The Cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China, % payable of Fastmarkets' standard-grade cobalt price (low-end) trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets assessed Cobalt hydroxide p...Read More
The Cobalt sulfate 20.5% Co basis, exw China, yuan/tonne trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday March 17. Key drivers Ferro-titanium suppliers are starting to enter negotiations with steelmakers for second-quarter delivery settlements. No prices have yet been discussed, only early stages of potential tonnages, trade sources say.Ferro-titanium producers are holding off on securing new deals for their intake of scrap and other...Read More
The volume of Southeast Asian steel billet available to importers across Asia is on the rise following new capacity upgrades at key suppliers in Indonesia and Vietnam, sources told Fastmarkets.From the start of February until March 15, Fastmarkets heard of 23 sales of billet produced by blast furnace (BF) mills sold to buyers in China and Southeast Asia combined.Some 16 of these were heard to have...Read More
The FOMC maintained its Fed Fund rate at 0.00-0.25% and projected no rate hike through 2023. Responses included the following:U.S. equity indices moved higherLong term bond prices initially moved lower, but closed unchangedThe U.S. Dollar and its related ETN moved lowerGold prices moved higherTechnical Notes for Wednesday March 17thPalladium ETN (PALL) moved above $236.33 resuming an intermediate...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday March 16 that are worth another look.Russian metallurgical coal producer Sibanthracite Group intends to ship more than 1 million tonnes of coal in Capesize-class vessels from the Black Sea port of Taman in 2021, it said on March 15.Treatment and refining...Read More
A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday March 16.Read More
The prices of lead, zinc and copper showed the steepest declines on the London Metal Exchange at the close of trading on Tuesday March 16, with the US Dollar Index at its highest for a week at 91.91 and the market braced for a US Federal Reserve policy announcement on Wednesday."Market attention will turn to the US Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting, which will conclude on March 17. The gene...Read More
A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday March 16.Read More
An overview of the chrome ore and alloy markets on Tuesday March 16 and their latest price moves.China The UG2 chrome ore fell for the first time since early December on bearish sentiment following portside weakness amid continuing muted demand from major ferro-chrome producers due to production restrictions. Demand in the domestic spot ferro-chrome market was subdued after traders held back from...Read More
Logistics for shipping material out of China continues to be a major concern for sellers of minerals and metals, with container freight rates firm at high levels and carriers giving priority to lighter cargoes.Sources in contact with Fastmarkets claimed that the shipping hurdles of recent months have not eased and remained a source of constant problems for the movement of material.Freight rates fo...Read More
Prices for No1 busheling steel scrap in Mexican main markets increased in the week ended on Friday March 12, while upward pressures grew for other grades as well.Buyers continued to increase prices for prime scrap to secure volumes. In rare cases, the material was heard trading above 10,000 pesos ($473) after the second consecutive week of strong buying activity.Prices of obsolete grades, suc...Read More
The global steel industry has never been an easy one to navigate but now the onslaught of Chinese steel production has affected many steelmakers around the world, Fastmarkets heard.The surge in Chinese steel exports in the last few years and the expansion of Chinese steel companies into Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, have led many companies to rethink their commercial a...Read More
Falling steel scrap prices in Japan and continued uncertainty over whether Chinese port authorities will allow ferrous scrap cargoes to discharge remain key considerations for buyers in China, many of whom lowered their bids this week, sources said.Bids for heavy scrap (HS) from buyers peaked at $480 per tonne cfr China on Tuesday March 16, while offers were at $480-499 per tonne cfr China.South K...Read More
A summary of Antofagasta's financial results for the full year of 2020, as stated in its preliminary results, and its production guidance for 2020, as per a company report published on Tuesday March 16.Financial results - in brief: Antofagasta's revenue in 2020 was $5.1 billion, an increase of 3.3% from 2019, which the company attributed to "increases in copper and gold realised prices, partially...Read More
Base metals prices were mixed this morning, with those on the London Metal Exchange mainly weaker, while prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were more mixed this morning, Tuesday March 16, but Asian-Pacific equities were upbeat. United States 10-year treasuries yields have eased to 1.59%, from 1.64%Wall Street equity indices set fresh record highs on MondayBase metals Three-month base metals p...Read More
Silkroad Nickel will supply China's biggest stainless steel producer with 2.7 million tonnes of high-grade nickel ore from March until December 2022, the company said on Monday March 15.Silkroad Nickel, a laterite nickel ore producer in Indonesia has signed an offtake agreement with Ekasa Yad Resources, a unit of Tsingshan Holding Group, in which it will supply 2.7 million tonnes of high-grade nic...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe have been supported by a material shortage in the market, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday March 16.Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe at ?,?792.50 ($943.31) per tonne on March 16, up by just ?,?1.25 per tonne from ?,?791.25 per tonne on Monday March 15.The index was also up by ?,?36....Read More
The global steel industry has never been an easy one to navigate but now the onslaught of Chinese steel production has affected many steelmakers around the world, Fastmarkets heard.The surge in Chinese steel exports in the last few years and the expansion of Chinese steel companies into Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, have led many companies to rethink their commercial a...Read More
Steel billet and rebar buyers in the United Arab Emirates preferred to wait during the week to Tuesday March 16 so any price changes were small, sources told Fastmarkets.Rebar producers in the UAE are expected to announce new prices soon so buyers are waiting to place import orders, market participants said.The country's steel producers are officially offering rebar at 2,530-2,545 dirhams ($689-69...Read More