The prices of steel billet in the Turkish markets have increased over the past week, in line with firmer scrap costs and tight supplies of long steel, sources said on Thursday November 5.Turkish steel mills were booking scrap earlier this week at firm prices, with the mills trying to replenish their stocks after agreeing some long steel export sales, according to the sources.After the latest booki...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday November 5 that are worth another look.Mexican steelmaker Ternium intends to start operations at its new hot-rolling mill in the country's northeastern Pesquer?-a city in July 2021, it has announced.Australia-origin copper concentrates bound for China are being diverted...Read More
As the aluminium price surges to an 18-month high, alumina market participants are debating how it is influencing the raw material's market direction. The London Metal Exchange three-month price hit $1,913 per tonne on Wednesday November 4 - the highest since April 2019 - and closed trading at $1,908.50 per tonne at the LME 5pm ring kerb. The aluminium price has been on an upward trajectory over t...Read More
It has been two weeks since South Africa's cabinet approved a chrome ore export tax to support its chrome sector, and Chinese buyers say they would have little option but to accept the higher costs. China is the world's largest chrome ore importer and would therefore bear the brunt once the export tax is carried through. But the East Asian country has no choice but to brace for the price rise beca...Read More
Market participants in China are increasingly confident that Chinese authorities will revive steel scrap imports into the country in 2021 following the release of new domestic scrap classification standards.A draft of the new standards for ferrous and stainless scrap for China's domestic market was released late last month. Market participants expect these standards to be launched and implemented...Read More
Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed at the close of trading on Thursday November 5, with a prolonged US election process limiting investor sentiment despite a continued decline in the US dollar index, while aluminium's forward spreads widened over the afternoon.Aluminium's underlying price on the LME closed at $1,897.50 per tonne on Thursday afternoon, declining...Read More
As the aluminium price surges to an 18-month high, alumina market participants are debating how it is influencing the raw material's market direction. The London Metal Exchange three-month price hit $1,913 per tonne on Wednesday November 4 - the highest since April 2019 - and closed trading at $1,908.50 per tonne at the LME 5pm ring kerb. The aluminium price has been on an upward trajectory over t...Read More
Seaborne premium hard coking coal and hard coking coal prices in the cfr China market went up on Thursday November 5 due to the ongoing restriction on Australian coking coal imports, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $106.25 per tonne, down $0.55 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $139.47 per tonne, up $2.45 per tonneHard coking coal, fo...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Flat product prices in the US moved largely in line with our expectations in October, posting impressive gains across the product range, and slightly exceeding our forecasts for coil products.Domestic hot-rolled coil prices averaged $722 per tonne in October, exceeding our forecast of $705 per tonne forecast price.Although w...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe moved up day on day on Thursday November 5, due to long lead times at European mills and a lack of import offers, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe at ?,?511.34 ($597.98) per tonne on Thursday November 5, up by ?,?6.23 per tonne from ?,?505.11 per tonn...Read More
Steel rebar and billet prices have remained stable in Egypt in the week ending Thursday November 5, with demand being very weak, sources have told Fastmarkets.Egypt had reduced the safeguard duty it imposed on billet and rebar imports the week before.The duty for imported billet has been reduced to 13% for the cif market but with a minimum of $60 per tonne. This compared with a 16% duty and $75 pe...Read More
As the aluminium price surges to an 18-month high, alumina market participants are debating how it is influencing the raw material's market direction. The London Metal Exchange three-month price hit $1,913 per tonne on Wednesday November 4 - the highest since April 2019 - and closed trading at $1,908.50 per tonne at the LME 5pm ring kerb. The aluminium price has been on an upward trajectory over t...Read More
Vale has entered into a 30-day exclusivity agreement to discuss the sale of nickel-cobalt operation Vale New Caledonia (VNC) with a consortium comprised of current management and employees of the unit, as well as state investors and Swiss trading firm Trafigura, the Brazilian mining company said on Wednesday November 4.Vale's subsidiary Vale Canada is carrying out negotiations, which include, "out...Read More
London Metal Exchange three-month base metals prices were mixed during morning trading on Thursday November 5, with slow progress in the US presidential election capping momentum, while aluminium futures fell after a contango returned across its benchmark forward curve.At the time of writing, presidential candidate Joe Biden remains ahead of incumbent Donald Trump, according to data compiled by th...Read More
Australia-origin copper concentrates bound for China are being diverted on the water and ahead of shipment next year, after Chinese buyers were reportedly told to comply with an "unofficial order" to restrict the material's entry this week.Europe, Japan, India and Southeast Asia have been tabled as potential alternative destinations to receive offers of the concentrates, either by spot sales or th...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday November 5 that are worth another look.Mexican steelmaker Ternium intends to start operations at its new hot-rolling mill in the country's northeastern Pesquer?-a city in July 2021, it has announced.Australia-origin copper concentrates bound for China are being diverted...Read More
Mexican steelmaker Ternium intends to start operations at its new hot-rolling mill in the country's northeastern Pesquer?-a city in July 2021, it has announced.The new equipment, from an investment of $1.1 billion, was expected to gradually increase production from July to the end of 2021, chief executive officer M??ximo Vedoya told analysts in a conference call on Wednesday November 4."The date f...Read More
Domestic prices for steel cold-rolled coil (CRC) in Europe moved up slightly in the week to Wednesday November 4, supported by good order books at domestic mills, sources told Fastmarkets this week.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel CRC, domestic, exw Northern Europe was ?,?580-595 ($678-696) per tonne on November 4, up compared with ?,?580-590 per tonne a week earlier.The assessm...Read More
Domestic rebar and wire rod prices in Turkey continued to climb over the past week because of the weakening Turkish lira, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday November 5.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, exw Turkey, was 4,530-4,640 lira ($537-550) per tonne on Thursday, up from 4,450-4,500 lira per tonne last week.The increase followed a fu...Read More
The Turkish long steel export market remained unmoved on tight supply and high scrap costs over the past week, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday November 5.Mills in the country achieved sales at $450-455 per tonne fob in previous weeks and set their offer price at $455-460 per tonne fob last week, which they are still offering. A cargo of Turkish rebar was sold to Peru at $450 per tonne fob in...Read More