A large drop in Chinese import steel billet bid prices has caused sellers to slash offer prices in an attempt to sell material to alternative markets, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday August 20.Chinese ferrous futures were in free-fall from Monday August 16 to Thursday August 19 amid pessimistic outlook for near-term economic growth and steel demand in China. Although contracts recovered slightl...Read More
Prices for cold-rolled and galvanized steel sheet in the United States strengthened after more domestic mills notified customers that maintenance outages will reduce output in the coming months. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel cold-rolled coil, fob mill US climbed to $107.50 per hundredweight ($2,150 per short ton) on Thursday August 19 from $107 per cwt on Thursday August 12. The a...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves in the week to Friday August 20.Susan Zou, Yingchi Yang and...Read More
Eastern China rebar prices rose on Friday August 20 due to restocking demand ahead of the weekend, but a drop earlier in the week means that prices are down by 120 yuan ($18) per tonne week on week.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,080-5,110 yuan per tonne, up by 70 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing) weekly assessment: 5,010-5,050 yuan per tonne, down by 160 yuan per tonneBuyers raised procu...Read More
A month-on-month drop in the Kanto Tetsugen auction and a price cut by major mill Tokyo Steel on Thursday August 19 has increased pessimism in the Japan steel scrap market, sources said.Japan's Kanto tender closed at a fall of $11 per tonne month on monthBearish sentiment in Chinese steel markets weighed on scrap import pricesTaiwan imported containerized scrap price stableJapanJapan's Kanto...Read More
Chinese battery materials producer GEM Co has signed a five-year strategic cooperation framework agreement with Shanghai-listed battery manufacturer Farasis Energy to recycle spent electric vehicle batteries and battery scrap in China. Under the framework agreement, GEM will recycle, dismantle and re-use spent batteries and battery scrap from Farasis Energy, with prices to be led by market conditi...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in China on Wednesday August 18. Key drivers The spot cobalt metal price in China narrowed up after local futures prices strengthened. And reducing stocks brought further support, with most sellers pushing up offer prices in response.The cobalt tetroxide price widened down with...Read More
Russian steelmaker Metalloinvest and another, unnamed, non-European steel company, are in discussions about acquiring Hungarian flat steel producer Dunaferr, market sources told Fastmarkets this week.The Hungarian steelmaker's owners have been in negotiations with both parties and a decision is imminent, sources said, because Dunaferr is about to go through the liquidation process. Metalloinv...Read More
Domestic hot-rolled coil prices in China extended their losses, falling to their lowest in about six weeks on Thursday August 19; futures prices continued their decline on demand concerns and waning cost supports.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,600-5,620 yuan ($863-866) per tonne, down by 90 yuan per tonne.The most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange weakened for a second stra...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market was quiet on Thursday August 19, with the mills keeping their purchases limited for September-shipment cargoes, Fastmarkets was told.The most recent trade was recorded on Wednesday August 18, when a steel producer in northern Turkey booked a European cargo comprising 25,000 tonnes of heavy melting scrap 1&2 (80:20), 7,500 tonnes of shredded and 7,500 tonnes...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday August 19 that are worth another look.Brazil's Vale and Luxembourg-based steel producer Ternium signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to seek low-carbon steelmaking solutions in an attempt to cut emissions, the Brazilian mining company said on...Read More
Tin was the most affected metal on Thursday's sell-off on the London Metal Exchange, while all metals fell further with risk-off sentiment spreading across commodities and exchanges while Covid-19 continues to dent demand expectations. Tin's three-month price fell 6.4% at the 5pm close to $33,118 per tonne, despite falling by as much as 11% during early trading to $31,500 per tonne on Thursday for...Read More
Imported steel billet prices in Egypt fell in the week to Thursday, August 19, but demand failed to improve, sources told Fastmarkets.Demand for billet imports, however, was weak because of limited demand for the end product, rebar.The Egyptian government ended the ban on construction on July 1.However, rebar demand remained low in Egypt during the week because of decreasing global...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday August 19 that are worth another look.Brazil's Vale and Luxembourg-based steel producer Ternium signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to seek low-carbon steelmaking solutions in an attempt to cut emissions, the Brazilian mining company said on...Read More
European ferro-titanium suppliers are set to push up their offer prices for the remaining months of 2021 with steel mills returning to the market after the summer slowdown, industry sources told Fastmarkets.Suppliers have reported deals done above $8 per kg basis ddp for ferro-titanium for delivery in the fourth quarter, as well as deals done approaching $8 per kg for prompt shipment in Europe.The...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market was quiet on Thursday August 19, with the mills keeping their purchases limited for September-shipment cargoes, Fastmarkets was told.The most recent trade was recorded on Wednesday August 18, when a steel producer in northern Turkey booked a European cargo comprising 25,000 tonnes of heavy melting scrap 1&2 (80:20), 7,500 tonnes of shredded and 7,500 tonnes...Read More
The United States' domestic steel reinforcing bar prices were steady over the past week, with sources trying to absorb the mixed market signals of increased rebar demand and dropping prices for shredded scrap - rebar's key feedstock material.Fastmarkets' assessment for steel rebar, fob mill US was $49.25 per hundredweight ($985 per short ton) on Wednesday August 18, unchanged from the previou...Read More
The cities of Al Ain and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates have issued decrees saying that only locally produced steel may be used in government-funded construction projects from Wednesday August 18 onward.The notices will apply to all projects approved after August 18. The move was intended to support the local steel industry, sources told Fastmarkets.The government projects to which...Read More
European ferro-titanium suppliers are set to push up their offer prices for the remaining months of 2021 with steel mills returning to the market after the summer slowdown, industry sources told Fastmarkets.Suppliers have reported deals done above $8 per kg basis ddp for ferro-titanium for delivery in the fourth quarter, as well as deals done approaching $8 per kg for prompt shipment in Europe.The...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday August 19 that are worth another look.Brazil's Vale and Luxembourg-based steel producer Ternium signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to seek low-carbon steelmaking solutions in an attempt to cut emissions, the Brazilian mining company said on...Read More