Manganese semi-carbonate prices have risen in the past week on renewed liquidity, although inventories continued to weigh heavily on the market, limiting any potential gains.Fastmarkets' latest calculation of the manganese ore index, 37% Mn, cif Tianjin, was $4.56 per dry metric tonne unit (dmtu) on Friday September 17, up by 8 cents per dmtu (1.79%) from $4.48 per dmtu the previous week.Fresh liq...Read More
Eight of the nine Category 1 members of the London Metal Exchange have indicated their support for continuing to trade official lunchtime prices in the open-outcry ring.Does this mean that one company does not support ring trading? And could one of the exchange's members be preparing to leave the trading floor?The exchange revealed on Monday August 9 that it had majority support for the ring, in a...Read More
Standard-grade cobalt metal was trading at a premium over alloy-grade for the first time since March on Monday September 20 amid spot demand in Europe for tightening briquette and broken cathode supply.Fastmarkets' daily price assessment for cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam was $24.60-25.00 per lb on Monday, up from $24.45-25.00 per lb on the previous Friday.This marks the first time t...Read More
Mexican ferrous scrap prices posted widespread declines in the week ended on Friday September 17 despite steady demand in the country.Almost all scrap buyers reduced their prices during the week, with most reductions ranging from 300-500 pesos ($15-25) per tonne, market participants said.The movement was believed to be a lagged response to lower ferrous scrap prices in the United States due t...Read More
The market for steel rebar and billet in the United Arab Emirates was silent in the week to September 21 because buyers were waiting for new local rebar prices to be announced, sources told Fastmarkets.Most market participants expect prices to follow the global downtrend.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), export, fob Black Sea, CIS was $700-710 per tonne on Sep...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:?EUR? US sheet prices hit record highs again in May, with upward momentum persisting into June. Actual US hot-rolled coil prices averaged $1,553 per ton in May, largely in line with our forecast of $1,540 per ton. Prices remain supported by strong underlying sup...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 24 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures were relatively quiet prior to release of the Federal Reserve's statement on the Fed Fund rate at 2:00 PM EDT. Consensus is that the Federal Reserve will maintain its current fixed income purchase program without tapering. FedEx dropped $7.89 to $244.50 after the company re...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
Flat steel sales from Brazilian distributors declined by 26.60% year on year in August, with the market normalizing from supply constrains seen earlier in the year, according to national steel distributors' association Inda.Brazilian distributors sold 274,500 tonnes of flat steel last month, down from 373,800 tonnes in August 2020, according to the figures released on Tuesday September 21. The rea...Read More
Stainless steel prices continue to register new highs around the end of the first half of 2021 and steelmakers continue to enjoy outsized margins.They have responded in recent months by increasing their output, which has now pushed above pre-pandemic levels and will eventually restore balance to the market.For now, though, supply gaps are still being filled and buyers find themselves competing aga...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in northern Europe and Italy declined on Tuesday September 21 due to low trading activity, sources told Fastmarkets.Spot buyers have been holding back from making new orders because they have sufficient stocks and they expect domestic prices to move down further. Negative sentiment has been supported by reduced demand from the automotive segment. Car manufacture...Read More
China is putting more cities in the northern region under its air pollution controls to reduce emissions during the upcoming winter.Cities in northern Hebei, northern Shanxi, eastern and southern Shandong and southern Henan will join the fight against smog, bringing the total number of cities affected to approximately 64, according to a draft policy plan released by the Ministry of Ecology and Env...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
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were down across the board on Tuesday September 21 with uncertainty related to Chinese construction company Evergrande continuing to cast a shadow over the market."This week's sell-off was triggered by a sharp negative turn in global risk sentiment, with the world keeping a close eye on the collapse of Chinese property developer Evergrande and trader...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were down across the board on Tuesday September 21 with uncertainty related to Chinese construction company Evergrande continuing to cast a shadow over the market."This week's sell-off was triggered by a sharp negative turn in global risk sentiment, with the world keeping a close eye on the collapse of Chinese property developer Evergrande and trader...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Friday September 17 that are worth another look.A dire shortage of truck drivers and rail cars and unforeseen levels of demand while businesses reopen from Covid-19 pandemic-related shutdowns are among the factors contributing to the current logistics woes in the United States that have sparked...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday September 20 that are worth another look.Latin American steel association Alacero is concerned about a potential flood of Chinese and Turkish rebar in Colombia if a request to cut or eliminate import duties is granted amid recent increases in local capacity, it said...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Friday September 17 that are worth another look.A dire shortage of truck drivers and rail cars and unforeseen levels of demand while businesses reopen from Covid-19 pandemic-related shutdowns are among the factors contributing to the current logistics woes in the United States that have sparked...Read More
Turkish steel mills started the week in silence, with deals from the previous week just coming to light, market participants told Fastmarkets on Monday September 20.A shipment of United States-origin scrap was heard booked last Wednesday by a mill in the Iskenderun region, comprising unspecified volumes of HMS 1&2 (90:10) at $442...Read More
Aurubis Stolberg will gradually resume production at its operations in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia region from November 1, the company said on Monday September 20.The plant was shut on July 16 due to damage caused by flooding and the company declared force majeure."According to current information, it will be possible to start manufacturing certain strip...Read More