Domestic steel rebar producers in Poland increased their prices as expected in the week to Friday July 24, although so far buyers have been reluctant to accept the new levels, sources told Fastmarkets.Buying activity started to slow this week due to the onset of the vacation season, sources said.The construction sector was still performing well in the country, but even however, things be...Read More
Ukrainian integrated steel producer ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (AMKR) managed to show only a minor drop in its outputs of crude and finished steel in January-June 2020, despite the unfavorable conditions in the global steel markets due to the effects of Covid-19."In general, production of the main types of products was at 90-95% of the planned indicators. At the beginning of the second quarter, the...Read More
No activity was again reported in the United States' spot import pig iron market during the week ended Friday July 24, with pig iron prices still considered high compared with those for scrap and demand weak amid low utilization rates.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US was $327-330 per tonne on Friday, widening downward from $330 per tonne a...Read More
Turkish steel mills stayed out of the deep-sea scrap market on Friday July 24, but still ended the week having booked around 248,000 tonnes of scrap, sources told Fastmarkets.Despite the quiet Friday, news emerged of a US cargo booked on Wednesday July 22, with a steel mill in the Iskenderun region making the booking at $269.50 per tonne cfr for HMS 1&2 (80:20). The cargo composition was not clear...Read More
The market for pig iron exports from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was firm during the week ended Thursday July 23, on continued demand in China and resumed interest in Turkey.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for high-manganese pig iron, export, fob main port Black Sea, CIS, was $319-324 per tonne on July 23, widening from $320-323 per tonne a week before.One sale of 60,000 tonn...Read More
Brazilian export prices for steel slab increased in the week ended Friday July 24, because demand was recovering amid tight material availability.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob main port Brazil, was $380-390 per tonne on Friday, an increase of $5-10 per tonne from $375-380 per tonne in the previous week.Signs of a demand revival have appeared in...Read More
Offer prices for steel billet imported into Southeast Asia have risen sharply over the past week despite more stable prices for cargoes sold into China, market participants told Fastmarkets on Friday July 24.Chinese steel mills have continued to procure imports of billet over the past week but, unlike the preceding seven days, sales prices have stopped rising and have instead settled into a stable...Read More
World crude steel production for the 64 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (Worldsteel) fell 7% year on year in June 2020.Global output was 148.30 million tonnes in June 2020 down from 159.54 million tonnes in the same month in 2019.China contributed the most to global crude steel production both in June and in the first six months of 2020, producing a total of 91.58 mill...Read More
World crude steel production for the 64 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (Worldsteel) fell 7% year on year in June 2020.Global output was 148.30 million tonnes in June 2020 down from 159.54 million tonnes in the same month in 2019.China contributed the most to global crude steel production both in June and in the first six months of 2020, producing a total of 91.58 mill...Read More
The majority of South American import prices for flat-rolled steel went up during the week to Friday July 24 with new offers getting more expensive and lower bids from customers being rejected.Importers, on the other hand, were increasingly looking elsewhere for their steel product needs, because their tentative buying prices were not accepted. Market participants were reporting more deals for Bra...Read More
Brazilian export prices for steel slab increased in the week ended Friday July 24, because demand was recovering amid tight material availability.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob main port Brazil, was $380-390 per tonne on Friday, an increase of $5-10 per tonne from $375-380 per tonne in the previous week.Signs of a demand revival have appeared in...Read More
The manganese ore index 37% Mn, cif Tianjin, has soared and slumped since March, with South African supply initially tightening and then ramping back up after restrictions were lifted.Read More
Turkish prices in the domestic market for hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG) and color-coated coil increased in the week to Friday July 24, supported by higher feedstock prices, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel HDG, domestic, exw Turkey, was $610-625 per tonne on July 24, up by $5-15 per tonne over the week from $605-610 per tonne on July 17.And Fastmarket...Read More
Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close of trading on Friday July 24, with a continued uptrend in the numbers of Covid-19 cases in the US prompting broad risk-off sentiment across the country's trading hours.Disappointing US manufacturing data added further headwinds.Copper's outright price on the LME was the biggest loser on the day, declining by...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices fell on Friday July 24, following a downturn in the futures market amid growing concerns over escalating tensions between China and the United States. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $109.39 per tonne, down $0.73 per tonne. 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $111.56 per tonne, down $1.24 per tonne. 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices were relatively stable across the board on Friday July 24, with Chinese steel mills that still have import quotas preferring higher-quality material, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets indices Premium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $108.22 per tonne, down $0.80 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $119.39 per tonne, up $0.70 per tonne Hard coki...Read More
Domestic prices for both hot-rolled coil and cold-rolled coil in Turkey have increased over the week to Friday July 24, supported by higher raw material costs, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel HRC, domestic, exw Turkey, was $450-460 per tonne on July 24, up by $10 per tonne week on week from $440-450 per tonne on July 17.The assessment was based on avera...Read More
Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close of trading on Friday July 24, with a continued uptrend in the numbers of Covid-19 cases in the US prompting broad risk-off sentiment across the country's trading hours.Disappointing US manufacturing data added further headwinds.Copper's outright price on the LME was the biggest loser on the day, declining by...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
Fastmarkets' copper concentrates treatment and refining charge (TC/RC) index shifted higher on Friday July 24 due to shipments from Chile continuing despite concerns over potential coronavirus shutdowns. The benchmark copper concentrate TC/RC index, cif Asia Pacific rebounded from $45.60 per tonne / 4.56 cents per lb last week, the lowest level since Fastmarkets started publishing the index...Read More