China's ferrous futures largely declined during morning trading on Tuesday January 22, apart from the coking coal contract, which ended slightly higher than its opening price. Futures closing prices - morning session Shanghai Futures Exchange May rebar: 3,661 yuan ($539) per tonne, down 24 yuan per tonneMay hot-rolled coil: 3,573 yuan per tonne, down 13 yuan per tonneDalian Commodity Exchange May...Read More

Turkey produced 37.311 million tonnes of crude steel in 2018, a 0.56% decrease compared with 2017, according to the Turkish Steel Producers Association (T???oeD).In December 2018, crude steel production in the country was 2.9 million tonnes, a 11.04% year-on-year fall compared with 3.26 million tonnes produced in December 2017, the T???oeD said last week.The decrease in Turkish crude steel product...Read More

A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday January 22.Please click...Read More

The domestic ferro-silicon market in China recovered over the past week in line with tighter supply of the alloy. In Europe, ferro-silicon prices fell to lows last seen in August 2017 after suppliers reduced their offer levels to stimulate business in a slow spot market. Chinese domestic market bounces as supply tightens but production restarts may hamper recoveryEuropean market seen stabilizing i...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close of trading on Tuesday January 22, with gains limited by continued strength in the US dollar index, while low stocks and positive fundamentals failed to spur upward movements in prices.Aluminium futures continued to lead the complex in volumes traded over the afternoon, ending the day with more than 17,000 lots changing...Read More

A flurry of demand ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday is providing support to import prices for UG2 chrome ore.A flurry of demand ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday is providing support to import prices for UG2 chrome ore.  UG2 chrome ore climbs by $1 Domestic spot ferro-chrome prices holds in China; flat February tenders predicted Alloy prices soften in South Korea but unchan...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday January 22 that are worth another look.The heads of several steel industry associations in the United States remained divided on the effectiveness of the Section 232 tariffs on US steel imports but found some common ground on the subject of the yet to be signed US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).Global base metals producer Nyrst...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close of trading on Tuesday January 22, with gains limited by continued strength in the US dollar index, while low stocks and positive fundamentals failed to spur upward movements in prices.Aluminium futures continued to lead the complex in volumes traded over the afternoon, ending the day with more than 17,000 lots changing...Read More

Comex copper opened the four-day working week in the United States on weak footing on Tuesday January 22 morning, with the market awaiting clarification on US-China trade talks.The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange tumbled $5.70 cents to $2.6620 per lb. There is a four-day week in the US this week following a public holiday for Martin...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices dipped below $75 per tonne cfr China on Tuesday January 22 after briefly standing above the mark, with plenty of offers in the market unbid for.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $74.78 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $1.12 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $75.62 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $1.12 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $75.78 per tonne cfr Qingd...Read More

The domestic price for rebar in the United Arab Emirates fell this week on continued moderate demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday January 22.Domestic rebarLocal rebar producers in the UAE announced reduced prices for material due to be shipped in February on January 21. The country's largest producer, Emirates Steel, was offering rebar at 1,845 dirhams ($502) per tonne ex-works, down from...Read More

The Turkish steel producers continued to show very little interest in deep-sea scrap trades because of the weak demand for finished steel in the country's export and domestic markets, sources said on Tuesday January 22.Although some mills have booked a few cargoes to replenish stocks over the past week, with escalating prices, most mills were trying to avoid scrap purchases until they see a recove...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday January 22 that are worth another look.The heads of several steel industry associations in the United States remained divided on the effectiveness of the Section 232 tariffs on US steel imports but found some common ground on the subject of the yet to be signed US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).Global base metals producer Nyrst...Read More

Global base metals producer Nyrstar announced late on Tuesday January 22 that it had been subjected to a cyberattack that has compromised its email communications and other IT systems. The company's head office in Zurich was said to be the location most badly affected. "The cyberattack issue has been contained and...Read More

Comex copper opened the four-day working week in the United States on weak footing on Tuesday January 22 morning, with the market awaiting clarification on US-China trade talks.The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange tumbled $5.70 cents to $2.6620 per lb. There is a four-day week in the US this week following a public holiday for Martin...Read More

Fastmarkets MB has today discontinued four weekly tin spot premium assessments in Rotterdam, Singapore and Shanghai due to a lack of spot liquidity. The decision follows a month-long consultation period which did not receive any feedback. Therefore, Fastmarkets MB has discontinued the 99.85% tin ingot premiums in-warehouse Rotterdam and cif Shanghai and the 99.9% tin ingot premiums for standa...Read More

Arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel imported into China on Tuesday January 22 *Copper -$78.00 (-531.99 yuan) Aluminium -$340.59 (-2,322.97 yuan) Zinc -$5.75 (-39.21 yuan) Nickel -$117.40 (-800.74 yuan) *Fastmarkets calculates the physical arbitrage for import into China daily by using SHFE front-month and LME three-month...Read More

Global primary aluminium production totaled 55 million tonnes in December 2018, an increase of 1.8% year on year, according to figures released by the International Aluminium Institute on Monday January 21. Global production for the whole of 2018 is up 1.4% or 937,000 tonnes at 64.3 million tonnes. China, the world's largest aluminium producer, produced 39.5 million tonnes of aluminium betwee...Read More

Arc Resources have hired Romain Wars to replace outgoing Guillaume Taieb as the company's physical refined trader in Europe, Fastmarkets understands.Wars, who spent five and a half years trading refined zinc and copper at Louis Dreyfus Metals and subsequently base metal futures at fund managers Siencyn...Read More

Brazilian steel producers have passed on an increase of 20-25% in flat steel prices to automotive manufacturers in their latest annual contracts, according to Carlos Loureiro, president of national flat steel association Inda.ArcelorMittal, Usiminas and CSN have all passed on the rises to carmakers, sometimes by as much as 25%.An increase of this size had been expected, and...Read More