Imports of long products to the European Union dropped during the first four months of 2020 year on year due to the toxic combination of the effect of Covid-19 on consumption and rising protectionism. According to European steel association Eurofer, imports of rebar from outside of EU in January-April 2020 totaled 370,514 tonnes, down by 37% from 589,428 during the corresponding period of 2019. At...Read More
Crude steel output in Italy decreased by 7.88% year on year in June due to the decrease in steel demand amid the effects of the Covid-19 lockdown measures, Italian steel association Federacciai said on Friday July 17.The county's crude steel production totaled 1.92 million tonnes in June 2020, down from 2.08 million tonnes in the same months of 2019.The June decrease, however, was less then the re...Read More
A summary of Rio Tinto's second-quarter iron ore production report released on Friday July 17.In brief Output from Pilbara operations in Western Australia increased by 4% year on year and by 7% quarter on quarter.Shipments from the Pilbara rose by 1% year on year and by 19% quarter on quarter despite operational controls made in...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
South American import prices for flat-rolled steel were higher during the week ended Friday July 17, with more expensive offers from both China and Japan, market participants have told Fastmarkets.But clients were still bidding at their previous, lower levels in an attempt to prevent the increases being imposed on September-shipment cargoes, they added.Fastmarkets assessed the price of steel hot-r...Read More
The CIS export steel billet market had become firmer by the end of the current week with more customers accepting higher prices, spurred by rising raw materials costs globally and continuing positive sentiment in China.A large cargo of Ukrainian billet was reported sold to China at $415 per tonne cfr, equivalent to $370-375 per tonne fob Black Sea.Deals from the Black Sea basin were rare in China...Read More
Indian mills increased their hot-rolled coil export prices by as much as $30 per per tonne in the week to Friday July 17, because buyers in Southeast Asia are desperate for supplies to meet rising demand, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil (commodity) export, fob main port India, was 450-455 per tonne on 17July, up by 20-30 per tonne from last week's $4...Read More
Imports of long products to the European Union dropped during the first four months of 2020 year on year due to the toxic combination of the effect of Covid-19 on consumption and rising protectionism. According to European steel association Eurofer, imports of rebar from outside of EU in January-April 2020 totaled 370,514 tonnes, down by 37% from 589,428 during the corresponding period of 2019. At...Read More
It has not been an easy year so far for Peru's zinc and lead mining companies after the coronavirus pandemic swept through South America, with operations facing lengthy shutdowns as well as multi-year low prices for their products.Mining companies are turning to traders to obtain big blocks of cash amid live concerns over future earnings and with banks at their most cautious in a decadeKnown...Read More
Seaborne premium prices decreased on Friday July 17 due to bearish sentiment in the market, sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $107.50 per tonne, down $1.72 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $117.61 per tonne, down $0.35 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $89.09 per tonne, down $2.24 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $100.02 per tonne, down...Read More
London Metal Exchange three-month base metals prices were mostly subdued during morning trading on Friday July 17, with a record daily surge in US coronavirus cases weakening investor sentiment, while copper futures managed a slight improvement despite thin volumes and a tight forward curve. LME copper's outright price was recently at $6,406 per tonne, sustaining above nearby support levels and up...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Prices hold, pipe buying stalls Seamless prices remained broadly stable in much of the world this month - with the notable exception of falling Japan fob prices, because oil and gas producers have been less inclined to fight for premium products as they cut their capital expenditure - but this was not the result of a balance...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Europe, Asia and the United States for the week ended Friday July 17.China The domestic market remained stable in the week ended Friday July 17, with limited spot trading, after many suppliers had sold out their cargoes available for this month. A number of smelters restarted their...Read More
The prices paid for steel scrap by mills in Turkey and Asia have moved up over the week ending Friday July 17, against a backdrop of stronger Chinese prices for iron ore and steel.Turkish steel producers continue to book deep-sea scrap at progressively higher prices through the weekUS East Coast market activity increased after new sales to TurkeyVietnamese scrap demand was supported by a surge in...Read More
Most US aluminium scrap prices rose on Thursday July 16, with increased buying interest and supposedly tighter scrap supply supporting the increases.Fastmarkets' assessments of aluminum scrap mixed low copper clips, buying price, delivered Midwest secondary smelters and mixed high zinc clips both rose by a penny to 39-42 cents per lb and 34-36 cents per lb respectively on July 16. The assessment f...Read More
The benchmark secondary aluminium alloy A380.1 price climbed further on Thursday July 16, supported by firming aluminium scrap prices and thinning North American special aluminium alloy contract (Nasaac) inventories in London Metal Exchange warehouses.Fastmarkets assessed the price for aluminium alloy A380.1, delivered Midwest US at 68-70 cents per lb on Thursday, tightening upward by 1...Read More
The three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Friday July 17, with thin turnover and a tighter forward curve doing little to stop upward price action, while zinc futures slipped below nearby support levels at the close.Copper's outright price on the LME closed at $6,448 per tonne on Friday afternoon, recovering from an intraday low of $6,387.50 per...Read More
Peruvian mining production of both copper and zinc tumbled in May year on year from 2019, despite recovering from April figures, while the country was gradually reopening from restrictions to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, Fastmarkets understands.The country produced 128,407 tonnes in copper content during May, down by 41% from 218,000 tonnes a year before, mining and energy private association SNM...Read More
Caution over Chilean mined copper availability continued to keep the processing charges for copper concentrate resolutely low this week, while smelter appetite for spot tonnages was also diminishing. Miner-to-trader deals were taking place anywhere from the mid-$30s to the low-$40s. Sellers were offering to smelters at below $50 per tonne / 5 cents per lb, but Fastmarkets is yet to receive confirm...Read More
It has not been an easy year so far for Peru's zinc and lead mining companies after the coronavirus pandemic swept through South America, with operations facing lengthy shutdowns as well as multi-year low prices for their products.Mining companies are turning to traders to obtain big blocks of cash amid live concerns over future earnings and with banks at their most cautious in a decadeKnown...Read More