The UK government has announced ?166 million funding to drive forward development of green technology and development as part of its Green Industrial Revolution, with UK steelmakers set to receive cash.The funding package will benefit energy-intensive businesses such as steelmaking and manufacturing and falls under the UK Prime Minister's 10 Point Plan for a green revolution, which includes remov...Read More
Zinc and lead premiums were mostly stable across the globe on Tuesday May 25, despite tight supply in various regions with activity gaining steam, and a milder loss of the import arbitrage in China.Zinc premium holds in northern Europe; market tightness boosts levels in ItalyUnited States Midwest premiums stable amid conflicting near-term viewsPremiums steady in Shanghai despite lower arbitrage lo...Read More
Spot buying interest for copper in both China and the United States was limited over the week ended Tuesday May 25, with buyers wary of price fluctuations.Chinese buying interest remains lowChina's copper premiums were stable over the seven days after consecutive weeks of declines.Fastmarkets assessed the daily benchmark copper grade-A cathode premium, cif Shanghai, at $20-35 per tonne on Tuesday,...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were mixed during the morning of Thursday May 27, as were broader markets – are these pauses, or early signs of a stall?* More US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) members seem to be getting off the fence about talking about tapering* Chinese yuan continues to strengthen, is China using the yuan to reduce inflati...Read More
Fastmarkets has increased the frequency of its India steel scrap shredded index to twice-weekly from Tuesday May 25, 2021, following a consultation period which ended on May 20.The steel scrap shredded, index, import, cfr Nhava Sheva, India, has been subject to continuous fluctuations in the market as a result of factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the global shipping crisis.This means that...Read More
China's hot-rolled coil export prices fell significantly on Tuesday May 25, following the recent sharp decline in domestic prices and the resulting uptick in sales.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,430-5,440 yuan ($848-850) per tonne,down by 10 yuan per tonneSellers cut domestic HRC prices slightly on Tuesday to encourage higher sales volumes following futures losses, sources said.Stockists plan...Read More
Steel billet buyers in Southeast Asia are sat on the sidelines again amid further declines in the Chinese market, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday May 25.Continued declines in China's steel futures and physical markets this week, underpinned by the Chinese government's aim of cooling commodity prices, has led to radio silence in the China steel billet markets.Offers for Indonesian 3sp 150mm bla...Read More
Market chatter about China possibly imposing new export taxes for steel as part of commodity price cooling measures has been rampant in the past week, causing traders and market participants to re-think their trading strategies, and overseas buyers to consider a potential supply shortfall.The taxes are supposed to take place from June 1, but there has been no official statement by China's Ministry...Read More
China-based Do-Fluoride Chemical Co will invest 300 million yuan ($46.67 million) to build a lithium-ion battery plant in the city of Nanning, Guangxi province, in southern China, it said on Tuesday May 25.The project will be led by Do-Fluoride, the Nanning municipal government, and the government of the Qingxiu district of Nanning, and will have an estimated annual production capacity of 20GWh.Th...Read More
The price of containerized shredded steel scrap imported into India decreased this week on softer demand that was a result of the wave of Covid-19 cases sweeping much of the country, as well as weaker steel prices in China, Fastmarkets heard on Tuesday May 25.Fastmarkets' steel scrap shredded, index, import, cfr Nhava Sheva, India, was $510.93 per tonne on Tuesday, down from $517.88 per tonne in t...Read More
Market chatter about China possibly imposing new export taxes for steel as part of commodity price cooling measures has been rampant in the past week, causing traders and market participants to re-think their trading strategies, and overseas buyers to consider a potential supply shortfall.The taxes are supposed to take place from June 1, but there has been no official statement by China's Ministry...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday May 25 that are worth another look.Exports of iron ore from India's east coast could face minor disruptions after the key port of Paradip in the state of Odisha suspended operations on May 25...Read More
Market chatter about China possibly imposing new export taxes for steel as part of commodity price cooling measures has been rampant in the past week, causing traders and market participants to re-think their trading strategies, and overseas buyers to consider a potential supply shortfall.The taxes are supposed to take place from June 1, but there has been no official statement by China's Ministry...Read More
The three-month prices of zinc and lead were the only ones to rise on Tuesday May 25, while other futures contracts on the London Metal Exchange ended the day lower, with consolidation continuing in the base-metals complex.The price of the galvanizing metal rose to $2,982.50 per tonne from Monday's 5pm price of $2,948.50 per tonne. One week earlier, zinc had reached its latest year-to-date high at...Read More
Italian flat steel re-roller Marcegaglia is among a group of companies investing in a hydrogen-powered "green" flat steel plant in Boden, Sweden, to be by built by H2 Green Steel (H2GS), it was announced on Tuesday May 25.H2GS has successfully closed its Series A equity financing of $105 million from a select group of investors. These include Altor Fund V, Ane & Robert Maersk Uggla, Bilstein Group...Read More
China must rely on innovation-driven technological growth to achieve high-quality development, Shusong Ba, managing director and chief China economist at Hong Kong Exchange & Clearing (HKEX), said during the London Metal Exchange Asia 2021 Metals Seminar on Tuesday May 25.During his speech, Ba pointed out that although China's gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2021 increased by...Read More
"Pricing power" was again one of the hot topics at this year's LME Asia Metals Seminar on Tuesday May 25, with several panelists talking about China's position in the global base metals markets.The East Asian country is the world's major consumer of many commodities, notably base metals, and it should have more pricing power, panelists said, with the global commodity pricing center shifting gradua...Read More
Base metal prices on the London Metal Exchange were little changed during morning trading on Tuesday May 25 from Monday's closing prices, with the complex consolidating following a month of peaks and declines.Nickel's three-month price, which recorded the highest rise in percentage terms among the base metals on Monday of 1.9%, was down slightly to $17,095 per tonne from its previous close at $17,...Read More
China's hot-rolled coil export prices fell significantly on Tuesday May 25, following the recent sharp decline in domestic prices and the resulting uptick in sales.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,430-5,440 yuan ($848-850) per tonne,down by 10 yuan per tonneSellers cut domestic HRC prices slightly on Tuesday to encourage higher sales volumes following futures losses, sources said.Stockists plan...Read More
High freight rates are pushing prices along the aluminium supply chain to multi-year highs, but there is one area where it is having the opposite effect: alumina.Alumina prices have been under pressure because of oversupply and high freight costs deterring buyers in China from importing despite low prices.Fastmarkets assessed its daily benchmark alumina index, fob Australia at $274.15 per tonne on...Read More