A summary of stainless steel producer Outokumpu's results for the second quarter of 2020.In brief Weakening of global demand for stainless steel due to the Covid-19 pandemic dragged Outokumpu's earnings sharply downward in the second quarter. In Europe, the company's results were burdened by both lower deliveries and prices as well as high import levels from third countries, particularly from Asia...Read More
A roundup of layoff announcements contained in Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice (WARN) Act letters filed to state labor agencies in the United States thus far this summer, including at least six full plant closures, indexed by sector:Aerospace: Boeing announced that 1,608 employees will be laid off at its operations in Puget Sound, Washington, effective October 2-28. Textron...Read More
The price uptrend for imported containerized ferrous scrap in key market Taiwan continued over the past week.Fastmarkets' daily price assessment for containerized cargoes of steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20), US material import, cfr main port Taiwan was $255-257 per tonne on Friday August 7, unchanged from a day earlier but up by $7-8 per tonne from $248-249 per tonne cfr Taiwan on July 30.Transactions...Read More
Interest for deep-sea bulk cargoes of heavy melting scrap from the United States' West Coast returned this week in Vietnam, a key market in Asia, with a transaction involving 4,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) heard at $295 per tonne cfr.This is part of a bulk shipment that includes another 22,000 tonnes of shredded scrap priced at $297 per tonne cfr Vietnam and 4,000 tonnes of plate & structural (P&...Read More
Molybdenum prices rose in the United States and Europe after a flood disabled one of the world's top two molybdenum producers, Jinduicheng Molybdenum Co (JDC Moly), on Wednesday August 5 for what is said to be an indefinite period. A correction has...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday August 6 that are worth another look.The United States will reintroduce Section 232 tariffs on imports of non-alloyed unwrought aluminium from Canada, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday August 6. The aluminium industry neither deserves nor can afford the shock that...Read More
Aluminium industry participants - many of which lobbied against Section 232 tariffs - respond to US President Donald Trump's decision to reinstate the tariffs on imports of non-alloyed unwrought aluminium from Canada.Michael Bless, chief executive officer of Century Aluminum Co and a strong supporter of the Section 232 tariffs, said that their reintroduction would continue to help drive the resurg...Read More
Sometimes it is better to let a situation speak for itself. Alcoa, Rio Tinto Aluminium, Novelis, Constellium, Arconic, Kaiser Aluminum, Tri-Arrows Aluminum, American Metal Chemical Corp, Hydro Extrusion North America, JW Aluminum, Real Alloy, Reynolds Consumer Products, Scepter, Silberline Manufacturing Co, Smelter Service Corp and Wagstaff. The US Aluminum Association, which represents more than...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday August 6 that are worth another look.The United States will reintroduce Section 232 tariffs on imports of non-alloyed unwrought aluminium from Canada, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday August 6. The aluminium industry neither deserves nor can afford the shock that...Read More
Chilean copper commission Cochilco has increased its forecast for the average copper price this year to $2.62 per lb, from $2.40 per lb previously, due to the recovery in the Chinese economy and a drop in inventories, it said on Thursday August 6.For next year, however, Cochilco has reduced its average copper price estimate to $2.85 per lb, from the $2.90 per lb it published in its previous market...Read More
Base metal production in Peru continued to recover in June while mines reopened after a two-month lockdown to combat Covid-19, with copper and zinc production back up to January levels, the country's ministry of energy and mines, Minem, said on Wednesday August 5.Peru produced 119,174 tonnes of zinc in June, up by 2.7% from 115,990 tonnes a year before, Minem data showed. Production also grew sign...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday August 6 that are worth another look.The United States will reintroduce Section 232 tariffs on imports of non-alloyed unwrought aluminium from Canada, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday August 6. The aluminium industry neither deserves nor can afford the shock that...Read More
Glencore will not rush to bring its Mutanda copper-cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) back into production ahead of an increase in demand from the electric vehicle sector, and while cobalt prices are low, chief executive officer Ivan Glasenberg said during an investor call earlier today. Mutanda was put on care and maintenance for at least two years at the end of November 2019 f...Read More
The Turkish steel mills have continued their deep-sea scrap purchases for September shipments at escalating prices, sources said on Thursday August 6.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $283 per tonne, shredded at $288 per tonne and bonus at $293 per tonne cfr. The cargo breakdown was not clear, but the normal cargo size from this supplier...Read More
Activity in the bulk import market for steel scrap sold to Bangladesh has increased over the past week, with fresh buying interest in Japan- and US-origin material, market sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday August 6.Market chatter on Thursday centered on fresh bids for Japan-origin scrap in bulk and renewed activity in the deep-sea import market for US West Coast scrap, at higher prices than the...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Heavy rains in China, which can negatively affect iron ore supplies and pig iron production, and bolster demand for scrap, continued in July 2020. Although this was more an upside risk to our bearish base case one month ago, Chinese scrap prices remained strong. The firm prices gained support from the rains and from a more g...Read More
Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed this morning, Thursday August 6, but the complex was up by an average of 0.4%.Pre-market major western equity index futures and equities in Asian-Pacific markets were also mixed.Western markets waiting for news on a stimulus package announcement by the United States this week, as well as Friday US employment report... ...either...Read More
The cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies. Fastmarkets assessed cobalt alloy grade, in-whs...Read More
The cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies. Fastmarkets assessed cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam at $14.60-15.05 per lb on Thursday August 6. Sale at $14.6...Read More
Glencore will not rush to bring its Mutanda copper-cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) back into production ahead of an increase in demand from the electric vehicle sector, and while cobalt prices are low, chief executive officer Ivan Glasenberg said during an investor call earlier today. Mutanda was put on care and maintenance for at least two years at the end of November 2019 f...Read More