Iranian steel billet and slab export prices fell in the week to Wednesday April 10 with new deals reported, but prices could soon rise in the wake of widespread flooding across the country.No production cuts have been confirmed by steel mills as yet, a trader told Fastmarkets, but he said the floods would be a reason for price increases. However, whether or not Iran's...Read More

Steel H-beam prices in Northern and Southern Europe dropped in the past week on the back of falling feedstock costs and weaker trading conditions, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday April 10. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic S235-grade, 200x200mm, category-2 H-beam in Northern Europe widened downward by ?,?5 per tonne to ?,?595-635 ($670-716) per tonne delivered on Wednesd...Read More

The price range for rebar produced and delivered in Northern Europe has remained unchanged week on week amid continued cautious buying activity among end-users, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday April 10.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Northern Europe was ?,?535-550 ($603-620) per tonne delivered on Wednesday, unchanged from April 3."I don't think the price will rise...Read More

Eastern promise for PolarXSPONSOREDpolarxOrtonowski said in the event that copper concentrate flows from mines in Democratic Republic of Congo to smelters in Zambia were reduced, it would cut the amount of sulphuric acid produced by the smelters shipped to SXEW plants in both countries, potentially impacting their ability to produce copper cathodes."The 5% import duty will increase raw material co...Read More

The stainless steel scrap market in the United States continued to inch up slightly for the 300-series grades with buying becoming more difficult due while participants wait for higher prices."Seems like the market is looking for some more push in either direction before moving again," one US dealer source said."Quiet buying week with people at [the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industrie...Read More

Eastern promise for PolarXSPONSOREDpolarxThe panel discussion looked at how a October 2018 position paper by the London Metals Exchange (LME) about responsible sourcing could be implemented.Read More

Turkish steel mills continued to make deep-sea scrap purchases at a slow pace this week, while prices were going down, sources said on Wednesday April 10.A steel producer in the Marmara region booked a United States cargo, comprising 32,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $306 per tonne cfr, 6,000 tonnes of shredded at $311 per tonne and 2,000 tonnes of bonus at $316 per tonne cfr, late on April 9.Th...Read More

Eastern promise for PolarXSPONSOREDpolarx"Productora is half a mine.Read More

The vice president for marketing materials at BHP, Vicky Binns, has decided to leave the company after 10 years, industry sources said. Binns, a 35-year veteran in the industry, will step down from her role in Singapore at the end of September and return to Australia, where she had previously worked for the Macquarie Group and Merrill Lynch. She...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices continued to slide on Wednesday April 10, while the seaborne spot market remained subdued with no open tenders being issued by the major miners.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $94.61 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.24 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $93.73 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.24 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $96.57 per tonne cfr Qingd...Read More

Uncertainties continue to linger in the seaborne coking coal spot market, with most participants still keeping away from the premium hard coking coal segment due to a divergence between offers and bids.While offers for premium hard coking coal have stayed largely stable at $200-204 per tonne cfr China, bids from end users have emerged around $190-195 per tonne cfr, various sources told Fastmarkets...Read More

Japanese ferrous scrap is expected to be more competitive against materials from the United States' west coast after the Kanto Tetsugen tender price plunged on Wednesday April 10, market sources told Fastmarkets MB.The cooperative of scrap dealers in Japan's most-industrialized region concluded its April export tender of H2-grade scrap at ?23,300 ($209) per tonne fas Tokyo Bay, down ?1,710 per t...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices dropped slightly on Wednesday April 10 due to softer demand. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,000-4,050 yuan ($596-603) per tonne, down 50-70 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,940-3,980 yuan per tonne, down 10-20 yuan per tonneBuyers have been cutting their procurement rates since Tuesday due to recent price increases. They continued to limit their purchas...Read More

Strong LME spreads bolstered aluminium premiums in both the US Midwest and Europe in the week ended on Tuesday April 9, while increased metal availability in Trieste helped increase market liquidity in Italy and main Japanese port (MJP) premiums held firm amid active trading despite short supply. Benchmark Rotterdam duty-unpaid premium touches $100 per tonne for first time since June 2018US Midwes...Read More

China's hot-rolled coil prices retreated on Wednesday April 10 with trading activity in the domestic market said to be at moderate levels.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,970-3,980 yuan ($591-593) per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,930-3,940 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneA Shanghai-based trader said buyers were only placing orders on an as-needed basis, rather...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange consolidated during morning trading on Wednesday April 10, with most metals trading in narrow ranges and buying appetite in Europe subdued. Volumes traded have been thin this morning. The most-traded metal is copper with just over 4,000 lots changing hands as of 9:30am London time. The three-month copper price is trading just below $6,480 per tonne d...Read More

Electric vehicles will shift to using solid-state batteries using lithium metal in the long term, but requisite developments in the manufacturing process mean batteries with liquid electrodes will remain in use until at least the late 2020s, according to Emily Hersch, managing partner of DCDB Group. "The practical reality of how [solid-state technology] goes from laboratory to supply isn't so much...Read More

The following Fastmarkets minor metals prices changed on Wednesday April 10:Antimony MB Chinese free market MMTA standard grade II, yuan/tonne: 44,000-45,000 yuan per tonne from 43,500-45,000 yuanCobalt MB free market alloy grade, $/lb: $16.50-17.30 per lb...Read More

Key data from the Wednesday April 10 pricing session in Europe.Key driversThe European ferro-titanium price moved up in the past week, while scrap markets also increased amid firm fundamentals that have fueled a price rally since March. Current business conditions are expected to persist through April and into May. There were reports that a major German steelmaker booked 150 tonnes of alloy for sh...Read More

Chinese domestic prices for antimony gained some momentum late last week when all the private antimony producers in Lengshuijiang, in China's central province of Hunan, were required to halt production for safety checks, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday April 9.On April 3, before a national public holiday on April 5, relevant authorities in Lengshuijiang, which is China's major antimony product...Read More