Nickel premiums remained steady in the United States, China and Europe in the week to November 3, although tight supplies and growing production disruptions are keeping prices high in the US. US nickel premiums hold at historic highsChinese premiums also stable with increased full plate imports into ChinaPremiums unchanged in Europe, with market focusing on contracts for 2022US premiums still at h...Read More
Europe's domestic prices for heavy plate rose sharply in the week to Wednesday November 3 due to strong demand and surging production costs, sources told Fastmarkets.Energy prices have increased substantially across Europe, adding pressure on steel prices. A number of producers that have long-term agreements for electricity will have to renegotiate new contracts starting in January 2022, sources s...Read More
Base metals prices on the LME and SHFE were mixed early on Thursday November 4, but neither the metals nor the broader markets have been rattled by the US Federal Reserve's announcement that it is to start tapering its monthly bond buying programme.* The United States Federal Reserve to trim bond buying by $15 billion a month - it had been buying $120 billion a month* A pick-up in Covid-19 cases i...Read More
Brazilian exports of iron ore slipped by 0.84% year on year in October, the country's economy ministry said on Wednesday November 3.Iron ore exports totaled 30.86 million tonnes during the month, down from 31.12 million tonnes in October 2020.Daily average volumes totaled 1.54 million tonnes, also down by 0.84% from 1.56 million tonnes in the same comparison. October had 20 workdays in both 2020 a...Read More
The mood in the European hot-rolled coil market was upbeat on Wednesday November 3 despite limited trading activity, sources told Fastmarkets.Bullish sentiment was supported by a recovery in domestic demand caused by restocking activity. Further support came from news of an agreement between the United States and the EU to replace Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminium, imposed on the bloc's 2...Read More
Zinc's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange on Wednesday November 3 touched its lowest since October 13, with prices in the base metals complex ending the day on a mixed note ahead of the US Federal Reserve Bank's Federal Open Market Committee press conference.Zinc reached $3,263 per tonne on Wednesday, its lowest price since announcements by Nyrstar and Glencore that production in Europ...Read More
Steel scrap buyers in Taiwan were bearish about the containerized scrap market, expecting to book cargoes at lower prices in the short term, market sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday November 3. Taiwan secures lower-priced cargoesVietnam reports lower offersChina prices continue downtrend amid bearish sentiment in local marketTaiwanTaiwanese buyers have secured containerized heavy melting scrap...Read More
The price of steel hollow sections in Europe moved down on Wednesday November 3, with the market seeking the floor after recent price drops, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel sections (medium) domestic, delivered Northern Europe was ?,?1,150- 1,250 ($1,333-1,449) per tonne on Wednesday, down from ?,?1,230-1,275 per tonne one week previous.Market sources hav...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Alex Cook, Dalila Ouerghi...Read More
Europe's domestic prices for heavy plate rose sharply in the week to Wednesday November 3 due to strong demand and surging production costs, sources told Fastmarkets.Energy prices have increased substantially across Europe, adding pressure on steel prices. A number of producers that have long-term agreements for electricity will have to renegotiate new contracts starting in January 2022, sources s...Read More
An increase in the latest ferro-chrome tender price has supported the imported charge chrome market and strengthened sentiment among some participants in the chrome ore sector.China's Tsingshan Group announced its tender price for November-delivery high-carbon ferro-chrome at 10,495 yuan ($1,640) per tonne on Friday October 29. This is up by 500 yuan per tonne from its October tender price.The lat...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices tumbled further on Wednesday November 3, which stimulated demand. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,950-4,980 yuan ($774-778) per tonne, down by 130 yuan per tonneRebar sellers lowered their offers in the morning on a weak futures market, a trader in Shanghai said. The January rebar futures contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange was lower...Read More
Nickel premiums remained steady in the United States, China and Europe in the week to November 3, although tight supplies and growing production disruptions are keeping prices high in the US. US nickel premiums hold at historic highsChinese premiums also stable with increased full plate imports into ChinaPremiums unchanged in Europe, with market focusing on contracts for 2022US premiums still at h...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 28.00-28.60...Read More
Zinc's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange on Wednesday November 3 touched its lowest since October 13, with prices in the base metals complex ending the day on a mixed note ahead of the US Federal Reserve Bank's Federal Open Market Committee press conference.Zinc reached $3,263 per tonne on Wednesday, its lowest price since announcements by Nyrstar and Glencore that production in Europ...Read More
Spot copper premiums rose in Europe during the past week, while trading interest was minimal in Shanghai and the United States, with the red metal's backwardation remaining a concern.London Metal Exchange copper's cash to three-month spread was in a $275-per-tonne backwardation on Wednesday, easing from $438 per tonne on Tuesday LME on-warrant copper stocks remain below 40,000 tonnes, while C...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....Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday November 2 that are worth another look.Eurofer has welcomed the agreement between the European Union and the United States to replace Section 232 steel and aluminium tariffs against the bloc's 27 countries with tariff-rate quotas, the European steel association...Read More
An overview of the chrome ore and alloy markets and their latest price moves in Asia, Europe and the United States on Tuesday November 2.China Alloy market sentiment strengthened after steel mill Tsingshan increased its November ferro-chrome tender prices by 500 yuan ($78) per tonne month on month. Prices of imported charge chrome rose, with some stainless steel mills needing to secure near-t...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange fell marginally across the board at the close of trading on Tuesday November 2, with macroeconomic forces driving the price movements.The market was awaiting results of the United States Federal Market Open Committee meeting on November 3. The three-month copper price fell by 0.6% to $9,495.50 per tonne, from $9,555 per tonne at Monday's close. Volu...Read More