Chinese aluminium producer Yunnan Shenhuo will cut its output by 50,000 tonnes because of the latest round of power restrictions announced by local power supplier Yunnan Power Grid on July 27.The reduction in output was announced on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange website on Friday July 30, in a notice from the producer's parent company, Shenhuo Group, an aluminium and aluminium products fabricator li...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday July 29 that are worth another look.Industrial group Thyssenkrupp has agreed the sale of its mining business to Danish engineering company FLSmidth, the German company said on July 29.Former schoolteacher and union leader Pedro Castillo...Read More
China exported 1.03 million tonnes of steel hot-rolled coil in June 2021, adding 168% to the figure of 381,984 tonnes a year earlier, according to data recently published by China's General Administration of Customs.Vietnam remained the principal buyer of Chinese HRC, taking 276,418 tonnes in June.Exports of other major steel products also showed sharp year-on-year increases in June, particularly...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.United States sheet prices hit record highs again in May, with upward momentum carrying into June. Actual US HRC prices averaged $1,712 per tonne in May, largely in line with our forecast of $1,698 per tonne. Strong underlying supply-and-demand conditions both in the US and globally are supporting prices as well as long lead...Read More
A multi-country trade case involving silicon metal imported to the United States concluded on Wednesday July 28, when the US International Trade Commission (ITC) decided to apply the recommended 12.27% anti-dumping duty on Malaysian silicon imports."The United States International Trade Commission today determined that a US industry is materially injured by reason of imports of silicon metal from...Read More
Brazil-based miner Vale expects to increase iron ore output in the second half of the year, because of advances in its capacity resumption plan, and expects the premium for high grade iron ore to remain strong.Vale has reiterated its guidance to produce between 315-335 million tonnes of iron ore in 2021.Production is expected to reach at least 89 million tonnes in the third quarter and at least 85...Read More
Demand for steel rebar and billet in Egypt was low during the week ended Thursday July 29 due to market participants' expectations of changes in import duties, sources told Fastmarkets.Activity in the market resumed this week after the Eid al-Adha holiday celebration last week, and buyers preferred to hold off on placing orders.Egyptian rebar producers normally announce new prices at the begi...Read More
Billet producers from the Commonwealth of Independent States increased offers for foreign customers this week despite the lack of inquiries from typical customers.Early in the week, market participants reported offers within the range of $650-660 per tonne fob Black Sea, but by the end of the week those had increased to $660-665 per tonne fob, while some producers mentioned even $670 per tonne fob...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:?EUR? US sheet prices hit record highs again in May, with upward momentum persisting into June. Actual US hot-rolled coil prices averaged $1,553 per ton in May, largely in line with our forecast of $1,540 per ton. Prices remain supported by strong underlying sup...Read More
Stainless steel prices continue to register new highs around the end of the first half of 2021 and steelmakers continue to enjoy outsized margins.They have responded in recent months by increasing their output, which has now pushed above pre-pandemic levels and will eventually restore balance to the market.For now, though, supply gaps are still being filled and buyers find themselves competing aga...Read More
The market for imported steel scrap into China remained quiet on Thursday July 29 despite contracts for rebar and hot-rolled coil on the Shanghai Futures Exchange rising sharply, sources told Fastmarkets.The most-traded rebar and hot-rolled coil futures contract on the SHFE ended daytime trading 1.95% and 3.34% higher day on day, respectively, on July 29."The gains in steel futures will have some...Read More
The prices of billet in Turkey have weakened in the week to July 29 due to falling scrap import values, sources told Fastmarkets.The Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices fell in the week because steel mills resisted for lower prices amid limited steel trade. Fastmarkets' daily index for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), US origin, cfr Turkey was calculated at $475.96 per tonne on July 28, down by...Read More
London Metal Exchange ring dealing members have a decision to make - whether to remain one or not.The LME has just announced it will reopen the open outcry trading floor, which was temporarily closed due to Covid-19, on September 6.Its plan, however, comes with a twist; some ring dealers say, a knife.The official prices - which the global trade and industry use as the global reference for physical...Read More
China's stainless steel market was unaffected by anti-dumping duties that emerged from South Korea in the past week, with prices rising amid tightening supply and costlier raw materials.The Korea Trade Commission on July 22 said it would impose anti-dumping duties of 7.17-25.82% on stainless flat-rolled steel products from mainland China, Taiwan and Indonesia. The rates are as follows:Mainland Chi...Read More
Former schoolteacher and union leader Pedro Castillo said it was not his intention to nationalize Peru's economy and pointed that the country needed a "new way of doing mining in its territory" in his inaugural speech as president on July 28. Castillo was elected Peru's new president after a contested second round of elections held in June. His left-wing party, Peru Libre, won 50.13% of valid vote...Read More
A summary of ArcelorMittal's financial results for the April-June quarter of 2021, according to its financial results statement published on Thursday July 29.In brief"On the financial side, the second quarter has seen a continued strong recovery backdrop alongside a sustained lean inventory environment," chief executive officer Aditya Mittal said."This resulted in even healthier spreads in our cor...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Recent weeks have brought two key developments with regard to trade policy on stainless steel products that will be to the detriment of consumers.In China, the country's stainless steelmakers no longer enjoy a 13% export rebate as of May 1, reducing greatly their incentive to export and instead leading them to focus on supply...Read More
A summary of the first-half production results from Anglo American.In brief Anglo American attributed an overall increase in copper production by 5% to the continued strong performance at Collahuasi and planned improved water availability at Los Bronces in Chile. Copper production at Los Bronces increased by 9% to 163,200 tonnes due to higher water availability owing to water management...Read More
Prices of hot-rolled coil across China's domestic market followed futures prices higher on Thursday July 29, while the export market remained muted amid persistent fears of changes in the export tax policy, sources told Fastmarkets.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,920-5,950 yuan ($916-920) per tonne, up by 40-50 yuan per tonneGains in the most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchang...Read More
Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk once described the ongoing use of fossil fuels and their generation of a vast carbon footprint as "the dumbest experiment in human history."Not everyone will agree with his assessment of the petroleum, gas and coal sectors, which have powered the world's growth for decades. Nonetheless, the twin goals of supply chain security and sustainability are now driving a t...Read More