Three-month lead traded lower during the morning session on the London Metal Exchange on Tuesday December 3, with low liquidity conditions capping a move above nearby resistance levels, while tin's outright price recorded the only move higher. Lead's underlying price on the LME was recently seen at $1,894 per tonne, dipping below the $1,900-per-tonne support level, with just 870 lots exchanged ove...Read More

While the metal markets have hardly been bullish, United States President Donald Trump undermined confidence across broad markets when he re-imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Argentina and Brazil and threatened France with tariffs too.This has raised concerns that a US-China trade deal may be delayed, especially following Trump's signing legislation supporting protesters in Hong...Read More

Rebar prices in Russia's major steel-consuming region, the Central Federal District around Moscow, have gone down further due to seasonally weak demand from end-users, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday December 2.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, cpt Moscow, Russia, including 20% VAT, was 31,000-32,000 roubles ($482-498) per tonne on Monday December...Read More

Suppliers of hot-rolled and cold-rolled steel sheet to Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow have reduced their prices for December, but intend to put them back up for January, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday December 2.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel hot-rolled sheet, domestic, cpt Moscow, Russia, was 39,000-39,500 roubles ($606-614) per tonne on December 2, including...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday December 3 that are worth another look.ArcelorMittal has increased its offer prices in Europe for all flat steel products by ?,?40 ($44) per tonne, effective immediately, market sources told Fastmarkets on December 3.A second major aluminium producer has offered the light metal for delivery in the first quarter of 2020 to main J...Read More

The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange was lower at the close of trading on Tuesday November 3, with this morning's fresh cancelation of 1,326 tonnes doing little to negate selling pressure, while the metal's benchmark cash/three-month spread reached its widest level since July. Nickel's outright price on the LME closed at $13,375 per tonne this afternoon, softening by more than...Read More

Lead concentrate spot treatment charges (TCs) continued to rise in November, with buy-side liquidity slim amid a still-shut arbitrage window for Chinese imports. Refining charges (RCs) also remain high, around $1.20-1.30 per oz for material with high silver content. Lead concentrates with low silver content are trading with RCs at $1.50 or above. Fastmarkets assessed the lead spot concentrate...Read More

Three-month lead traded lower during the morning session on the London Metal Exchange on Tuesday December 3, with low liquidity conditions capping a move above nearby resistance levels, while tin's outright price recorded the only move higher. Lead's underlying price on the LME was recently seen at $1,894 per tonne, dipping below the $1,900-per-tonne support level, with just 870 lots exchanged ove...Read More

Sustained import losses for copper and zinc in November have caused Shanghai-bonded stocks to rise for the two base metals by around 3%, while a reversal of import conditions for nickel encouraged some trading houses to draw down bonded nickel stocks last month. Shanghai-bonded copper stocks moved up in November on low interest for imported material following a wider arbitrage loss this month, mar...Read More

Norsk Hydro plans to reduce output by 20% at its majority-owned Slovalco primary aluminium smelter in Slovakia, citing a weakening market, the company announced on Monday December 2."The board of directors at Hydro's majority-owned Slovalco primary aluminium plant in Slovakia has decided to recommend to the shareholders of the company to curtail maximum 20% of the plant's primary aluminium product...Read More

An expected uptrend in the United States' December ferrous scrap settlement has offset ongoing weak demand and made mill list prices for beams relevant once again, according to market sources. Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for steel beams 8 x 8-inch, fob mill US gained $1 to reach $33.75 per hundredweight ($675 per short ton) on Monday December 2, moving in line with mill list pr...Read More

ArcelorMittal has increased its offer prices in Europe for all flat steel products by ?,?40 ($44) per tonne, effective immediately, market sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday December 3.ArcelorMittal's new offer for first-quarter rolling hot-rolled coil was ?,?450 ($497) per tonne ex-works in Germany.Fastmarkets' latest weekly price assessment for steel HRC, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was ?,?4...Read More

The Arab Iron & Steel Union (AISU) held its annual summit in Tunis, Tunisia, on November 27-28. Here are four things that Fastmarkets learnt at the event:Mena region steel consumptionSteel consumption in the Middle East-North Africa (Mena) region is expected to rise to 41 million tonnes in 2020, compared with 40 million tonnes in 2019, AISU secretary-general Kamel Djoudi said.The key driver of hig...Read More

Export prices for hot-rolled coil from the Commonwealth of Independent States have increased over the past week as several sales at higher prices were done to key outlets, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday December 2.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel HRC, export, fob Black Sea, CIS, was $405-415 per tonne on Monday December 2, up by $10 per tonne from the previous week.Russia-origin HRC was...Read More

Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices have increased on a fresh transaction amid tightening supply and good demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday December 3.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising 24,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $280 per tonne and 3,000 tonnes of bonus at $290 per tonne cfr. The cargo was scheduled for shipment in January.This compares...Read More

Vale plans to produce 49 million tonnes of iron ore pellet in 2020 by gradually restarting idled capacity throughout next year, the company's ferrous and coal director, Marcelo Spinelli, said this week.During the first half of 2020, the company will focus more on replenishing Chinese stocks of Brazilian Blend Fines (BRBF), which the company regards as the strategic basis for iron ore use in China,...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices weakened on Tuesday December 3 amid losses in futures and rebar markets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $88.31 per tonne, down $0.14 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $87.40 per tonne, down $0.14 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $88.20 per tonne, down $0.12 per tonne.58% Fe fines high-premium, cfr Qingd...Read More

The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for iron ore, pig iron, direct-reduced iron and other steelmaking raw materials....Read More

Participants in the seaborne coking coal market said they saw little room for prices to move significantly amid stable supply-demand drivers.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $136.86 per tonne, down $1.09 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $147.60 per tonne, up $0.97Hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $120.70 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang:&...Read More

Vale has cut its iron ore production and sales target to 68-73 million tonnes from 70-75 million tonnes for the March quarter 2020, due to a reduction in operating rates for up to two months at its Brucutu mine.The company is to temporarily suspend tailings disposal at the Laranjeiras dam serving the Brucutu mine to assess the dam's geotechnical characteristics, the Brazilian miner said late...Read More