Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday June 3 that are worth another look.Russia's largest steelmaker, Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK), will start producing hot-briquetted iron (HBI) and increase its iron ore and pellet output by 2027-2028, the company told Fastmarkets.BHP, the majority owner and operator of...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in China's domestic market trended higher on Thursday June 3, following gains in the futures markets, but export prices dropped due to weak demand. DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,550-5,600 yuan ($869-876) per tonne, up by 30-70 yuan per tonne.With ferrous metals prices rising across the board, the most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange for October del...Read More
Positive employment data from the United States boosted the Dollar Index to its highest level since mid-May and triggered a selloff on the London Metal Exchange on Thursday June 3, with most metals' prices going down by 2-3%.Copper's three-month contract on the LME was most affected on Thursday, with its closing price falling by 3.5% to $9,788.50 per tonne at the 5pm close, from $10,147 per tonne...Read More
The world's second-largest copper mine, currently in expansion, will send 40% of its copper concentrate output in Phase 1 to a domestic smelter in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with negotiations to sell their copper output still underway, sources said.Kamoa Copper, operating out of Kamoa Kakula mine, signed a ten-year agreement with Lualaba copper smelter (LCS), of China Nonferrous Metal...Read More
Ukraine's Privat Group, a major producer of manganese alloys, hit a monthly production target for May of almost 59,000 tonnes at its Nikopol ferro-alloys plant, up by about 2,000 tonnes from April amid strengthening European prices this year, an industry source said.Privat is also considering whether to start an additional silico-manganese furnace at Nikopol, which would use low-phosphorus slag as...Read More
Chinese exporters of ammonium paratungstate (APT) held their offer prices firm this past week due to expectations for the yuan to continue strengthening against the dollar, even though overseas markets remained quiet.As a result, Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for tungsten APT 88.5%WO3 min, fob main ports China was $265-275 per metric tonne unit (mtu) on Wednesday June 2, unchanged from a we...Read More
Domestic steel rebar prices in Turkey have gone down over the past week amid falling scrap costs, market sources said on Thursday June 3.Turkish scrap import prices have fallen over the week amid limited demand from the mills in the country.Fastmarkets calculated the daily index for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), North Europe origin, cfr Turkey, at $495.27...Read More
Steel reinforcing bar prices in the United States increased again on Wednesday June 2, with the most recent hike from domestic producers accepted by the market.Fastmarkets' assessment for steel rebar, fob mill US was $44 per hundredweight ($880 per short ton) on June 2, up 0.57% from $43.75 per cwt the previous week.US marketThe most recent round of mill hikes - led by Commercial Metals Co and fol...Read More
Turkish steel billet prices have gone down this week on falling costs for imported scrap raw material, market participants said on Thursday June 3.The Turkish scrap import prices have been falling over the week amid limited demand from the mills in the country.Fastmarkets calculated the daily index for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), North Europe origin, cfr Turkey, at $495.27 per tonne on Wedne...Read More
Five grades of steel scrap will no longer need to undergo customs inspections at ports in China when they are imported into the country, beginning on June 10.But five other grades of the steelmaking raw material will undergo such inspections from the same date.China's General Administration of Customs said on Thursday June 3 that it would no longer carry out imported commodity inspections on a lis...Read More
Turkish prices for flat steel products increased during May 2021, but the direction of price movements in June will depend on global price trends, especially in China, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday June 2.Market participants did not expect any price decreases, though. Steel prices in China did decrease from April until May 27, but they then started to rise again.Hot-rolled coil export pric...Read More
Turkish steel producers extended their silence in the deep-sea scrap import markets amid weakening demand for finished long steel products, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday June 3.The most recent deep-sea trade was concluded at the end of last week, when a steel mill in the Marmara region booked a US cargo, comprising HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $503 per tonne and shredded scrap at $513 per tonne cfr.S...Read More
Steel reinforcing bar prices in the United States increased again on Wednesday June 2, with the most recent hike from domestic producers accepted by the market.Fastmarkets' assessment for steel rebar, fob mill US was $44 per hundredweight ($880 per short ton) on June 2, up 0.57% from $43.75 per cwt the previous week.US marketThe most recent round of mill hikes - led by Commercial Metals Co and fol...Read More
Iron ore prices pushed up on Thursday June 3, supported by rising steel and coke values, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $210.99 per tonne, up $1.80 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $212.81 per tonne, up $1.31 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $184.58 per tonne, up $2.28 per tonne65% Fe Brazil-origin fines, cfr Qingdao: $241....Read More
The world's second-largest copper mine, currently in expansion, will send 40% of its copper concentrate output in Phase 1 to a domestic smelter in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with negotiations to sell their copper output still underway, sources said.Kamoa Copper, operating out of Kamoa Kakula mine, signed a ten-year agreement with Lualaba copper smelter (LCS), of China Nonferrous Metal...Read More
Prices for steel scrap imported into China edged up on Thursday June 3 amid improving sentiment in the domestic market, sources said.Fastmarkets' daily price assessment for steel scrap, heavy recycled steel materials, cfr China - which takes into account prices at ports in eastern China - was $510-530 per tonne on Thursday, up by $10-15 from Wednesday.Many Chinese mills raised their purchase price...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were generally weaker on Thursday June 3 morning, although nickel bucked the trend on both exchanges.Brent crude oil continues to rally, reaching $71.71 on Thursday morning.China's Caixin services purchasing manager's index eases to 55.1 in May, from 56.3 in April.Base metalsLME three-month base metals prices were genera...Read More
Index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 10 points in pre-opening trade.U.S. equity futures moved slightly higher following release of the May employment report at 8:30 AM EDT. May Non-farm Payrolls were expected to increase to 671,000 from upwardly revised 278,000 in April. Actual was 559,000. May Unemployment Rate was expected to slip to 5.9% from 6.1% in April. Actual...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday June 2 that are worth another look.Recent weakness in Chinese export hot-rolled coil prices are likely to have minimal impact on prices in Turkey and the Commonwealth of Independent States - major flat steel suppliers - at least in the short term,...Read More
Nickel and zinc's three-month prices were the main metals to register small rises on June 2, while aluminium and copper futures contracts fell on a day of low volumes on the London Metal Exchange with the complex still finding its direction following a strong end to May. LME nickel's three-month price rose slightly to $18,236 per tonne on Wednesday from $18,130 per tonne on Tuesday, despite hittin...Read More