The union at Escondida and BHP, the Chilean copper mine's majority shareholder and operator, have agreed to extend wage negotiations until Friday August 13, so a deal can be signed and a strike averted.The new labor contract has been accepted by the No1 Workers Union and ratified by its members and just needs to be signed, the miner said on Thursday.Members of the union, which represents workers a...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Friday August 13 that are worth another look.Extended waiting times and bottlenecks at major Chinese ports have resulted in lower demand for imports of steel billet and higher freight costs for such shipments this week, sources told Fastmarkets...Read More
Export prices for Brazil-origin slab fell in the week ended on Friday August 13, with buyers resisting current offer levels to get better deals.Buyers and sellers continued to negotiate for October-shipment batches, with many re-rollers in the US willing to purchase material, but placing bids at $900 per tonne fob and below. On the other hand, sellers were trying to maintain prices from previous d...Read More
Members of the China Iron & Steel Association (Cisa) cut their crude steel, finished steel and hot metal production rates in the first 10 days of August compared with the preceding 11 days, according to data published by the association on Friday August 13.August 1-10 outputCrude steel: 2.04 million tonnes per day, down 2.97%Finished steel: 1.92 million tonnes per day, down 9.46%Hot metal: 1.83 mi...Read More
Demand for cargoes of steel billet has been low in key Southeast Asian markets over the past week with prices rangebound, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday August 13."The Southeast Asian markets are dead, there are no bids from Thailand, which has now become a billet exporter, and there is a very strict lockdown in the Philippines," a South Asian billet trader said."Philippine demand is in really...Read More
Demand for cargoes of steel billet has been low in key Southeast Asian markets over the past week with prices rangebound, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday August 13."The Southeast Asian markets are dead, there are no bids from Thailand, which has now become a billet exporter, and there is a very strict lockdown in the Philippines," a South Asian billet trader said."Philippine demand is in really...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices trended higher in the cfr China market following a strong domestic coking coal market and fell slightly in the fob market on Friday August 13 with market participants adopting a wait-and-see attitude.Prices for seaborne pulverized coal injection (PCI) increased in the cfr China market in the week to August 13 based on good restocking demand from end users and rose sligh...Read More
Prices of flat-rolled steel imported into South America were mostly up during the week ended Friday August 13, boosted by costly freight rates and higher offers, and despite uncertainty about a potential Chinese export tax.Most market participants expect the Chinese government soon will announce an export tax on steel, which has been heard from market chatter in the Asian country. There was no con...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Friday August 13 that are worth another look.Extended waiting times and bottlenecks at major Chinese ports have resulted in lower demand for imports of steel billet and higher freight costs for such shipments this week, sources told Fastmarkets...Read More
The export price for pig iron from the south of Brazil was firm during the week to Friday August 13 because suppliers have full order books after agreeing sales to the United States.Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, export, fob port of Vitoria/Rio, Brazil, was $540-545 per tonne on Friday, widening upward from $540-542 per...Read More
Most secondary aluminium alloy prices in the United States' domestic market continued to climb on Thursday August 12 on strong demand for ingot and high manufacturing costs combined with ever-rising aluminium premiums.Fastmarkets last assessed the aluminium P1020A premium, ddp Midwest US at 34.5-35.5 cents per lb on Friday August 13, steady after reaching an all-time high on Tuesday August 10."[So...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were trading mostly higher at the close on Friday August 13, with copper, aluminium and lead all making gains.The three-month aluminium price closed at $2,600 per tonne, up from $2,582.50 per tonne. This was the first time it has closed above $2,600 per tonne since August 2.The price hit an intraday trading high of $2,622.50 per tonne, also the highe...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Janie Davies, Dalila Ouerghi...Read More
Chinese automobile production and sales figures continued to fall in July 2021, on both a monthly and an annual basis, although figures for vehicle exports and new energy vehicles hit record highs, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) has said.Carmakers in China produced 1.86 million units in July, down by 4.1% month on month and by 15.5% year-on-year. Sales came to 1.86 millio...Read More
Export prices for Brazil-origin slab fell in the week ended on Friday August 13, with buyers resisting current offer levels to get better deals.Buyers and sellers continued to negotiate for October-shipment batches, with many re-rollers in the US willing to purchase material, but placing bids at $900 per tonne fob and below. On the other hand, sellers were trying to maintain prices from previous d...Read More
Lithium prices in China's domestic market continued to rally in the week to Thursday August 12, with both traders and consumers along the battery supply chain actively topping up inventories despite this restocking usually taking place at the end of the month.Lithium prices in China rose quickly amid restocking activity, while some suppliers held back from sales.Seaborne Asia lithium prices were l...Read More
The domestic market for steel wire rod in Poland remained quiet in the week to Friday August 13, with trading activity subdued and prices broadly flat, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday.Even though trading was seasonally softer over the past week, steel wire rod prices in Poland were seen as largely unchanged, Fastmarkets heard."Trading is weaker compared to July, but there is no relief for price...Read More
The domestic price for steel rebar in Brazil - which had not moved in three months - fell on Friday August 13 amid mill discounts, confirming lingering signs of a downturn.In Brazil, rebar supply recovered in 2021, and scrap prices started being cut. The global scenario lent headwinds to the Brazilian rebar price, with a downturn seen particularly in Turkey.Brazil-based steelmakers often follow in...Read More
Most flat steel prices decreased in Turkey during the week ending Friday August 13; buying was slow due to the holiday season and expectations that prices may fall further.Hot-rolled coil producers were accepting orders for November during the week, but some still had limited allocations for October production, sources told Fastmarkets.Market participants believe prices may still have room to fall...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Friday August 13 that are worth another look.Extended waiting times and bottlenecks at major Chinese ports have resulted in lower demand for imports of steel billet and higher freight costs for such shipments this week, sources told Fastmarkets...Read More