The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Prolonged flooding in China could limit the use of construction steel and drag down demand for steel rebar in the short term, which in turn could damp the demand for iron ore. So far, it has been reported that steel mills in the affected regions have continued to operate as normal. The floods have, however, caused a few days...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In a webinar we conducted on Asian ferro alloys, our research team discussed the Chinese authorities' announcing some major infrastructure investments that will increase demand for steel and steel raw materials, including iron ore. Our research shows that the recent infrastructure investment announcements are equal to about...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Judging by a recent webinar we conducted on Asian ferroalloys last week, many market participants believe the steel and steelmaking raw materials' world - outside of China - will record an 'L' shaped recovery, effectively failing to recover. With crude steel production outside of China falling close to a third in April and o...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices are relatively stable this month, showing little change since our previous tracker. Such stability masks growing issues for stainless steelmakers, however, who are increasingly unable to pass on rising costs to consumers and are, thus, facing cuts to their margins.In general, this is due to an excess of...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices are on the increase in June. As far as this market is concerned, it appears as though the Covid-19 pandemic has had little impact so far, with prices on the most common grades of stainless steel just 2-4% lower than they were at the turn of the year in most markets.Even in Asia, a region often talked ab...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices have fared relatively well over the past couple of months in the face of the threat from the Covid-19 pandemic.In grade-304 material, the most common grade of stainless steel, prices were down by about 5-7% since the turn of the year - not bad, when compared with the falls in prices of other assets so f...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Having first hit Asia during early 2020, the Covid-19 viral outbreak is now having an even bigger impact on European countries and the US. Widespread lockdown measures have been put in place on people and industry, and economic activity has slowed markedly.For now, stainless steel markets in Europe and the US are yet to show...Read More
Domestic prices for steel hot-rolled coil moved up in Northern Europe in the week ended Friday July 17, supported by the continuing lack of competitive import offers.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, rose to ?,?407.53 ($465.65) per tonne on Friday, up by ?,?3.53 per tonne week on week, and up by ?,?17.53 per tonne month on month.Friday's index was based...Read More
Fastmarkets MB invited feedback from the industry in an open consultation process between June 19 and July 20 on the pricing methodology for its Northern Europe hot-rolled coil index as part of our annual methodology review process. Fastmarkets is gracious for all who took the time to respond to the consultation. Based on...Read More
Pan American Silver has suspended operations at its Huaron and Moracocha mines in Peru after several workers tested positive for Covid-19 there, the company said on July 20."Reduced workforces will conduct care and maintenance activities at Huaron and Morococha until it is determined that normal operations can safely resume," it said.The mines, which produce...Read More
Russian multi-metal miner Nornickel has pledged 20 billion roubles ($278,080,000) to fight the impact of Covid-19 across 2020, the company said on Friday July 17.The anti-pandemic financial package will aim to tackle the fallout of the virus for both Nornickel employees and local economies in regions where the company is operative.Fastmarkets understands that Russia's Arctic region and those worki...Read More
Chinese-Australian miner MMG has issued a profit warning for the first half of this year due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, the company said on Monday July 20.The copper and zinc miner expects a net loss of US$158 million for the first six months of 2020, compared to a net loss of US$81 million over the same period last year, a regulatory filing to Hong Kong bourse...Read More
Japan's Sumitomo Corp has suffered impairment losses of 55 billion yen ($513,705,000) from its investment in Madagascar's Ambatovy nickel and cobalt mine in its first financial quarter of 2020, the company said on Monday July 20.The conglomerate, which owns a majority 47.7% stake in the asset, now values Ambatovy at less than its carrying cost, and has subsequently written off a signific...Read More
The publication of Fastmarkets' assessment of the Japan aluminium 6063 extrusion quarterly billet premium, cif MJP for the third quarter of 2020 was delayed due to a reporter error.The aluminium 6063 extrusion quarterly billet premium, cif MJP, is a quarterly premium and is normally published on the third Friday of the first month of each quarter.The price should, therefore, have been publish...Read More
Brazilian copper and brass products manufacturer Termomecanica is set to take its internationalization plans further and to increase the focus on its recent investment in the aluminium business, while its chief executive officer of 22 years hands over to its former industrial operations director.Regina Celi Ven??ncio, who served for more than two decades as CEO, will give way to Luiz Henrique Cave...Read More
Declining raw material costs and continued weak demand have worked in tandem to cause cold-heading quality (CHQ) and high carbon wire rod prices to drop, sources told Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets' assessment for steel wire rod cold-heading quality, ddp settled at $36.50 per hundredweight ($730 per short ton) on Friday July 17, down 5.2% from $38.50 per cwt last month.The cost of steel scrap No1 bushel...Read More
Special bar quality (SBQ) steel prices in the United States have dropped due to reports of discounting prompted by continuing weak demand and declining ferrous scrap costs, Fastmarkets has learned. On the hot-rolled side of the market, Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for steel bar hot-rolled special bar quality (SBQ) 1-inch round 1000 series (carbon), fob mill US fell to $31.50 per cwt ($630...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States have held below $23 per hundredweight ($460 per short ton) while demand remained flat or declined.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $22.94 per cwt ($458.80 per ton) on Monday July 20, up by just 4 cents from $22.90 per cwt on Friday July 17 and down by 2.7% from $23.58 per cwt a week earlier on July 13. Inputs...Read More
Steel products output in Ukraine reduced by 4.6% year-on-year in January-June 2020 to 9.03 million tonnes, according to a report published by national steel union Ukrmetallurgprom on Thursday July 16.The drop in production volumes was attributed to lower demand in export outlets resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, more strongly protectionist policies in some of the major outlet markets, lower pr...Read More
Crude steel production in Germany is down by 27% year on year in June 2020, following a drop in May due to the Covid-19-related effects on steel demand, German steel federation WV Stahl said on Monday July 20.Germany's mills produced 2.47 million tonnes of crude steel in June, down by 27.3% from 3.4 million tonnes in June 2019, WV Stahl said."The negative effects of the coronavirus crisis on crude...Read More