Markets remained upbeat on the morning of Thursday January 7 despite the outbreak of violence in Washington, DC, with nickel joining copper and tin in setting fresh new multi-month highs but gold turning lower.Asian-Pacific equities generally upbeat, along with pre-market western equity index futures as the US Democrats win the Senate US 10-year treasury yields continue to rise Base metals Th...Read More
China Copper's raw materials director Feng Mingrui will be the next group leader of the country's top copper smelters after a tie vote at a recent meeting, sources told Fastmarkets.Feng, who previously worked at Daye Nonferrous and Trafigura, received the same number of votes as Jinchuan Group's Yang Xiangbin at a meeting of the China Smelters Purchase Team (CSPT) in late December.The CSPT eventua...Read More
China's stainless steel prices increased in the past week on gains in the nickel market, though trading activity fell as a result of the increases.The three-month nickel contract on the London Metal Exchange ended the official session on Wednesday January 6 at $17,828 per tonne, up by $990 per tonne from $16,838 per tonne a week earlier. DomesticStainless steel cold-rolled coil 2mm grade 304 domes...Read More
Prices for imported hot-rolled coil in the United States climbed to their highest in more than 12 years amid a lack of offers; meanwhile, prices for imported cold-rolled coil and hot-dipped galvanized steel remained flat, and imported plate logged its third consecutive price rise.There have been few import offers for hot-rolled coil, and market participants were concerned that prices might decline...Read More
Steel reinforcing bar spot prices in the United States continue their scrap-driven ascent, according to market participants.Fastmarkets assessed the price of steel reinforcing bar (rebar), fob mill US, at $37.75 per hundredweight ($755 per short ton) on Wednesday January 6, up by 2% from the previous assessment of $37 per cwt. Domestic rebar prices are closing in on $38 per cwt, a level which has...Read More
The provisional anti-dumping duties imposed on imports of Turkish hot-rolled coil by the European Commission are neither reasonable nor fair, Turkish steel exporters told Fastmarkets on Thursday January 7.The EC has set provisional duties at 4.8-7.6% on HRC imports originating from Turkey, with effect from January 6."The findings of the anti-dumping case are not reasonable and fair," Ugur Dalbeler...Read More
Domestic long steel prices in Turkey have increased over the past week thanks to rising scrap costs, but demand is weak because local buyers are struggling with the higher prices, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday January 7.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, exw Turkey, was 5,500-5,700 lira ($750-777) per tonne on Thursday, widening up from th...Read More
Turkish steel billet prices have increased over the past week due to rising imported scrap costs and despite limited demand, sources said on Thursday January 7.Most of the suppliers in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) were out of the market at the moment for their year-end holidays.There are public holidays in Russia from January 1 to January 11. January 7 is the last official holiday...Read More
Prices for plate and structural-grade scrap (P&S), known as HS in Japan, have shown a slight increase over the past week on strong demand from mills in both Japan and China, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday January 7.China booked at least four steel scrap cargoes from Japan in the first week of 2021 following an easing in the country's import regulations, with most of these deals done for HS h...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices increased across the board in the cfr market on Thursday January 7, on higher offer prices, but with storms expected to hit Queensland this weekend, the fob market stayed quiet, with many miners reluctant to sell.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $103.99 per tonne, up $0.07 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $208.19 per tonne...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices maintained their upward trend across the board on Thursday January 7, with lump premiums also continuing to rise because of firm demand, sources told Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $171.69 per tonne, up $2.97 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $172.25 per tonne, up $3.50 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium,...Read More
The Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) released a notice on Wednesday January 6 to amend its coke delivery quality standard, which will apply from the J2201 contract month onwards. The amendments to the exchange's coke futures contract bring it in line with the physical market and enhances the futures market's capability to serve the economy, the DCE said in the notice....Read More
China's domestic rebar prices continued to trend downward on Thursday January 7 amid rising stock levels in the spot market. DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,460-4,490 yuan ($690-695) per tonne, down by 30 yuan per tonneWeakening demand has resulted in rebar stock in the spot market rising for a second week, market sources said.An industry analyst quoted a local industry information provider's...Read More
The Cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lbtrade 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 alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb at 16.30-16.90 on Thursday January 07, 2021....Read More
The Cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb 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 standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb at 16.30-16.90 on Thursday January 07, 2021.Bid a...Read More
Spot cobalt hydroxide payables surged in the first half of this week with Chinese consumers actively seeking units while logistical bottlenecks continued to cap suppliers' ability to deliver January cargoes. Fastmarkets' assessment of the cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China moved up to 86-88.5% against standard-grade cobalt price (low end) on Wednesday January 6, from 82-83%...Read More
The antimony market had a volatile year in 2020 but was buoyed by ongoing trade flow disruptions and ore tightness in China that should continue to support prices in early 2021."In 2020 there was the perfect storm," a European trader said. "We are facing an extreme supply squeeze."Freight rates for both bulk vessels and containers have soared to record highs in recent months amid higher global shi...Read More
The European ferro-vanadium price surged by more than 5% to a 10-month high in the first week of the year on increased end-user appetite amid tightening prompt inventories. Fastmarkets assessed the price for ferro-vanadium, basis 78% V min, 1st grade, ddp Western Europe at $25.95-27.45 per kg on Wednesday January 6, up 5.7% from the previous assessment of $25-25.50 per kg on December 23. The...Read More
Base metals prices were pausing and precious metals were mainly on a back footing this morning, Friday January 8, with sentiment generally bullish on the prospects for greater fiscal spending out of the United States when Joe Biden becomes the president in a few weeks’ time.* Asian-Pacific equities generally upbeat, along with pre-market western equity index futures* US 10-year treasury yield...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 14 points in pre-opening trade.Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of the December Employment Report at 8:30 AM EST. Consensus for December Non-farm Payrolls was s gain of 71,000 from an upwardly revised gain of 336,000 in November. Actual was a drop of 140,000. Consensus for the December Unemploym...Read More