The global vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) and ferro-vanadium markets continued upward on strong momentum to start 2018, with prices surging amid concerns over thinning supply availabilities. Chinese V2O5, ferro-vanadium prices surge on low availability, robust demandEuropean ferro-vanadium prices follow Chinese market, run wild amid trader frenzyUS FeV market follows overseas markets upward amid low in...Read More
Rio Tinto's shipment volumes of third-party bauxite rose by 10% year-on-year in 2017 to 32.3 million tonnes.The company's fourth-quarter results revealed that total bauxite production rose by 6% to 50.8 million tonnes in 2017, in line with the full-year guidance assessment.Brazilian bauxite prices rose by 5.6% between March and December 2017, when Metal Bulletin began...Read More
Chinese low-grade manganese ore prices have continued to rally on stronger silico-manganese futures markets; while the European and US manganese alloy markets have followed strong ore markets upward.Low-grade ore price rises on higher silico-manganese futures, while high-grade price dips amid demand lullChinese alloys prices continue backslide on lackluster demandEU alloys prices bolstered by stea...Read More
The Turkish scrap import market remained quiet on Tuesday January 16, with limited supplies available, especially from the USA, according to market sources.However, Turkish steel mills were expected to book 18-19 more cargoes for February, with four or five of these expected to be booked for the first half of the month."Turkish steel mills should book 18-19 more cargoes for February, but there are...Read More
Prices for short-sea scrap imports arriving in Spain have fallen by ?,?10 ($12) per tonne over the past week, which could lead to a dip in Turkish deep-sea import scrap prices, market sources told Metal Bulletin on Tuesday January 16. Weaker demand from Spanish mills has led to a fall in short-sea import prices for United Kingdom-origin HMS 1&2 (80:20), which was ?,?280-283 per tonne cfr northern...Read More
Comex copper prices fell to a multi-week low on Tuesday January 16 with the market in consolidation mode following an extended holiday weekend in the United States. Participants returned to the market following the national Martin Luther King Jr Day holiday in the US on Monday. Copper for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 2.70 cents or 0.8% to...Read More
Base metals traded on the London Metal Exchange are edging lower this morning, Tuesday January 16, posting an average loss of 0.7% on subdued trading volumes. Nickel prices, down by 1.6%, are the weakest, while copper and tin prices, both down by 0.2%, are showing the most resilience.This bout of profit-taking seems to be driven by a rebound in the dollar, pushing most commodity prices lower, in s...Read More
Flat steel buyers in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia preferred to delay their purchasing this week because end-user demand was not strong and buyers were still not used to the newly imposed 5% VAT regime, sources told Metal Bulletin on Tuesday January 16.The UAE and Saudi Arabia both imposed a 5% rate of VAT with effect from January 1, 2018.UAEHot-rolled coil (HRC) was offered at $590-61...Read More
China's domestic prices for hot-rolled coil increased slightly on Tuesday January 16 after several days of decline.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,140-4,180 yuan ($643-649) per tonne, up 10-20 yuan per tonne Northern China (Tianjin): 3,940-4,960 yuan per tonne, up 10-20 yuan per tonneSpot prices recovered some losses on Tuesday after falling for the last three working days.The spot market rece...Read More
China's steel futures rose during morning trading on Tuesday January 16 while the contracts for steelmaking raw materials were little changed from their opening price at the end of the session.Futures closing prices - morning session Shanghai Futures Exchange May rebar: 3,824 ($594) per tonne, up 20 yuan per tonne May hot-rolled coil: 3,856 yuan per tonne, up 18 yuan per tonne Dalian Commodity Exc...Read More
CIS export rebar and wire rod prices have gone up by $10-15 per tonne in the first half of January with mills selling material from February production at higher prices.In addition, the availability of material, wire rod in particular, was reduced due to the continued absence from the market of Russia's Abinsk Electric Steel Mill and satisfactory sales in previous weeks.Metal Bulletin's weekly pri...Read More
The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for rebar, wire rod, steel beams and other long steel products. Latest transactions: rebarRebarUAE (Emirates Steel), domestic, rebar, offered at 2,340 dirhams ($637) per tonne ex-works.UAE (Conares...Read More
Prices for locally produced rebar in the UAE have increased this week while billet import prices in the country narrowed with a new deal, sources have told Metal Bulletin.Demand for imported rebar, meanwhile, was very weak in both countries because local prices were more competitive. Domestic rebar Major local rebar producers in the UAE announced new prices on Tuesday, January 16. The country's bi...Read More
The Turkish scrap import market remained quiet on Tuesday January 16, with limited supplies available, especially from the USA, according to market sources.However, Turkish steel mills were expected to book 18-19 more cargoes for February, with four or five of these expected to be booked for the first half of the month."Turkish steel mills should book 18-19 more cargoes for February, but there are...Read More
UK ferrous scrap prices for monthly deliveries to consumers in January have settled with increases of around ?15-20 per tonne compared with December's settlements, trade sources told Metal Bulletin this week.One main factor in settling January contracts was the steady increase in the scrap import price into Turkey, a key export market for British steel scrap, sources said. Metal Bulletin's daily...Read More
Prices for short-sea scrap imports arriving in Spain have fallen by ?,?10 ($12) per tonne over the past week, which could lead to a dip in Turkish deep-sea import scrap prices, market sources told Metal Bulletin on Tuesday January 16. Weaker demand from Spanish mills has led to a fall in short-sea import prices for United Kingdom-origin HMS 1&2 (80:20), which was ?,?280-283 per tonne cfr northern...Read More
Prices for locally produced rebar in the UAE have increased this week while billet import prices in the country narrowed with a new deal, sources have told Metal Bulletin.Demand for imported rebar, meanwhile, was very weak in both countries because local prices were more competitive. Domestic rebar Major local rebar producers in the UAE announced new prices on Tuesday, January 16. The country's bi...Read More
China's rebar market regained some stability on Tuesday January 16 amid sparse trading. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,710-3,760 yuan ($576-584) per tonne, widened downward by 10 yuan per tonne Northern China (Beijing): 3,750-3,780 yuan per tonne, unchanged Traders attempted to prop up prices in the morning on seeing the gains in the billet and futures markets earlier in the day.But buyers r...Read More
Rio Tinto shipped 330.10 million tonnes of iron ore (on a 100% basis) from its Pilbara operations in Australia in 2017, in line with its guidance of 330 million tonnes.The total is up 1% from its 2016 total of 327.60 million tonnes, it said in its latest production results statement on Tuesday January 16.The increase was helped by the October-December quarter when it shipped 90 mill...Read More
Summary of Rio Tinto's fourth-quarter production results for the three months ended December 31: (Rio Tinto share unless otherwise indicated, year-on-year change)Iron ore shipments (100% basis) 90 million tonnes, +3% Iron ore...Read More