Plans for a London Metal Exchange spot trading platform have sparked intense debate within the aluminium industry. But opponents and supporters don't necessarily fall into the camps that one might expect. For starters, a decision by the LME not to change its futures contract, establish a new green aluminium contract or set thresholds to define what constitutes low-carbon metal is proving key in st...Read More
The three-month price of aluminium on the London Metal Exchange failed to breach nearby resistance at the close of trading on Wednesday September 2, despite reaching its highest price since January in the afternoon session, while a sharp decline in lead futures saw the metal lose 1.8% of its underlying price.Aluminium's outright price on the LME closed at $1,786 per tonne, a decline of more than 1...Read More
The spread between copper scrap and refined copper continued to widen in August amid the copper price rally and minimal buying interest from the Chinese due to logistics and customs clearance worries in the coming months.Fastmarkets assessed the price of copper scrap No 2 copper (birch/cliff) imported into China 94-96% LME/Comex discount, cif China basis at 32-36 cents per lb on Friday August 28,...Read More
Iron ore prices gained ground on Wednesday September 2 in line with China's downstream steel futures price performance due to strong demand expectations for September and October, sources said. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $127.31 per tonne, up $2.65 per tonne 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $127.90 per tonne, up $2.80 per tonne 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cf...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.US market under pressureUS prices for welded pipe products were under pressure because market participants, especially distributors, have started to take steps to generate cash and were moving material if they were able to do so, even if it meant selling at low prices.We expect more such "fire sales" in the coming months, bu...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.August 2020 has seen the prices of most steel products move up in tandem around the world, in contrast to recent months when steel prices have moved in different directions depending on the market.This dynamic has been seen in most coated steel markets as well, with the prices for hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG), pre-painted...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.US market at risk of slidingPrices for pipe products were at a floor in the United States in mid-August, and have been broadly stable at that level since the start of the second quarter, but they are at risk of declining further in the coming months.Drilling rig counts have yet to find a floor and have fallen below most esti...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:US domestic prices for hot-rolled coil moved down in line with our expectations, averaging $461 per ton in July versus our forecast price of $460 per ton. Although domestic HRC prices slipped to less than $450 per ton in late July/early August, we maintain the view th...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:Prices across most ferro-alloy markets trended stable to lower in August as demand remained subdued in major markets, apart from China where steel output continues to rise at a rapid pace, supporting demand for ferro-alloys. As alloy makers seek to remedy supply/demand imbalan...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In the year 2020 to date in late August, the Fastmarkets 62% Fe iron ore benchmark has powered along and reached six-year highs, supported by Chinese demand, and despite the global economic uncertainty created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Iron ore demand has weakened almost everywhere except in China, where it has continued to...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.There has been an increasing bullishness in Chinese steel market sentiment recently, with rising post-Covid-19 optimism about the country's economy for the second half of 2020, especially after the government announced an infrastructure spending boost. Although we believe that high prices are justified, they remain far from...Read More
The price of hollow steel sections in the Northern European domestic market went up this week because of the current price surge in raw materials, market sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday September 2.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?550-570 ($658-681) per tonne on Wednesday, up from ?,?540-565 per tonne one week earlier.The...Read More
The price of steel H-beams in the European domestic market has been largely stable over the past week following modest increases in the previous seven days, with further gains depending on demand in the weeks ahead, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday September 2.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel beams, domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?535-565 ($640-675) per tonne on Wedn...Read More
The spread between copper scrap and refined copper continued to widen in August amid the copper price rally and minimal buying interest from the Chinese due to logistics and customs clearance worries in the coming months.Fastmarkets assessed the price of copper scrap No 2 copper (birch/cliff) imported into China 94-96% LME/Comex discount, cif China basis at 32-36 cents per lb on Friday August 28,...Read More
Traders who recently left copper merchants Werco are setting up a base metals unit at Vanomet in Zug, Switzerland, Fastmarkets understands. Theresa Nepote, Simon Zahno and Marcel Lustenberger, who made up the bulk of Werco's Swiss trading team, left the company in July. The unit, which is...Read More
A western aluminium producer has concluded a deal for delivery throughout the fourth quarter to main Japanese ports (MJP) at a premium of $88 per tonne on a cif basis, market participants told Fastmarkets on Wednesday September 2. The sale is the first from a producer this quarter and comes after several trader sales were reported. Sources close to the matter also confirmed on Wednesday that a tra...Read More
Domestic Chinese copper cathode premiums dropped sharply in the week to Tuesday September 1 to their lowest level in six months, while a climbing outright metal price and tight forward spreads kept premiums in Europe and the United States unchanged. Demand falters in China amid oversupply European cathode availability high; market quiet Rio Tinto's Kennecott mine closure keeps US marke...Read More
The Chinese spot nickel pig iron (NPI) price rose to its highest level of this year on Friday August 28, supported by decent demand, high costs and a rising London Metal Exchange nickel price. Fastmarkets assessed the nickel pig iron, high-grade NPI content 10-15%, spot, ddp China price at 1,130-1,150 yuan ($165-168) per nickel unit on Friday, the highest so far this year and a level last see...Read More
Chinese premiums of nickel plate remained weak, but prices of nickel pig iron (NPI), nickel ore and nickel sulfate all refreshed the highest level hit this year while premiums in the United States were unmoved amid a holiday trading hiatus, Fastmarkets heard.Chinese prices of NPI, nickel ore and nickel sulfate all up, while nickel plate premiums unchanged. US premiums static due to holidaysStronge...Read More
Iranian export billet and slab prices increased in the week to Wednesday September 2, with fresh transactions completed at higher rates after semi-finished values edged up in Asia, sources told Fastmarkets.Mobarakeh Steel sold a cargo of slab at $425 per tonne fob Black Sea this week and its subsidiary Hormozgan Steel sold another cargo at $422 per tonne fob last week, market participants sai...Read More