Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday April 22 that are worth another look.The US copper market began trading in the red on Monday April 22, with market participants bearish despite a softer dollar and growing optimism of a breakthrough in American and Chinese trade talks. Brazilian steelmaker and miner Usiminas maintained its production target of 7.5-8 mil...Read More

China's hot-rolled coil prices regained some strength on Monday April 22 on moderate trading activity amid stable demand.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,010-4,020 yuan ($598-600) per tonne, up 40-50 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,950-3,960 yuan per tonne, up 50 yuan per tonneTransaction prices gained traction during the day after mills raised their offers.Trading activity was descri...Read More

Indian secondary billet prices rose slightly in the week to Friday April 19, with supply remaining tight due to lower production.Fastmarkets MB's price assessment for domestic secondary billet was up by 100 rupees ($1) per tonne to 31,400-31,600 rupees per tonne ex-mill compared with the prior week's assessment of 31,300-31,500 rupees per...Read More

China has reached peak annual steel consumption of 850-900 million tonnes, according to the China Iron and Steel Association (Cisa).The country consumed 870 million tonnes of steel in 2018 and "such a level will last for several years" as the country's peak period of steel consumption, Cisa vice chairman Chi Jingdong said recently at the 17th International Steel Market and Trade Conference in Nanj...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices posted strong gains on Monday April 22 amid gains in the futures market, though concerns have emerged over an increase in supply.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,120-4,150 yuan ($614-619) per tonne, up 60-70 yuan per tonne Northern China (Beijing): 4,050-4,080 yuan per tonne, up 40-50 yuan per tonneRising futures improved sentiment in the spot market during the da...Read More

Physical iron ore prices rebounded on Monday April 22 amid gains in the steel and futures markets, after declining over consecutive days last week.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $94.48 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $2.39 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $93.26 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $2.39 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $96.75 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $2.73 per tonne. MB...Read More

Trading activity for iron ore pellets in the seaborne market appeared to pick up last week while that for concentrate remained relatively muted.PelletsThe weekly Fastmarkets MB 65% Fe Blast Furnace Pellet Index was at $128.08 per tonne cfr China last Thursday April 18, up $0.58 per tonne from the preceding week.A number of transactions involving 64% Fe Jindal pellets took place at $117-120 per ton...Read More

Import prices for steel slab in Southeast Asia and East Asia were down during the past week, with demand remaining muted in the key import market of Indonesia while market participants await the final results of its presidential election.Fastmarkets MB's weekly import price assessment for slab in Southeast Asia and East Asia was $470-480 per tonne cfr on Monday April 22, down from $490-495 a week...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices posted strong gains on Monday April 22 amid gains in the futures market, though concerns have emerged over an increase in supply.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,120-4,150 yuan ($614-619) per tonne, up 60-70 yuan per tonne Northern China (Beijing): 4,050-4,080 yuan per tonne, up 40-50 yuan per tonneRising futures improved sentiment in the spot market during the da...Read More

Oman's Jindal Shadeed, part of India's Jindal Steel & Power (JSPL), has successfully commissioned a new billet caster with a capacity of 2 million tonnes per year at its mill in Sohar in northern Oman, equipment provider SMS Group said on Thursday April 18"[The new billet caster] is currently operating with six strands and produces rebar billets of 165 millimeters square section at a casting speed...Read More

Tibnor, the distribution arm of Swedish steelmaker SSAB, has increased its footprint in Denmark, following the completion of its acquisition of Sanist??l, Denmark's second largest steel distributor, it said on Thursday April 17.The acquisition, worth around 630 million Swedish krona ($68.15 million), includes Sanist??l's automated steel distribution center in Taulov, Denmark, four sales offices in...Read More

China's output of crude steel and finished steel in the first quarter of 2019 both increased significantly year on year on good demand and healthy profits.The country produced a total of 231.07 million tonnes of crude steel over the first three months of 2019, up 9.9% from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Wednesday April 17. Chinese mills produced 269.07 million tonn...Read More

Import prices for steel slab in Southeast Asia and East Asia were down during the past week, with demand remaining muted in the key import market of Indonesia while market participants await the final results of its presidential election.Fastmarkets MB's weekly import price assessment for slab in Southeast Asia and East Asia was $470-480 per tonne cfr on Monday April 22, down from $490-495 a week...Read More

The US copper market began trading in the red on Monday April 22, with market participants bearish despite a softer dollar and growing optimism of a breakthrough in American and Chinese trade talks.The copper price for May settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange inched down by 1.8 cents to $2.902 per lb. "Risk sentiment has had a negative start despite reports Chi...Read More

Physical iron ore prices rebounded on Monday April 22 amid gains in the steel and futures markets, after declining over consecutive days last week.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $94.48 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $2.39 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $93.26 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $2.39 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $96.75 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $2.73 per tonne. MB...Read More

China's hot-rolled coil prices regained some strength on Monday April 22 on moderate trading activity amid stable demand.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,010-4,020 yuan ($598-600) per tonne, up 40-50 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,950-3,960 yuan per tonne, up 50 yuan per tonneTransaction prices gained traction during the day after mills raised their offers.Trading activity was descri...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday April 22 that are worth another look.The US copper market began trading in the red on Monday April 22, with market participants bearish despite a softer dollar and growing optimism of a breakthrough in American and Chinese trade talks. Brazilian steelmaker and miner Usiminas maintained its production target of 7.5-8 mil...Read More

Low-grade manganese ore prices have held relatively steady since rebounding from this year's lows in January, when market participants toned down fears of oversupply in the alloy market. Normally volatile low-grade manganese ore prices have held relatively steady since rebounding from this year's lows in January, after which market participants toned down fears of oversupply in the alloy market. F...Read More

When the London Metal Exchange amended its policies related to its physical delivery network a few years ago, it overlooked one key thing. The issue centers on LME's linked load-in/load-out (LILO) rule, which operates by linking the amount of metal a warehouse loads in to the amount it is obligated to load out for warehouses that have queues of over 50 days.The rule changes were part of package of...Read More

Ahead of Fastmarkets' Battery Materials 2019 conference in Shanghai, Fastmarkets looks at use of lithium in next-generation vehicles and other battery uses, as well as soaring prices, which have spurred interest in lithium and boosted its importance in recent years as a battery material. In June 2016, the spot price in China peaked at $27 per kg, more than three times the global contract price, ac...Read More