Zinc prices on the London Metal Exchange fell by more than 3% at the close of trading on Wednesday July 4, with the absence of US trading expediting a broad downtick in metals prices. The continuation of growing trade concerns has facilitated market inactivity, and in turn, a broad decline in the complex, while a pullback in global equity markets and a fall in the Chinese yuan has added to bearish...Read More
Jonathan Berchole has joined BNP Paribas to develop a physical metals trading book and help expand the bank's existing financing business, Metal Bulletin learned on Wednesday July 4. Berchole joined the bank in London this month as head of physical trading, having left Mercuria Energy...Read More
New Century Resources has cut its third-quarter forecast for the Century Mine zinc tailing project in Queensland, Australia, but said it remains on track for first production in August. At an investor roadshow the company said the expected output for August to September 2018 was now 4,000 tonnes of zinc metal, rather than the 13,000 tonnes it forecast late last y...Read More
New Century Resources has cut its third-quarter forecast for the Century Mine zinc tailing project in Queensland, Australia, but said it remains on track for first production in August. At an investor roadshow the company said the expected output for August to September 2018 was now 4,000 tonnes of zinc metal, rather than the 13,000 tonnes it forecast late last y...Read More
Turkish steel producers have stayed away from the deep-sea scrap market, amid limited domestic and export demand for finished steel products, sources told Metal Bulletin on Wednesday July 4.Steel mills in Turkey have already finished their deep-sea bookings for July and expected to start booking for August. But it seems they are happy to wait as long as they can because of the weak finished s...Read More
New Century Resources has cut its third-quarter forecast for the Century Mine zinc tailing project in Queensland, Australia, but said it remains on track for first production in August. At an investor roadshow the company said the expected output for August to September 2018 was now 4,000 tonnes of zinc metal, rather than the 13,000 tonnes it forecast late last y...Read More
Prices for hot rolled coil (HRC) in the EU have been largely stable over the past week with buyers holding back from deals, sources told Metal Bulletin on Wednesday July 4.The market was expected to remain in wait-and-see mode until the announcement of a preliminary decision in a regional safeguard investigation.The European Commission opened an investigation into 26 steel products in late March,...Read More
Italian re-rollers have increased domestic plate offers again this week after the previous price rise was reflected in a handful of transactions, sources told Metal Bulletin.Metal Bulletin's price assessment for domestic grade-S235JR heavy steel plate in Southern Europe was ?,?570-580 ($664-676) per tonne ex-works on July 4, up from ?,?560-570 per tonne ex-works a week earlier. The price rose ?,?1...Read More
The Chinese yuan's recent losses against the US dollar has pressured steel prices in Asia to move down, with continual drops for both flat and long steel products across the region.Traders in the region have dropped prices in a bold move to sell more cargoes before the currency further loses value. Some market participants are betting on more price drops, entering into bigger short-selling positio...Read More
Italian steelmaker Feralpi increased its crude steel production in January-June 2018 by 3.5% year-on-year, it said this week.Crude steel production was 1.29 million tonnes in the first half of 2018, Feralpi said, compared with 1.24 million tonnes in the corresponding period in 2017.Production of cold-rolled steel products in January-June was largely stable year-on-year at 489,000 tonnes.But hot-ro...Read More
Domestic prices for mesh-quality wire rod produced and delivered in Southern Europe have risen by ?,?5-10 per tonne over the past week amid supply concerns ahead of an expected preliminary decision in an EU import safeguard case, sources said on Wednesday July 4.Metal Bulletin's weekly domestic price assessment for mesh-quality wire rod in Southern Europe was ?,?530-540 ($617-629) per tonne delive...Read More
Prices for rebar produced and delivered in Southern Europe rose sharply by ?,?15-25 per tonne over the past week as mills pushed through price increases, sources told Metal Bulletin on Wednesday July 4.Metal Bulletin's weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in southern Europe was ?,?500-515 ($583-600) per tonne delivered on Wednesday, up from ?,?475-500 per tonne one week earlier. The assessme...Read More
Turkish steel producers have stayed away from the deep-sea scrap market, amid limited domestic and export demand for finished steel products, sources told Metal Bulletin on Wednesday July 4.Steel mills in Turkey have already finished their deep-sea bookings for July and expected to start booking for August. But it seems they are happy to wait as long as they can because of the weak finished s...Read More
Brazilian products continued to command a big premium over Australian materials in the seaborne iron ore market on Wednesday July 4.Metal Bulletin 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $64.20 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.35 per tonne Metal Bulletin 62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines Index: $62.97 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.49 per tonneMetal Bulletin 58% Fe Premium Index: $51.66 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.29 pe...Read More
China's ferrous futures picked up across the board during morning trading on Wednesday July 4.Futures closing prices - morning session Shanghai Futures Exchange October rebar: 3,812 yuan ($572) per tonne, up 47 yuan per tonne October hot-rolled coil: 3,917 yuan per tonne, up 51 yuan per tonne Dalian Commodity Exchange September iron ore: 464.50 yuan per tonne, up 3.50 yuan per tonne September coki...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices experienced a mild recovery on Wednesday July 4 on higher sales following gains in the futures market. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,950-4,000 yuan ($593-600) per tonne, widened upward by 10 yuan per tonne Northern China (Beijing): 3,880-3,920 yuan per tonne, up 20 yuan per tonne Rebar futures surged during the first hour of trading, which boosted buying intere...Read More
Prices for domestic hollow steel sections have remained stable in Europe this week while customers consider last week's announcement by mills of imminent increases of ?,?20 ($23) per tonne, sources told Metal Bulletin on Wednesday July 4.Metal Bulletin's price assessment for commodity-size, grade-S235 square hollow sections made and delivered in Northern Europe remained unchanged week-on-week on J...Read More
Iron ore export volumes from Brazil increased by 4.51% year on year in June, along with higher fob prices. The country exported 35.31 million tonnes of iron ore last month, compared with 33.79 million tonnes in June 2017 according to figures released by the country's foreign trade ministry, MDIC, on Tuesday July 3. Over the same...Read More
Zinc prices on the London Metal Exchange fell by more than 3% at the close of trading on Wednesday July 4, with the absence of US trading expediting a broad downtick in metals prices. The continuation of growing trade concerns has facilitated market inactivity, and in turn, a broad decline in the complex, while a pullback in global equity markets and a fall in the Chinese yuan has added to bearish...Read More
Domestic prices for mesh-quality wire rod produced and delivered in Southern Europe have risen by ?,?5-10 per tonne over the past week amid supply concerns ahead of an expected preliminary decision in an EU import safeguard case, sources said on Wednesday July 4.Metal Bulletin's weekly domestic price assessment for mesh-quality wire rod in Southern Europe was ?,?530-540 ($617-629) per tonne delive...Read More