Iranian export billet and slab prices dipped in late April as lower offers and bid prices were heard in the market.A few offers for Iran-origin billet were heard at $345 per tonne fob southern ports, compared with the $350-355 per tonne fob targeted by mills a week earlier.However, even with the discount, the price was considered to high by market participants. Bids...Read More
China's domestic traders kept prices for rebar unchanged on Wednesday April 29 despite rising futures in an attempt to generate more sales.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,400-3,430 yuan ($481-485) per tonne, unchangedRebar futures picked up during the day, but traders in the spot market refrained from raising prices in the hope of drawing down their stock levels more ahead of the May 1-5 Labo...Read More
Prices for hollow steel sections in Europe moved downward this week, with demand not yet showing any sign of rebounding, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday April 29.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?580-595 ($629-645) per tonne on Wednesday, down from ?,?585-600 per tonne one week before.Demand in Northern and Southern...Read More
United States-based car manufacturer Ford will restart production at various sites in Europe in a phased approach from May 4, the company said on Tuesday April 28.Vehicle and engine production will restart at continental European sites following the implementation of health and safety precautions agreed with trade unions, which will include personal body-temperature checks and the use of facemasks...Read More
A summary of Brazilian mining company Vale's financial results for the first quarter of 2020.In brief Pro forma adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) down by 26% year on year due to depreciation of Brazilian Real.Net income of $239 million, compared with a net loss of $1.6 billion in the first quarter of 2019. Investments totaled $1.12 billion, up by...Read More
A summary of Latin American steel group Ternium's financial results for the first quarter of 2020.In brief Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) down by a third year on year due to restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Net loss of $19.40 million, compared with a net profit of $224.90 million in the first quarter of 2019. Higher sales volumes in Mexico, Te...Read More
BHP is consulting with relevant stakeholders on options to increase its licensed iron ore export capacity to over 290 million tonnes per year from Hedland, the shipping hub in Western Australia, it told Fastmarkets on Tuesday April 28.Tim Day, BHP acting asset president for Western Australia iron ore, said BHP's focus remains on reaching 290 million tonnes per year in the medium term, but improvem...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday April 29 that are worth another look.Export prices for Japan-origin plate and structural (P&S) grades of ferrous scrap rose by ?500 ($5) per tonne week on week on April 29, with tighter supplies over recent weeks keeping the values up, sources have told Fastmarkets.Brazilian mining company Vale expects to find a potential invest...Read More
Malaysia Smelting Corp (MSC), the world's second-largest tin exporter, has resumed production following a hiatus related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the company told Fastmarkets."At the moment, MSC has commenced its smelting and mining activities and is operating at approximately 50% capacity," company spokeswoman Mei-Lynn Keow said.MSC had been under a Malaysian government lockdown that began on Ma...Read More
Brazilian mining company Vale expects to find a potential investor to exit its South Pacific nickel asset Vale New Caledonia (VNC) in the next one to two months, base metals director Mark Travers said in a conference call on Wednesday April 29.The company confirmed it was looking to divest from the business in December last year, while talks with interested parties began in November, Travers added...Read More
A summary of Brazilian mining company Vale's financial results for the first quarter of 2020.In brief Pro forma adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) down by 26% year on year due to depreciation of Brazilian Real.Net income of $239 million, compared with a net loss of $1.6 billion in the first quarter of 2019. Investments totaled $1.12 billion, up by...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday April 29 that are worth another look.Export prices for Japan-origin plate and structural (P&S) grades of ferrous scrap rose by ?500 ($5) per tonne week on week on April 29, with tighter supplies over recent weeks keeping the values up, sources have told Fastmarkets.Brazilian mining company Vale expects to find a potential invest...Read More
The Covid-19 pandemic may well provide Freeport-McMoRan with a silver lining it had never expected. The US copper producer is discussing with the government of Indonesia what should be done with the planned smelter in the Gresik region in the province of East Java. It has been forced to delay the completion timeline of December 2023 for the plant, due both to Covid-19-related disruptions to the wo...Read More
When the oil price fell into negative price territory at the start of the week ended April 24, it fueled fears that a similar situation could materialize in metals. The good news for users of the London Metal Exchange is the exchange's delivery mechanism that makes it virtually implausible, while its contract structure makes it even more unlikely. Here's why. The reason the West Texas In...Read More
Last month, analysts started warning that oil prices could fall below zero. On Monday April 20, they did.The May futures contract for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil fell as low as minus $37.63 per barrel, the first time ever that the price of the commodity has entered negative territory. By contrast, the June WTI contract is trading at around $20 per barrel, marking the biggest perce...Read More
The three-month copper price on the LME was higher at the close of trading on Wednesday April 29, staying firmly above nearby support levels despite only average turnover, while tin futures showed some weakness over the afternoon. Copper's outright price on the London Metal Exchange closed at $5,273 per tonne on Wednesday afternoon, climbing from an intraday low of $5,197 per tonne, while turnover...Read More
Global nickel premiums held steady amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in the week to Tuesday April 28, with demand lackluster in all regions, sources said. Sluggish spot trade keeps premiums in the United States steady China premiums flat on closed arbitrage window, lack of appetite European premiums unchanged despite forward demand optimism US in holding pattern Slow spot trade amid t...Read More
The seaborne iron ore market was mostly unchanged on Wednesday April 29, with Pilbara Blend fines closing around $80 per tonne, and with active Chinese portside trading before the country's Labor Day holiday on May 1.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $82.50 per tonne, up by $0.30 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $85.15 per tonne, up by $0.55 per tonne.58% Fe fi...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Aluminium: 'Sell the rally' mentality here to stayAlthough the London Metal Exchange aluminium price has managed to recover modestly from recent lows, we suspect this is mostly short-covering. The lack of producer restraint, growing exchange inventories, a weak demand outlook and the 7 million tonnes of oversupply forecast f...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Aluminium: 4-million-tonne surplus for 2020We have made further downward revisions to our aluminium demand expectations for 2020 and, although there have been smelter capacity reduction in China too, the net effect is that our forecast for the global surplus this year has swelled to 4 million tonnes, from 2.7 million tonnes...Read More