Sales of passenger cars in the EU rocketed by 87.30% year-on-year in March 2021, the European Automotive Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said on Friday April 16.New car sales in the region totalled 1,062,446 vehicles in March 2021, up from 567,253 units sold in the corresponding month of 2020.The increase was "the result of last year's exceptionally low base of comparison caused by the strict Cov...Read More
Brazil was a net importer of finished steel during the first quarter of 2021 for the first time since 2014 amid a domestic supply-demand imbalance, according to data from the economy ministry.The country purchased 49,976 tonnes of steel more thanit exported. The figure takes into account unalloyed, non-special steel - hot- and cold-rolled coil, galvanized and Galvalume, and heavy plate, as we...Read More
China's crude steel, hot metal and finished steel production all rose sharply year on year in March and the first quarter of 2021, according to data released by National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Friday April 16.March productionCrude steel: 94.02 million tonnes, up by 19.1% from March 2020Hot metal: 74.75 million tonnes, up by 8.9% year on yearFinished steel: 119.87 million tonnes, up by 20.9%...Read More
Trade unions at Liberty's Czech-based Ostrava plant have announced a strike alert amid allegations that the plant's emissions allowances will be lent to another Liberty-owned steel mill, Fastmarkets heard.Earlier this week, the OS KOVO trade union warned of a readiness to strike at Liberty's Ostrava plant amid market concerns about the parent company's financial sustainability.Liberty Steel has be...Read More
Brazil was a net importer of finished steel during the first quarter of 2021 for the first time since 2014 amid a domestic supply-demand imbalance, according to data from the economy ministry.The country purchased 49,976 tonnes of steel more thanit exported. The figure takes into account unalloyed, non-special steel - hot- and cold-rolled coil, galvanized and Galvalume, and heavy plate, as we...Read More
Pig iron export prices from Brazil rose again during the week to Friday April 16 following further sales. Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, export, fob port of Vitoria/Rio, Brazil was $540 per tonne on Friday, up by 3.35% from $520-525 per tonne the...Read More
The pig iron import market in the United States went up during the week ended Friday April 16 amid good demand and bullishness among suppliers.Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US, was $570-580 per tonne on Friday, up by $10 per tonne from $560-570 per tonne the previous week."There is demand in the US. Buyers...Read More
Domestic ferrous scrap prices in Germany have been largely unchanged over the month to Friday April 16, sources have told Fastmarkets.New scrap was an exception, with prices for such grades increasing slightly due to tight supply from the automotive sector.Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for steel scrap No E3 (old thick steel scrap), domestic, delivered mill, Germany, was unchanged over the...Read More
Almost all base metal futures prices rose by over 3% in the week ending Friday April 16, despite falling lower from their readings on Thursday, boosted in part by a US dollar index that has been at its lowest in a month. Copper's three-month price closed on Friday at $9,211 per tonne, up 3.9% since Monday, when its 5pm price was of $8,861 per tonne. The metal reached $9,353.50 per tonne during tra...Read More
Lead stocks in Shanghai Futures Exchange-registered warehouses climbed by 24.1% in the week to Friday April 16, due to seasonal weakness, while production cuts in Yunnan province caused tin inventories to fall 5.9%.According to the exchange's latest stocks report, lead stocks stood at 65,444 tonnes on Friday, up 12,692 tonnes from 52,752 tonnes the a week earlier, while tin stocks declin...Read More
Premium hard coking coal prices were largely stable in the cfr and fob markets on Friday April 16 amid limited trading activity, market sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $112.81 per tonne, down by $0.13 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $220.49 per tonne, up by $0.42 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $105.12 per tonne, down by $0.5...Read More
Purchasing activity in the key global steel scrap destinations began to cool in the week to Friday April 16, with price increases levelling off on a change of sentiment, with the exceptions of Taiwan and China.Turkey did not purchase any cargoes this weekUS market quiet, looking for market directionVietnamese import prices level out but sentiment soursChinese prices stabilize as sentiment deterior...Read More
Almost all base metal futures prices rose by over 3% in the week ending Friday April 16, despite falling lower from their readings on Thursday, boosted in part by a US dollar index that has been at its lowest in a month. Copper's three-month price closed on Friday at $9,211 per tonne, up 3.9% since Monday, when its 5pm price was of $8,861 per tonne. The metal reached $9,353.50 per tonne during tra...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Susan Zou and Sybil Pan...Read More
Fastmarkets' benchmark copper concentrate index ended three weeks of declines on Friday April 16 with a 7.3% uptick week on week. Chinese smelters are mostly well-covered for production needs for the second quarter, with only a few June and July parcels sold at the mid-$20s per tonne...Read More
Lead stocks in Shanghai Futures Exchange-registered warehouses climbed by 24.1% in the week to Friday April 16, due to seasonal weakness, while production cuts in Yunnan province caused tin inventories to fall 5.9%.According to the exchange's latest stocks report, lead stocks stood at 65,444 tonnes on Friday, up 12,692 tonnes from 52,752 tonnes the a week earlier, while tin stocks declin...Read More
Australia-listed Consolidated Zinc began production of zinc and lead concentrates at its refurbished processing plant in Mexico on April 12, the company announced on Friday April 16.Consolidated Zinc is the sole owner of the Plomosas zinc-lead-silver project in Mexico, in the country's northern state of Chihuahua.It started zinc production at Plomosas in September 2018. According to its 2020 annua...Read More
Global aluminium producer United Co Rusal has completed its acquisition of Germany-based aluminium products producer Aluminium Rheinfelden GmbH, it said in a release dated Friday April 16. Rusal agreed in February to acquire the German producer, after Aluminium Rheinfelden applied for protective shield proceedings to protect the company from going bankrupt.The acquisition "is e...Read More
Failure of two furnaces at the Malaysia Smelting Corp's (MSC) main tin smelter in Penang will cause disruptions to shipments, while the company said that it would seek to increase production in its new facility near Port Klang to fulfill its orders. Correspondence seen by Fastmarkets this week showed that the smelter contacted a customer to say that, due to the failing of two of their furnaces in...Read More
A shortage of aluminium in certain regions and healthy demand are keeping prices and premiums for the light metal throughout the supply chain supported at record highs around the world.Premiums for P1020 aluminium in the physical market are at multi-year highs in Asia, the United States and Europe, with logistical complications and a lack of fresh production keeping supply tight in those regions e...Read More