The price for rebar produced and delivered in Northern Europe was unchanged on Wednesday January 2 due to a lack of new business, while the European Commission's import quota continued to run down over the year-end break. Fastmarkets MB's weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Northern Europe remained at $540-560 ($619-642) per tonne delivered on Wednesday, with many people still out&n...Read More

The Turkish scrap import market was quiet on Wednesday January 2 with most market participants still on holiday, while demand for finished steel products was sluggish.After news broke of a Baltic Sea cargo being sold at $283 per tonne cfr for HMS 1&2 (80:20) on December 29, the daily scrap indices went down by around $6 per tonne...Read More

Physical iron ore prices were largely rangebound on Wednesday January 2 amid mixed signals after the New Year long weekend in China.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $72.07 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.66 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $71.90 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.66 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $74 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.12 per tonne. MB 58% Fe Prem...Read More

Erus Metals USA LLC has withdrawn from London Metal Exchange warehouse services, the exchange said on Tuesday January 1.Erus Metals USA is a subsidiary of Erus Metals Limited, the USA branch only had one warehouse left, in Panama City, Florida, which will now be delisted from the LME. According to exchange data in November, it held no LME stock.In...Read More

Import and domestic prices for rebar and billet in the United Arab Emirates were stable this week, with demand remaining poor, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday January 2.Domestic rebarLocal rebar producers had announced on December 20 that there would be reduced prices for material to be shipped in January. These prices came into effect at the time of the announcement.The country's largest pr...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices fell on Wednesday January 2 after the billet market weakened over the New Year holiday. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,700-3,750 yuan ($538-545) per tonne, down 50-60 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,600-3,650 yuan per tonne, down 20-30 yuan per tonneThe price of billet dropped sharply over the past few days due to weak demand, resulting in bearish sent...Read More

Hollow steel sections prices in Europe were unchanged in the first week of 2019, with many market participants still on holiday and a resulting lack of trading on Wednesday January 2.Fastmarkets' domestic price assessment for commodity-size, grade-S235 square hollow sections made in Northern Europe remained at ?,?635-650 ($728-745) per tonne delivered on Wednesday.Many traders in Europe would not...Read More

Domestic prices for steel beams in Europe were unchanged this week, with the majority of market participants not yet returning to work, sources said on Wednesday January 2.Fastmarkets MB's weekly price assessment for domestic S235-grade, 200x200mm, category-2 H-beam in Northern Europe was flat at ?,?620-645 ($711-730) per tonne on January 2.The market was quiet this week with many market participa...Read More

The Section 232 tariffs implemented in the United States in 2018 led to a sharp increase in domestic steel prices, driving the hot-rolled coil index to a nearly 10-year peak in July. But how did the tariffs impact the rest of the global supply chain? Fastmarkets' regional experts gave us answers.ChinaChina has exported less hot-rolled coil since the Section 232 tariffs took effect, but soft domest...Read More

BHP has suspended operations at the Saraji coking coal mine in Queensland, Australia following a fatal accident on New Year's Eve."The site incident management team has been activated, and the emergency services including police are attending the scene. BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) is working closely with the...Read More

Major Chinese steel mills' daily crude steel output dropped in mid-December, with their finished steel inventory levels decreasing slightly.Members of the China Iron & Steel Association (Cisa) produced crude steel at an average rate of 1.84 million tonnes per day during the second 10 days of December, down 1% from...Read More

The Section 232 tariffs implemented in the United States in 2018 led to a sharp increase in domestic steel prices, driving the hot-rolled coil index to a nearly 10-year peak in July. But how did the tariffs impact the rest of the global supply chain? Fastmarkets' regional experts gave us answers.ChinaChina has exported less hot-rolled coil since the Section 232 tariffs took effect, but soft domest...Read More

Refining charges (RCs) for blister copper have decreased for 2019 contracts on a cif China basis because of growing concerns about supplies.The majority of contractual RCs were settled within the range of $155-175 per tonne for next year, Fastmarkets has assessed. That compared with $165-180 per tonne for 2018 contracts.In December, contractual talks between Jiangxi Copper and Chambishi, which pro...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close of trading on Wednesday January 2, under pressure from upward momentum in the United States dollar index although a marginal downturn in US equity markets hindered buying sentiment.In afternoon trading, the three-month price of lead fell by more than 3% to reach an intraday low of $1,942 per tonne. It had spent most of...Read More

Prices for mesh-quality wire rod were unchanged across Europe on Wednesday January 2, with market activity subdued by the year-end and the possible expiration of the European Commission's import quota scheme. Fastmarkets' weekly domestic price assessments for mesh-quality wire rod in both Southern Europe and Northern Europe stayed at ?,?540-560 ($619-642) per tonne delivered on Wednesday.The...Read More

It's been nine months since the United States announced Section 232 tariffs, and over six months since a 10% tax was applied to imports of aluminium from Canada, Mexico and the European Union. There's been a huge debate over how successful the tariffs - imposed on the grounds of national security and also applied at a 25% rate to steel - have been. Much depends on who you talk to, and what their s...Read More

Years ago, the idea that machines would replace humans on the trading floor seemed far-fetched and the suggestion that algorithms might replace humans entirely ridiculous.But both have happened in some shape or form, making the advent of blockchain - now being vaunted as the next game-changer in technology - a lot more realistic than naysayers might initially think.Dozens of trials and projec...Read More

Since its merger with Xstrata, Glencore - previously a trading and marketing firm - has become a mining firm whose earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization is dominated by earnings from its industrial activities. The recent appointment of Peter Freyberg as head of the company's industrial mining assets, a newly created position with oversight and responsibility for all Glenco...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close of trading on Wednesday January 2, under pressure from upward momentum in the United States dollar index although a marginal downturn in US equity markets hindered buying sentiment.In afternoon trading, the three-month price of lead fell by more than 3% to reach an intraday low of $1,942 per tonne. It had spent most of...Read More

Comex copper futures softened in the first trading day of the new year in the United States amid disappointing Chinese manufacturing results and persistent weakness in US stocks.The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange declined 2.90 cents to $2.6020 per lb.Weaker than expected manufacturing data from China prompted the Asian markets to open tr...Read More