Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday July 21.Key drivers The ferro-titanium price range widened higher in the week to July 21 on new deals against renewed demand from buyers ahead of new export duties from Russia which begin on August 31. The major consumers in the steel sector, however, have yet to emerge for longer term contracted deliveries and one steelmaker said t...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap market reported no new trading activity on Wednesday July 21, because of the week-long Eid al-Adha public holiday.Turkish steel mils have not booked any new scrap material since July 13.The country is currently off work for the week-long religious holiday of...Read More
European lead smelter Berzelius Metall has declared force majeure on supply contracts after floods that have caused chaos in northern Germany and Belgium forced the closure of its Stolberg smelter.Fastmarkets' calls to Berzelius were not answered, while an email to parent company EcoBat Technologies was not responded to by the time of publication.But sources in the lead market confirmed to Fa...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Janie Davies, Declan...Read More
Belgian flat steel re-roller NLMK La Louviere has declared force majeure after a fire at its rolling mill, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 21.The fire at La Louviere's hot-rolling mill occurred on July 17. It was extinguished within about 30 minutes and there were no injures, according to a company spokesperson."The equipment installed during the [recent] modernization of the mill was n...Read More
Prices in the United States for domestic and imported carbon steel wire rod rose by $40 per ton in July, nearing an all-time high for domestic product and a record for imports.Fastmarkets' monthly assessment for steel wire rod (low carbon) industrial quality, fob mill US was $55-57 per hundredweight ($1,100-1,140 per short ton) on Tuesday July 20, up by 3.70% from 53-55 per cwt on June 1...Read More
China's electricity system is particularly stretched this summer, so aluminium, zinc and lead smelters have received repeated notices for several weeks that they should restrict power use, and many are not still seeing an end to the situation, Fastmarkets has learnt."Power consumption limits will be a recurring issue for Chinese smelters, [and] not only for summer. [They are] likely to be extended...Read More
London-listed Chilean copper miner Antofagasta maintained its annual guidance of 730,000-760,000 tonnes of copper production for 2021, despite output dipping in the second quarter.The company warned that drought conditions at its Los Pelambres mine are the worst than they have been for 12-years, and that guidance could be impacted unless rain returns.In brief: Antofagasta's copper production was 1...Read More
Premiums for nickel products in China and the United States rose in the week to Tuesday July 20 amid improved arbitrage terms and tight supply. The European premium was unchanged amid stable demand, but the outlook for the market is positive.Improved arbitrage in China stimulates sentimentSpot supply shortage pushes up US premiumEuropean market flat, but outlook is bullishArbitrage opportunities p...Read More
Fastmarkets' Asia ferro-silicon prices were published early today due to an editor error.These prices were published at 10.35 GMT instead of 14.00-15.00 GMT. The pricing session took place as normal and the data appears as intended.The affected prices are:Ferro-silicon 75% Si min, cif Japan, $/tonneFerro-silicon 75% Si min, in-whs China, yuan/tonneFerro-silicon 75% Si min export, fob China, $/tonn...Read More
Domestic prices for ferro-chrome in the spot market in China surged in the week ended Tuesday July 20 following production cuts in the province of Inner Mongolia.Fastmarkets' price assessment for ferro-chrome, spot, 6-8% C, basis 50% Cr, ddp China, jumped by 17.3% to 10,000-10,300 yuan ($1,541-1,587) per tonne on Tuesday, from 8,500-8,800 yuan per tonne one week earlier, and was now at its highest...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States climbed closer to $92 per hundredweight ($1,840 per short ton) on Wednesday July 21, setting a new record for the second time this week.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $91.78 per hundredweight ($1,835.60 per short ton) on July 21, an increase of 0.48% from $91.34 per cwt on Tuesday July 20 and 0.49% higher th...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday July 21 that are worth another look.Flat steel sales from Brazilian distributors increased by 3.3% year on year in June; volumes began to stabilize after strong growth in the first half of 2021, flat steel distributors...Read More
Sentiment in the European hot-rolled coil segment has been mixed, with buyers in Northern Europe trying to assess impact of floods on the market and Italian buyers monitoring declining import prices, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 21.Across the European Union, trading activity has been limited while buyers wait for a clear market trend. Credit lines have been exhausted over the past fe...Read More
Domestic prices for heavy steel plate in Italy declined slightly in the week to Wednesday July 21 due to lower slab costs and mills' needs to book more orders, sources told Fastmarkets.Competitive import offers have also contributed to the softening of domestic prices.Southern EuropeOfficial offers for plate from Italian re-rollers have been heard at ?,?980-1,000 ($1,155-1,178) per tonne ex-works....Read More
An overview of the consumer electronics markets and their latest price moves.Janie Davies, Cristina Belda and...Read More
The Northern European market for steel wire rod was quiet in the week to Wednesday July 21, with prices being broadly flat, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel wire rod (mesh-quality), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?890-915 ($1,049-1,078) per tonne on Wednesday, the same as last week.The assessment was based on deals, offers and market participants'...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices picked up slightly on Wednesday July 21 following major mills raising ex works prices.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,230-5,250 yuan ($808-811) per tonne, up by 10 yuan per tonneEastern China major rebar producer, Shagang, raised their ex works price by 250 yuan per tonne to 5,550 yuan...Read More
Iron ore prices fell on Wednesday July 21 due to steel production cuts in some Chinese provinces for the second half of 2021, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $214.79 per tonne,down $6.25 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $216.17 per tonne,down $6.85 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $176.44 per tonne,down $5.83 per tonne65% Fe...Read More
The Northern European market for steel wire rod was quiet in the week to Wednesday July 21, with prices being broadly flat, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel wire rod (mesh-quality), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?890-915 ($1,049-1,078) per tonne on Wednesday, the same as last week.The assessment was based on deals, offers and market participants'...Read More