Prices for flat-rolled steel imported into South America ended the week to Friday August 27 with no clear trend amid market illiquidity caused by fewer offers from China and a fewer available products from Commonwealth of Independent States.For hot- and cold-rolled coil, prices increased week on week following fewer offers from CIS-based mills, which were pressuring figures downward. The majority...Read More
Lithium prices in China continued to rise in the week to Thursday August 26, spurring gains across the globe despite limited spot activity overall.Prices for both battery-grade and technical-grade lithium carbonate continue upswing, with the gap between the two narrowing.Seaborne lithium prices in Asia tick up amid tight availability; Chinese suppliers making aggressive offers.Battery-grade lithiu...Read More
Fastmarkets proposes to increase the pricing frequency for its spodumene assessment to fortnightly.The assessment for spodumene 6% Li2O min, cif China is currently published on the last Wednesday of each month.Following an initial consultation with the market, and a review of typical data sets that are collected over the course of the month, Fastmarkets now proposes to assess and publish the...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves in the week to Friday August 27.Susan Zou, Yingchi Yang and...Read More
The price of alloy steel scrap in the UK domestic market increased in the week to Friday August 27 because of higher nickel costs and an ongoing tightness of supply, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment for stainless steel scrap 18/8 solids domestic, delivered merchants UK was ?1,300-1,400 ($1,785-1,922] per tonne on Friday, up by ?50-100 per tonne week on week.The price...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Dalila Ouerghi and...Read More
Indian domestic prices for secondary steel billet tumbled by 1,900 rupees ($26) per tonne in the week ended Friday August 27 with the price of the key raw material, direct-reduced iron (DRI), dropping by 1,200 rupees per tonne.The slide in billet prices through the week was driven by sluggish demand and fewer inquiries from buyers.The price of steel billet, domestic, exw India, assessed by Fastmar...Read More
The domestic steel rebar price in Poland was flat in the week to Friday August 27 due to a seasonal slowdown, though expectations for September are rather bright amid solid construction demand, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, exw Poland was unchanged at 4,050-4,100 zloty ($1,041-1,054) per tonne on Friday.Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves in the week to Friday August 27.Susan Zou, Yingchi Yang and...Read More
Strict real estate regulations issued by China's central and local governments have slowed down growth in the country's housing market in the first seven months of 2021.Participants expect these policies to continue to have a strong effect on the market for the remainder the year, which would slow down growth for rebar demand.Three red linesThe People's Bank of China and the Ministry of Housing &...Read More
The price of flat-rolled stainless steel in Europe increased in the week ended Friday August 27 on a continuing shortness of supply, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grade 304, transaction domestic, delivered North Europe, was ?,?3,950-4,000 ($4,645-4,704) per tonne on Friday, up by ?,?50 per tonne week on week.Base pric...Read More
At $3 below $2,700 per tonne, aluminium reached its highest three-month price on the London Metal Exchange since May 2011 on Friday August 27, and most prices on the complex were also up following long-awaited statements from the US Federal Reserve Chair. The new year-to-date peak for aluminium was $2,697 per tonne on Friday; the metal was up by 1.1% at 5pm to $2,649.50 per tonne from Thursday's $...Read More
The import pig iron market in the United States weakened during the week to Friday August 27 on low demand and a weak scrap market, which adds pessimism to buyers.Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US was $545-550 per tonne on Friday, down $15-30 from $560-580 per tonne cfr a week before."Everyone was well covered [with pig iron] and then some panicked and boug...Read More
The Commonwealth of Independent States' pig iron export market was weak during the week to Thursday August 26 due to a lack of demand.Fastmarkets assessed the price for high-manganese pig iron, export, fob main port Black Sea, CIS at $510-520 per tonne on Thursday, down by $15-20 from $525-540 per tonne the previous week."That was another muted week in the market," one trader said. "[The] gen...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were mixed on the morning of Friday August 27 while market participants wait to hear what United States Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell has to say about the US monetary policy timeline when he speaks later today. Asian-Pacific equity indices were mixed this morningBase metalsLME three-month zinc ($2,981 per tonne) an...Read More
Brazil's pig iron export market came under pressure from subdued demand during the week to Friday August 27 although no trades were reported.Fastmarkets' assessment of pig iron, export, fob port of Vitoria/Rio, Brazil was $495-500 per tonne on Friday, down from $510-520 per tonne a week earlier and extending the...Read More
Indian domestic prices for secondary steel billet tumbled by 1,900 rupees ($26) per tonne in the week ended Friday August 27 with the price of the key raw material, direct-reduced iron (DRI), dropping by 1,200 rupees per tonne.The slide in billet prices through the week was driven by sluggish demand and fewer inquiries from buyers.The price of steel billet, domestic, exw India, assessed by Fastmar...Read More
Steel beam prices rose in the United States' domestic and import markets on Thursday August 26 following a second round of monthly mill price increases. Fastmarkets' monthly assessment for steel beams 8- x 8-in, fob mill US rose to $65.50 per hundredweight ($1,310 per short ton) on August 26, up by 3.97% from $63 per cwt on July 29 and by 9.17% from $60 per per cwt in May and June.Fastma...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in China continued to move lower on Friday August 27, with losses on futures prices extending to a one-week trough in overnight trading due to persistent concerns about the levels of demand.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,600-5,680 yuan ($864-876) per tonne on August 27, down by 20-50 yuan per tonne day on day.Northern China (Tangshan) weekly assessment: 5,6...Read More
The Latin American market continued to render support to CIS billet exporters with a second deal to the region reported during the week to Friday August 27. The price of the second one was, however, lower than the first.A cargo of 35,000 tonnes of Ukraine-origin billet with increased manganese content was sold to Latin America at $685 per tonne cfr. Sources said the price for basic grade would be...Read More