Metal Bulletin reviews the major stories that have affected the steel market over the past week.Once again, Metal Bulletin's team has written extensively about the effects of the United States government's recent decision to impose tariffs of 25% on steel imports. Reactions from global economies, the effect on US prices and market comments were all analyzed. You can find a summary of these analyse...Read More

The European Commission (EC) has started a review procedure of anti-dumping measures in place affecting certain organic coated flat steel products from China, the EC said on Wednesday March 14.Following the publication of a notice of expiry of measures in June 2017, European steel association Eurofer lodged a request for review of measures on December 13 last year.Europe's anti-dumping duty on imp...Read More

Indian local secondary billet prices recovered from a steep fall in the first two days of the current week to go up by about 700 rupees per tonne over the past three days on rising finished product prices.Prices for Indian domestic secondary billet, mainly produced via the induction furnace route, ended the week at 33,000-33,400 rupees ($508-514) per tonne ex-mill, narrowing from Metal Bulletin's...Read More

Slab export prices from Brazil rose this week, with offers approaching the $600 per tonne fob mark while buyers were left with few options to procure material from CIS and Brazilian suppliers.Metal Bulletin's weekly assessment of Brazil export slab reached $580-590 per tonne fob on Friday March 16, up from $560-570 per tonne fob a week earlier. Sparse domestic offers were reported within the $580-...Read More

Domestic prices for rebar in Poland have been largely stable this week due to limited market activity, sources told Metal Bulletin on Friday March 16.Metal Bulletin's weekly price assessment for domestic 12mm B500B-grade rebar in Poland was 2,300-2,350 zloty ($674-689) per tonne ex-works on March 16, compared with 2,300-2,340 per tonne ex-works a week...Read More

Coated coil producers in Turkey mostly kept their prices unchanged this week amid moderate demand in the domestic market. Domestic prices One Northern Turkish producer was offering 0.50mm gauge hot-dipped galvanized (HDG) coil at $860-865 per tonne ex-works this week, while a second producer in the same region was offering the same product at $900 per tonne ex-works. A southern producer...Read More

Flat steel prices in Turkey's domestic market went down slightly this week, while import and export prices were unchanged amid weak demand, market participants told Metal Bulletin on Friday March 16.Local producers were fully booked until June.Domestic pricesHot-rolled coil (HRC) producers in Turkey have been offering material at $670 per tonne ex-works for late-May and early-June production, whil...Read More

The following Metal Bulletin noble alloys, bulk alloys and ores prices changed on Friday March 16:Noble alloysMolybdenum Europe drummed molybdic oxide, $/lb: $12.75-12.85 per lb from $12.85-12.95 per lbMolybdenum US canned molybdic oxide, $/Ib $12.90-13.10 per Ib from $13.00-13.10 per lbFerro-molybdenum basis 65% min, in-warehouse Rotterdam, $/kg Mo: $30.70-30.90 per kg from $30.80-31.35 per kgFer...Read More

Iron ore output at Anglo American's Brazilian Minas-Rio operation is still halted after a slurry pipeline rupture, but shipments are not expected to be affected, it told Metal Bulletin on Friday March 16."So far, there is no impact forecast," the miner said. "There are around 700,000 tonnes of iron ore stocked, which is a sufficient volume to meet the shipping schedule of the next vessels."The com...Read More

German steelmakers have settled their monthly scrap contracts for March with an average price increase of ?,?20 per tonne, sources told Metal Bulletin on Friday March 16.Metal Bulletin's monthly price assessment for domestic grade-E3 scrap in Germany for February was ?,?280-300 ($346-370) per tonne delivered, up from ?,?265-280 per tonne delivered in February.The lower end of the assessment reflec...Read More

The Turkish deep-sea scrap market remained silent at the end of the week, with only a few short-sea cargoes being booked for urgent requirements, sources said on Friday March 16.Some short-sea cargoes were booked at $361-365 per tonne cfr for CIS-origin A3-grade scrap, market participants said.Other than those transactions, there have been no deep-sea trades heard so far this week.A scrap supplier...Read More

Ahh porphyries, conjuring vision of untold riches hidden in the bleak hills of the Andes or the mosquito infested jungles of Indonesia and Colombia.However, ignoring the BS that explo-cos spout about their project being great because in reality, most aren't.The CAPEX for a decent sized porphyry (or any large scale mine) typically run into the billions. No junior company can ever develop them, and...Read More

Iron ore prices tumbled on Friday March 16 following a decline in the futures market amid doubts whether downstream demand for steel in China has truly started to recover after the Chinese New Year.Metal Bulletin's 62% Fe Iron Ore Index Today: $69.84 per tonne cfr QingdaoDaily change: down $2.27 per tonneMonth-to-date average: $73.61 per tonneMetal Bulletin's 58% Fe Premium Index Today: $56.91 per...Read More

The seaborne coking coal market took a breather on Friday March 16, though buyers outside of China are still anticipating prices to experience a downward correction.A cargo of mid-vol premium hard coking coal was traded at $215 per tonne fob Australia while a lower-ranked second-tier product changed hands at $182 per tonne fob Australia, sources told Metal Bulletin during the day. "The market is s...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices fell below $70 per tonne cfr China again on Friday March 16 with sentiment deteriorating amid declining futures. Key drivers Doubts have emerged in the market over whether downstream demand for steel products had truly started to recover.China's major ports had 159.37 million tonnes of iron ore on Friday, up 742,000 tonnes from a week earlier. The increase was concentrated...Read More

An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More

The following Metal Bulletin minor metals prices changed on Friday March 16:Minor metalsArsenic MB free market, $/Ib: $1.10-1.30 per Ib from $0.70-1.05 per lbCadmium MB free market min 99.99%, cents/lb: 155-175 per lb from 150-170 per lbChromium MB free market alumino-thermic, $/tonne: $10,500-11,300 per tonne from $10,500-11,000 per tonneCobalt MB free market high grade, $/lb: $41.70-43.00 p...Read More

An overview of China's minor metals markets in the week of March 12-16 and the reasons for any price moves.Read More

Bismuth prices are being driven higher by a supply shortage in China that has resulted from environmental crackdowns in the country. "Due to the upcoming environmental protection policy, many manufacturers have suspended their production and it is hard to locate proper goods," a producer source in China said.Metal Bulletin assessed bismuth free market in warehouse prices at $5.20-5.40 pe...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange are for the most part stronger this morning, Friday March 16, with all of the metals, except tin, showing average gains of 0.4%. Copper is up by 0.5% at $6,956 per tonne, while tin is off by 0.1% at $20,970 per tonne.Volume has been light with 4,565 lots traded as of 06.29am London time. This follows a day of weakness on Thursday, with the complex cl...Read More