The inter-merchant market for light-iron steel scrap in the UK was steady for the second week in a row in the week to Friday October 1, with major processors holding their offer prices stable to ensure a steady stream of supply into their yards, sources said.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap 5C loose old light domestic, delivered inter-merchant UK was ?170-190 ($229-256) p...Read More
Trading activity was limited in the seaborne market on Friday October 1 during the start of the Chinese holiday.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $115.79 per tonne, down $3.44 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $118.54 per tonne, down $3.40 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $88.06 per tonne, down $3 per tonne65% Fe Brazil-origin fines, cfr Qin...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices in the fob market eased slightly on Friday October 1 on a cargo that was transacted at a lower-than-expected price, market sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $603.28 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $565.14 per tonne, unchangedPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $391.50 per tonne, down by $8.70 per tonneHard coking...Read More
Fastmarkets rounds up the key discussion points on lithium battery chemistries, sustainability and ESG from its Lithium 2021 conference that took place over September 20-22.Lithium price spikes key to chemistriesThe price of lithium will be key in determining battery chemistries, according to market participants. Sustained high prices would cause use to shrink, although few expect lithium to be re...Read More
Flat steel prices continued to fall in Turkey during the week ended Friday October 1 because of weak demand, sources told Fastmarkets.Buyers wanted to prices to flatten before placing orders and end-user demand was also weak, sources said.Domestic pricesFastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil, domestic, exw Turkey was $880-900 per tonne on October 1, falling from $890-920 pe...Read More
Spot interest in copper concentrate has been minimal in the week to Friday September 30, ahead of China's National Day holiday. Clean tonnages for smelter purchase were in the mid-$60s, below the Copper Smelters Purchase Team's fourth quarter pricing floor of $70 per tonne. A community blockade at MMG's Las Bambas complex in Peru, which started two weeks ago, could...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:US prices for hot-rolled coil moved in line with our forecasts in August, averaging $1,910 per ton, within 1% accuracy of our forecast of $1,925 per ton. The market has achieved much-needed stability in recent weeks, with prices fluctuating in the range of $1,900-1,94...Read More
European steel companies must scale up their decarbonization technologies within the coming decade or risk exhausting their allocated emissions allowances early, according to a report released on Tuesday September 14.The report, "Steeling for Net Zero," by climate researcher Industry Tracker, found that selected European steel companies have less than 26% of their carbon budget remaining and must...Read More
Base metals prices were down on the morning of Friday October 1, extending the weakness that started to accelerate on Thursday, when the LME base metals closed down by an average of 2.3%, with tin dropping by 6.2%. The weakness was broad based with equities retreating, too. Asia-Pacific equities weaker this morning.Gold and the yen rallied on Thursday, and US treasury yields are weaker this mornin...Read More
A rise in South Korean domestic steel scrap prices has led to greater interest in booking import cargoes to the country in recent days, sources said on Friday October 1.Korean steelmakers increased their scrap buy prices by 10,000 Won ($8) per tonne on Friday, a mill source in the country told Fastmarkets.Solid long steel demand means that despite the rise in cost and some mills in the country red...Read More
The inter-merchant market for light-iron steel scrap in the UK was steady for the second week in a row in the week to Friday October 1, with major processors holding their offer prices stable to ensure a steady stream of supply into their yards, sources said.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap 5C loose old light domestic, delivered inter-merchant UK was ?170-190 ($229-256) p...Read More
Since mid-September, a swathe of provincial governments in China have imposed power cuts and rationing on local industrial users, which could cast a bigger influence on downstream fabricating sectors than previous curbs, sources said.This is the second time that industrial users have received power rationing orders in the year. The first was in July, when hot weather strained the country's grid. P...Read More
The collapse of the iron ore market and market turbulence over Chinese property developer Evergrande Group are adding to the economic woes caused by the Delta variant of Covid-19 for much of this year.It is hard to find bright sparks in the months ahead for the ferrous supply chain, which has been buffeted repeatedly in a short span of few months, starting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's comment...Read More
The market for pig iron exports from Brazil was stable during the week to Friday October 1 because suppliers have full order books until late December-January.Fastmarkets' price assessment of pig iron, export, fob port of Vitoria/Rio, Brazil was $480 per tonne on Friday, stable week on week."We are sold out till January, so right now we are not...Read More
Since mid-September, a swathe of provincial governments in China have imposed power cuts and rationing on local industrial users, which could cast a bigger influence on downstream fabricating sectors than previous curbs, sources said.This is the second time that industrial users have received power rationing orders in the year. The first was in July, when hot weather strained the country's grid. P...Read More
The silicon price set a new all-time high in the United States on Thursday September 30, with offers rising and reportedly greatly widening while market participants tried to price in the coming effects of a global shortage.US silicon supply was already tight before China, the world's biggest supplier, largely stopped exporting the metal during a production crisis. An electricity shortage in China...Read More
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) investors should be reducing exposure to plug-in hybrid- and fuel cell-weighted automotive supply chains and focusing instead on battery electric vehicles (BEV), according to a report by Jefferies. Ford's recent announcement of record-setting investment in electric vehicles (EVs) gives a clear signal to the market: BEVs are the future, with hybrids a...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday September 30 that are worth another look.Temporary steel export duties in Russia, which have been in effect since August 1, have not impacted export volumes significantly so far, sources have told Fastmarkets.Australia-based mining company South32 have announced...Read More
Nickel's three-month price was at its lowest since late June on the afternoon of September 30; all other London Metal Exchange prices were down across the board by 2-4%."Commodities are being pressured by a surge in the dollar, coupled with supply chain pressures that are having a growing impact on demand, particularly out of China where power has become the latest bottleneck," ED&F Man's head of...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday September 30 that are worth another look.Temporary steel export duties in Russia, which have been in effect since August 1, have not impacted export volumes significantly so far, sources have told Fastmarkets.Australia-based mining company South32 have announced...Read More