Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade does not see any grounds for the extension of export duties for steel and non-ferrous metals into 2022, according to the deputy minister Viktor Evtukhov."I do not forecast any export duties for the next year. I do not see any grounds for that because prices started to decline and markets are cooling down, Evtukhov said on the sidelines of a panel discussion...Read More
Chile's state-owned copper producer Codelco has removed the threat of strike action by signing a final labor deal with the unions representing employees at its El Teniente division.The new terms of the labor agreement will be in place until the end of 2024, the company said on Tuesday August 31.Codelco had reached an agreement with the El Teniente and Caletones unions on August 28, but the deal no...Read More
The alumina price in the Atlantic is likely to trade at a higher premium compared with the Pacific in the near term due to refinery disruptions and high freight rates, according to Duncan Hobbs, research director at trading house Concord Resources.A fire in late August at the Jamalco alumina refinery, which produces 1.5 million tonnes of material per year, is costing the market 95,000-100,000 tonn...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States rose marginally day on day, while some market sources reported that coil prices were plateauing after a year of weekly gains.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $96.25 per hundredweight ($1,925 per short ton) on Wednesday September 1, up by 0.08% from $96.17 per cwt on Tuesday August 31 and by 0.99% from $95.31 p...Read More
Turkey exported 526,606 tonnes of flat steel products in July 2021, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), up by 3.02% year-on-year from 511,188 tonnes exported in July 2020.The main reason for the moderate increase was strong demand for flat steel in the country's local market, especially in March, when orders for material to be delivered in July were received.In addition, the Eur...Read More
Following a one-month consultation, Fastmarkets is updating the wording of its Metals & Mining assessment methodologies to provide greater clarity around how its prices are determined. The wording refinements do not materially alter the way Fastmarkets Metals & Mining assesses prices and as such are not anticipated to result in any noticeable changes in Fastmarkets' assessment price levels or beha...Read More
Premiums for nickel full plates spiked in Shanghai after an arbitrage for imports opened wide over the week ended Tuesday August 31. Premiums elsewhere were stable although a freight crisis in the United States could prompt a future rise in that market.China premiums rise to 2-year highSHFE short squeeze said to bolster import arbitrageUS rates stable amid trucking shortage.China full plate premiu...Read More
The export slab price from Iran decreased in the week to Wednesday September 1 after a fresh booking was heard at a lower level.Khouzestan steel, one of the country's largest slab exporters, finalized a tender for 40,000 tonnes of material to be shipped in mid-September at $680 per tonne fob southern ports, sources told Fastmarkets.Read More
Prices for steel hollow sections in Europe remained steady on Wednesday September 1, and trading remained thin ahead of a possible downward trend, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel sections (medium) domestic, delivered Northern Europe was ?,?1,400-1,430 ($1,654-1,690) per tonne on Wednesday, unchanged week on week.With market participants returning after the sum...Read More
Domestic prices for cold-rolled coil in Europe were stable in the week to Wednesday September 1, supported by full order books at producers, sources have told Fastmarkets.Sentiment among buyers, however, has been negative due to a combination of competitive import offers, expected low demand from the automotive sector and sufficient stocks at distributors.A continuing shortage of semiconductors ha...Read More
The 300-series stainless scrap market in the United States has picked up momentum, with processors already looking ahead to anticipated strong demand in the fourth quarter; meanwhile, 400-series prices increased despite expectations that ferrous scrap prices could fall this month."There is still a decent appetite for stainless scrap, but processors are being more conservative with pricing until mi...Read More
Aluminium producer Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) plans to expand its production of sustainable aluminium, according to Salman Abdulla, executive vice president of health, safety, sustainability, environment, fire and rescue, quality, and business transformation.The company said in February that it would supply 43,000 tonnes per year of CelestiAL aluminium to BMW Group. EGA has supplied meta...Read More
Sentiment in the European market for steel heavy plate was downbeat in the week to Wednesday September 1 due to declines in both the costs for raw materials and semi-finished steel prices, sources have told Fastmarkets.Competitive offers from Central Europe also contributed to the negative mood in the market.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel domestic plate, 8-40mm, exw Southern Europe, was u...Read More
Activity in the European hot-rolled coil market remained limited on Wednesday September 1, with mills keeping prices stable and buyers demanding price decreases, sources told Fastmarkets.Market sources believe that the situation is unlikely to change in September - buyers have sufficient stocks and producers have good order books, so both sides can maintain a "wait-and-see" stance.Buyers believe t...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices plunged on Wednesday September 1 amid more expectations for crude steel production curbs for the remainder of 2021, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $143.43 per tonne, down $10.24 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $144.23 per tonne, down $10.21 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $112.72 per tonne, do...Read More
Chile's Ministry of Energy & Mining has unveiled a national mining policy that will run until 2050, the Pol?-tica Nacional Minera 2050, which sets out a series of initiatives intended to decrease the amount of water used by the country's mining industry, as well as to increase transparency across the sector.The policy blueprints were published on Tuesday August 31.The government initiative, which...Read More
Almost all London Metal Exchange base-metals prices fell under pressure at the end of the day on Wednesday September 1, to start the new month on the back foot following a small pickup in prices in the last week of August.The base-metals complex came under pressure on Wednesday morning after the release of the Chinese Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI). This dropped to 49.2 in A...Read More
Almost all London Metal Exchange base-metals prices fell under pressure at the end of the day on Wednesday September 1, to start the new month on the back foot following a small pickup in prices in the last week of August.The base-metals complex came under pressure on Wednesday morning after the release of the Chinese Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI). This dropped to 49.2 in A...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices were up in both the cfr and fob markets on Wednesday September 1, although sources at two major mills in China said they did not want to buy at such high prices.Domestic first-tier coking coal prices in China, meanwhile, increased in fourth-quarter long-term contracts and coke prices increased for the eighth round since the start of August, sources said. Fastmarket...Read More
Almost all London Metal Exchange base-metals prices fell under pressure at the end of the day on Wednesday September 1, to start the new month on the back foot following a small pickup in prices in the last week of August.The base-metals complex came under pressure on Wednesday morning after the release of the Chinese Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI). This dropped to 49.2 in A...Read More