Chinese plate exporters have started to accept lower prices to boost sales following a period of thin trading.Fastmarkets MB's export price assessment for May shipments of Chinese commercial-grade, chromium-added plate was $545-550 per tonne fob for the week ended Tuesday March 19, narrowing downward from $545-555 per tonne fob a week earlier.A cargo consisting of 2,000 tonnes of plate was sold to...Read More
Slow demand and continued negative sentiment have caused wire rod prices in the United States to edge lower while the cost of imported material remains steady, Fastmarkets AMM has learned. Fastmarkets' assessment for industrial quality (IQ) low-carbon wire rod widened downward to $38-40 per hundredweight ($760-800 per short ton) fob mill on Tuesday March 19, down from $38.25-40 per cwt previously....Read More
The European price of mesh-quality wire rod stayed flat on Wednesday March 20, with trading remaining subdued although the fundamental picture has improved.Fastmarkets' weekly domestic price assessment for mesh-quality wire rod for both Northern and Southern Europe stayed at ?,?535-550 ($607-624) per tonne delivered on Wednesday, after narrowing upward last week from $530-550 per tonne.Consumers.....Read More
Domestic prices for hollow steel sections in Southern Europe edged up on Wednesday March 20, but are expected to match the stability seen in Northern Europe in the next few weeks, market sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly domestic price assessment for commodity-size, grade-S235 square hollow sections made in Southern Europe widened upward by ?,?5 per tonne this week, to ?,?630-650 per to...Read More
Turkish steel producers have continued to stay back from the deep-sea scrap markets due to sluggish demand for finished steel and the firmness of the offers from scrap merchants, sources said on Wednesday March 20.Offers for HMS 1&2 (80:20) grade material from the United States remained at $330 per tonne cfr, but mills were not willing to pay such high prices, Fastmarkets was told.Besides, the wea...Read More
Iron ore prices fell on Wednesday March 20 after Brazilian miner Vale announced it has been given the go-ahead to restart operations at its Laranjeiras tailings dam in Minas Gerais state.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $84.30 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $2.93 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $83.42 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $2.93 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $86.16 p...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices lost their upward momentum on Wednesday March 20 amid a drop in trading activity. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,870-3,900 yuan ($576-581) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing): 3,850-3,890 yuan per tonne, unchangedRebar futures declined a few minutes after opening in the morning on news that Brazil's Vale - the world's largest iron ore producer - was all...Read More
Key data from the Wednesday March 20 pricing session in Europe.Key driversThe European ferro-titanium market has hit a five-month high in the past week, with the rally showing no signs of abating while suppliers struggle to keep up with demand. There is renewed consumer demand for prompt shipment and buying inquiries for second-quarter deliveries. The run-up in prices is set to persist, with $6 pe...Read More
Import prices for stainless steel in East Asia edged down again over the past week, with the downtrend in nickel contributing to a reduction in trading activity. Buyers remained in wait-and-see mode because of the nickel situation, while some sellers were willing to accept lower prices to secure more orders, sources said.Fastmarkets' weekly import price assessment for benchmark 304 stainless...Read More
Domestic prices for hollow steel sections in Southern Europe edged up on Wednesday March 20, but are expected to match the stability seen in Northern Europe in the next few weeks, market sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly domestic price assessment for commodity-size, grade-S235 square hollow sections made in Southern Europe widened upward by ?,?5 per tonne this week, to ?,?630-650 per to...Read More
Brazil's Vale has obtained a court order allowing it to restart port activities at its Gua?-ba Island Terminal, it said late on Monday March 18.The iron ore miner had suspended port activities at the terminal earlier this month on orders of the Mangaratiba city government."Following the court decision, Mangaratiba City Hall authorities lifted the interdiction. Vale reaffirms that it has all valid...Read More
A preliminary decision from a court in Brazil's Itabira city, in the country's southeastern Minas Gerais state, has ordered Vale to suspend activities at two of its tailings dams, following a request from the Minas Gerais state prosecutors' office, MPMG.Vale immediately complied with the decision, which affects the dams of Minervino and Cord??o Nova Vista, part of the Cau?? mine, the company said...Read More
Revenue garnered from the United States' Section 232 tariffs - in place for almost a year - stood at $4.3 billion for steel and $1.4 billion for aluminium as of Thursday February 21, 2019, according to data from US Customs and Border Protection.While the blanket 25% steel tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump's administration has helped US steel mills to reap record profits, restart id...Read More
Zinc's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Wednesday March 20, bolstered by an 11-year low in LME stocks, with the price continuing to approach $2,900 per tonne - a level not seen since July 2018.Total on-warrant material was at its lowest level since 2008 at just 44,300 tonnes, while LME data showed five dominant warrant-holding positions. Three of...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
Key data from the Wednesday March 20 pricing session in Europe.Key driversThe European ferro-titanium market has hit a five-month high in the past week, with the rally showing no signs of abating while suppliers struggle to keep up with demand. There is renewed consumer demand for prompt shipment and buying inquiries for second-quarter deliveries. The run-up in prices is set to persist, with $6 pe...Read More
An overview of the noble alloys markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday March 20 that are worth another look.The Democratic Republic of the Congo, the world's top producer of cobalt and a key copper producer, has re-enacted an export ban on copper and cobalt concentrates, official documents obtained by Fastmarkets show.China's strict restrictions on scrap metal imports from the United States...Read More
Zinc's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Wednesday March 20, bolstered by an 11-year low in LME stocks, with the price continuing to approach $2,900 per tonne - a level not seen since July 2018.Total on-warrant material was at its lowest level since 2008 at just 44,300 tonnes, while LME data showed five dominant warrant-holding positions. Three of...Read More
The United States' copper market was at a standstill during trading on Wednesday March 20 morning, with a stronger dollar adding pressure to the complex. The copper price for May settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange inched down 0.15 cents to $2.9215 per lb.The dollar index was trading at 96.46, up 0.07%. Over the past few sessions, the market has entered a consolida...Read More