Glencore International has agreed a letter of intent for cobalt metal supply to battery cell producer Freyr, the company said on Monday February 1.The Swiss trader-producer will supply up to 3,700 tonnes of high-purity cut cobalt cathode produced at its Norwegian operations, Nikkelverk, to Freyr's planned facilities in Mo i Rana in Norway, it said without disclosing the time period for the intende...Read More
Hot-rolled coiled prices in the United States held essentially flat to begin February.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $56.56 per hundredweight ($1,131.20 per short ton) on Monday February 1, up by 0.1% from $56.50 per cwt on Friday January 29 and an increase of 2.7% from $55.07 per cwt one week earlier. Inputs were collected in a range of $54...Read More
Fastmarkets publishes trade logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US averaged $56.15 per hundredweight ($1,123 per short ton) for the week ended Friday January 29, up by 0.5% from an average of $55.87 per cwt the previous week. The index wa...Read More
Some European steel producers pushed their official hot-rolled coil offer prices upward in the week ended Friday January 29, with buyers likely to accept some transaction price increases in the short term.On January 28, ArcelorMittal increased its official offers for HRC to ?,?750 ($910) per tonne ex-works across the EU, up by ?,?20 per tonne from previous offers. And Swedish steelmaker SSAB has b...Read More
Prices for domestic merchant bar quality (MBQ) steel in the United States rose for the third month in a row in January, while import prices remained unchanged after climbing in late December 2020.Fastmarkets' monthly assessment for steel bar 2 x 2 x 1/4 -inch angle merchant products, fob mill US was at $44.30 per hundredweight ($886 per short ton) on Friday January 29, up by 4.7% from $42.3...Read More
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) export wire rod price recovered somewhat in the week to Monday February 1 on demand in European markets, sources told Fastmarkets.Offers of Ukraine-origin material were heard within the range of $700-730 per tonne fob Black Sea, depending on destination, while Russia-origin material was available within the range of $690-702 per tonne fob Black Sea, sou...Read More
Domestic rebar prices in Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow declined in the week to Monday February 1 due to slow end-user demand and falling exports, several sources told Fastmarkets....Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday February 1 that are worth another look.Chinese nickel sulfate prices have made steady gains since the start of 2021, rising again last week to set the highest level since Fastmarkets began tracking the market in July 2018.More than 67,000 lots of the Singapore Exchange's 65% Fe iron ore swaps...Read More
As competition in the global steel markets remains fierce, Fastmarkets provides an update on the new, progressing and closed trade cases from around the world in January 2021.The case list below includes only updates. For other continuing cases from 2020, see the updates for December,...Read More
Iron ore prices fell on Monday February 1, sources told Fastmarkets, due to weak demand and limited trading liquidity, despite the potential impact of severe weather on supplies from Australia. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $157.07 per tonne, down $1.47 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $157.77 per tonne, down $1.28 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade...Read More
China's domestic price was stable on Monday February 1 due to a combination of dropping demand and high production costs, while the export price fell on market participants' concerns of a potential cut of the export rebate. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,280-4,310 yuan ($663-667) per tonne, unchanged Rain in eastern China has dampened end-user demand for rebar used in the construction indust...Read More
Following extensive market engagement, Fastmarkets is extending the consultation period for amendments to the specification of its daily price for steel billet, import, cfr Southeast Asia to provide additional time for market participants to submit feedback. The original proposal consultation, which started on December 30 and can be found here, was originally scheduled to end on February 1, but wi...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The conequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on energy demand affected oil and gas prices through much of 2020 and weighed on drilling rates and demand for oil-country tubular goods (OCTG) in most regions.These effects were most likely to continue well into 2021 and perhaps longer, according to Fastmarkets OCTG Intelligence Serv...Read More
As competition in the global steel markets remains fierce, Fastmarkets provides an update on the new, progressing and closed trade cases from around the world in January 2021.The case list below includes only updates. For other continuing cases from 2020, see the updates for December,...Read More
The Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA) issued three advisories over the weekend to clear ports in the Pilbara region in Western Australia ahead of a tropical low.The PPA said it instructed the ports of Port Hedland and Dampier to be cleared on Saturday January 30, and the Port of Ashburton the following day due to strong winds and heavy rainfall forecast across the region due to tropical low 12U.The Au...Read More
Swedish steelmakers SSAB no longer plans to acquire the Ijmuiden plant in the Netherlands off of Tata Steel, SSAB said on Friday January 29.Tata Steel initiated discussions with SSAB on the sale of its IJmuiden plant in the Netherlands and related downstream assets in November 2020. After the announcement, market sources said it would have allowed SSAB to increase its presence in Northern Europe.A...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday February 1 that are worth another look.Chinese nickel sulfate prices have made steady gains since the start of 2021, rising again last week to set the highest level since Fastmarkets began tracking the market in July 2018.More than 67,000 lots of the Singapore Exchange's 65% Fe iron ore swaps...Read More
Hot-rolled coiled prices in the United States held essentially flat to begin February.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $56.56 per hundredweight ($1,131.20 per short ton) on Monday February 1, up by 0.1% from $56.50 per cwt on Friday January 29 and an increase of 2.7% from $55.07 per cwt one week earlier. Inputs were collected in a range of $54...Read More
Fastmarkets publishes trade logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US averaged $56.15 per hundredweight ($1,123 per short ton) for the week ended Friday January 29, up by 0.5% from an average of $55.87 per cwt the previous week. The index wa...Read More
The price of tin on the London Metal Exchange closed above $23,000 per tonne on Monday February 1, while aluminium's forward price was under the most pressure from the rising US Dollar Index, dropping by more than 1% from last week's closing prices.Tin's three-month price rose by 1.4% to $23,103 per tonne from Friday's 5pm closing price of $22,779 per tonne, ending the day above the $23,000 per to...Read More