total volumes traded, with 13,960 lots changing hands by the close, but continue to trend lower after trading for a...Read More

Manganese ore prices are showing signs of recovery after a poor start to 2019 that was blamed largely on bearish sentiment around silico-manganese and steel markets in China.Low-grade manganese ore prices have edged up in late January amid a flurry of demand ahead of Chinese New Year, which meant some of the firmer offers in the market were successful, despite the fact that some miners had cut off...Read More

Copper's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange continued to trend lower at the close of trading on Tuesday February 12, with nickel futures also moving downward amid an increasingly negative appetite for risk across the commodity markets.Copper futures topped the complex for total volumes traded, with 13,960 lots changing hands by the close, but continue to trend lower after trading for a...Read More

Comex copper prices slipped on Tuesday morning in the United States amid a bout of technical selling despite a weakened dollar and solid jobs data. The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange dipped 3 cents to $2.76 per lb."The series of higher highs and lows since the start of...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices fell across the board on Tuesday February 12 amid thin trading activity in the physical cargoes market, while low-grade iron ore was rangebound. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $87.65 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $2.93 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $88.49 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $2.93 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $89.08 per tonne cfr Qing...Read More

Turkish miner Eti Elektrometalurji (Etimet) has moved into the market for ultra-low ferro-chrome and refuted that this would cap the company's output of 0.10% carbon material.The Turkish miner began production of 0.015%, 0.025% and 0.030% carbon ferro-chrome this year because of the higher profits that can be made from this material instead of more common products such as 0.10% chrome ferro-chrome...Read More

The Turkish steel mills returned to silence in the deep-sea scrap markets on Tuesday February 12 after a strong buying spree over the past two weeks.Market participants believed that scrap prices were still becoming firmer, in line with the global price trend in raw materials and tightening supplies of scrap."The offers for HMS 1&2 (80:20) are going up to $335 per tonne cfr Turkey from suppliers i...Read More

Comex copper prices slipped on Tuesday morning in the United States amid a bout of technical selling despite a weakened dollar and solid jobs data. The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange dipped 3 cents to $2.76 per lb."The series of higher highs and lows since the start of...Read More

Heavy highland rains in the Andean region prompted mining companies to temporarily halt some copper operations in northern Chile and southern Peru from Friday February 8, before resuming full capacity by Tuesday February 12.Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, had to suspend activities at its Chuquicamata and Ministro Hales divisions, the company said in a report on February 8. The impact...Read More

Fastmarkets discontinued its weekly premium assessments for special high grade (SHG) zinc basis in-warehouse Singapore and Malaysia on Tuesday February 12. The decision follows a month-long consultation period which did not receive any feedback. The decision is based on previous feedback that there is limited use for these premiums as reference prices, with the majority of market participants basi...Read More