Markets were generally buoyant on the back of relief that a potential Covid-19 vaccine has been found, but the metals also seem hesitant this morning, Tuesday October 11, about what this will mean to the markets given how much they have run up already since the March lows. Asian Pacific equities were mixed, with China's CSI 300 down for the second day as big tech, a big winner during lockdowns, en...Read More
Spodumene producer Pilbara Minerals could execute a share sale agreement to acquire Altura Mining's lithium project in Western Australia in early December, subject to completion of the receivership process, it said on Wednesday November 11."The placement and entitlement offer would be launched concurrently," the producer added.A filing with the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on October 26 an...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States have inched up further amid tight supply, but market participants questioned how long the recent high prices would last.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $35.64 per hundredweight ($712.80 per short ton) on Wednesday November 11, an increase of 0.5% from $35.46 per cwt on Tuesday November 10 and up by 3.2% from...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Europe increased again in the week to Wednesday November 11, supported by tight supplies, sources told Fastmarkets."There is a shortage of HRC in the market," an Italian distributor told Fastmarkets. "Buyers are struggling to get material from either domestic or overseas mills and, naturally, [then] have to accept higher prices."Fastmarkets cal...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday November 11 that are worth another look.There were no expectations of material changes to the US steel market to arise in the short term as a result of Joe Biden taking office as United States president in 2021, Gerdau...Read More
There were no expectations of material changes to the US steel market to arise in the short term as a result of Joe Biden taking office as United States president in 2021, Gerdau chief executive officer Gustavo Werneck said on Wednesday November 11.Werneck also expected a metal spread recovery in the fourth quarter of this year, boosted in particular by steel beams, and he forecast stability for 2...Read More
Prices for hollow steel sections in Europe moved up this week following a prolonged upward trend in the cost of the hot-rolled coil used as feedstock, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday November 11.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?640-660 ($756-780) per tonne on Wednesday, up from ?,?630-650 per tonne one week earlier.The pri...Read More
Turkish steel mills resumed their deep-sea scrap buying at higher prices, having secured more finished long steel and billet sales, sources said on Wednesday November 11.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region broke the silence in the deep-sea market late on November 10 with two fresh cargoes.The mill booked a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising 30,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $305 per tonne and 5,000...Read More
Prices for export cargoes of steel scrap sold from Japan continued to move upward this week, following another rise in the Kanto auction price, sources said on Wednesday November 11.November's Kanto Tetsugen, an auction between scrap suppliers in the Tokyo area, closed at an average price of ?30,605 ($291) per tonne fas for H2 on Wednesday, up ?2,199 per tonne compared with last month.The first...Read More
A radical shake-up of the European Union's waste shipment regulations could lead to a total ban or the implementation of controls on scrap metal exports from the territory, Fastmarkets understands.The European Commission is reviewing EU rules on waste shipments to encourage more recycling within the EU and is exploring ways to reduce the exports of such materials.EU lawmakers have been m...Read More
The improvement seen over the past week in demand for semi-finished steel products in Asia, and particularly in China, helped Iranian mills to achieve higher prices in recent billet and slab tenders, Fastmarkets has learnt.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel billet, export, fob ports Iran, was $415-420 per tonne on Wednesday November 11, against $407-411 per tonne the week before.Severa...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday November 11.Key driversThe ferro-titanium spot price in Europe increased, extending the current rally into its 12th week amid renewed demand from consumers looking to settle deals from a raft of new tenders. Suppliers reported deals for several hundred tonnes of standard-grade ferro-titanium for prompt shipment and a few hundred ton...Read More
Despite a quicker-than-expected recovery across certain regions following the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic and expectations of a stronger recovery overall in 2021, a return to pre-coronavirus levels next year is unlikely, delegates attending Fastmarkets' International Ferro-alloys Conference heard."In the space of steel and ferro-alloys, if we are able to manage the Covid-19 pandemic...Read More
Prices for hollow steel sections in Europe moved up this week following a prolonged upward trend in the cost of the hot-rolled coil used as feedstock, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday November 11.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?640-660 ($756-780) per tonne on Wednesday, up from ?,?630-650 per tonne one week earlier.The pri...Read More
Turkish steel pipe export prices have continued to increase in line with rising raw material costs and strong demand, sources said on Wednesday November 11.Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for steel structural pipe, export, S235JR grade, EN10219, 2mm wall thickness, fob main port Turkey, was $590-595 per tonne on Wednesday, up from $575-580 per tonne in October.Offers of the material were hea...Read More
A radical shake-up of the European Union's waste shipment regulations could lead to a total ban or the implementation of controls on scrap metal exports from the territory, Fastmarkets understands.The European Commission is reviewing EU rules on waste shipments to encourage more recycling within the EU and is exploring ways to reduce the exports of such materials.EU lawmakers have been m...Read More
Top executives of steelmakers in Latin America are "moderately optimistic" on fundamentals for the industry in 2021, with demand in the region showing a V-shaped recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, though longer-term challenges could emerge.Executives were unanimous about the V-shaped economic recovery throughout the region during the 2020 edition of the Latin American Steel Association (Alacero)...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday November 11 that are worth another look.There were no expectations of material changes to the US steel market to arise in the short term as a result of Joe Biden taking office as United States president in 2021, Gerdau...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States have inched up further amid tight supply, but market participants questioned how long the recent high prices would last.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $35.64 per hundredweight ($712.80 per short ton) on Wednesday November 11, an increase of 0.5% from $35.46 per cwt on Tuesday November 10 and up by 3.2% from...Read More
An overview of the consumers electronics markets and their latest price moves.Read More