The recent decline in aluminium prices stoked bearish sentiment in the alumina market, pushing prices down 5% on Friday October 29.Fastmarkets calculated its daily alumina index, fob Australia at $452.16 per tonne on Friday, down from $476.73 per tonne on Thursday.A deal was reported on Friday for 30,000 tonnes at $450 per tonne fob Western Australia, for loading in the second half of November loa...Read More
Secondary alloy prices in the United States climbed again sharply on Thursday October 28, with strong demand, low supply and soaring raw material prices, especially for silicon, combining to drive transactions higher."Silicon is expensive and supply is tight," one producer said simply. "Alloy is very firm due to [the] spike in silicon prices and increasing manufacturing cost," a second...Read More
The recent decline in aluminium prices stoked bearish sentiment in the alumina market, pushing prices down 5% on Friday October 29.Fastmarkets calculated its daily alumina index, fob Australia at $452.16 per tonne on Friday, down from $476.73 per tonne on Thursday.A deal was reported on Friday for 30,000 tonnes at $450 per tonne fob Western Australia, for loading in the second half of November loa...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing sessions in Europe, China and the United States on Friday October 29.China The price of ferro-silicon in China continued to narrow downward following deceasing futures, with many market participants taking a wait-and-see attitude. Even though the overall power supply situation is not as tight as before, the spot price remains supported...Read More
Copper smelters returned to the spot market this week with treatment and refining charges (TC/RC) relatively stable.For smelter purchases, clean tonnages for shipment in the fourth quarter and in January were seen with TCs in the low $60s. One extra clean cargo sold in the high $50s, while a lower-grade cargo of...Read More
A summary of production figures and financial results from Brazilian steelmaker Usiminas for the third quarter of 2021, as shown in its earnings report published on Friday October 29.In brief?EUR?Usiminas' strategy of buying third-party steel slab to be rolled at the Cubat??o mill was maintained, with a significant increase in purchases year-on-year in the third quarter to 502,000 tonnes, from 240...Read More
The price of silicon in China has dropped several times over recent weeks, after setting a then-record price of $9,000-10,000 per tonne on September 24. Downstream demand then fell through October, clouding market confidence, and offer prices went lower and lower.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for silicon, export, 98.5% Si min, fob China, dropped to $5,000-5,500 per tonne on Friday October 2...Read More
Prices for domestic and imported merchant bar quality (MBQ) steel in the United States were flat in October for the second consecutive month following two rounds of mill base price increases in July and August.Fastmarkets' monthly assessment for steel bar 2 x 2 x 1/4 -inch angle merchant products, fob mill US was $58.30 per hundredweight ($1,116 per short ton) on Friday October 29, unchanged fro...Read More
China's nickel sulfate price was unchanged in the week to Friday October 29, with minimal spot trading activity reported during the pricing period due to the weaker demand in the downstream precursor ternary market, Fastmarkets heard.Fastmarkets assessed the price of nickel sulfate, min 21%, max 22.5%; cobalt 10ppm max, exw China, at 35,500-36,000 yuan ($5,552-5,630) per tonne on Friday, unchanged...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Bulk ferro-alloy prices have shown impressive gains again this month, with ferro-silicon, silicon metal and manganese alloy prices all making significant increases. Noble alloy markets also enjoyed upward momentum, with both vanadium and molybdenum prices rising sharply.Recovering demand from steelmakers globally, together w...Read More
Prices in the Brazilian flat steel market were expected to stabilize following recent discounts made to distributors, according to steelmaker Usiminas.Since September, flat steel distributors have been receiving discounts of 7%, according to Usiminas' commercial vice president, Miguel Homes."We foresee a stability in prices during the fourth quarter [of 2021]," Homes said on Friday October 29.Read More
Prices for cold-rolled and galvanized steel sheet in the United States were flat on Thursday October 28, with many market participants relying on existing inventory or foreign steel purchases while they wait for mill prices to drop.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment for steel cold-rolled coil, fob mill US was unchanged from the previous week at $108 per hundredweight ($2,160 per short ton) on October...Read More
Indian domestic secondary billet prices increased slightly by end of the week to Friday October 29 on renewed buying interest and rising raw material prices.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel billet domestic, ex-works India was at 46,500-46,700 rupees ($620.03-622.70) per tonne on Friday, up by 200 rupees compared with the previous week's assessment of 46,300-46,500 rupees per tonne ex-works....Read More
Steel beam prices were flat in the United States' domestic and import markets on Thursday October 28 following three rounds of mill price increases over the summer and bringing a welcome pause to upward pressure in market that has been tightly supplied.Fastmarkets' monthly assessment for steel beams 8- x 8-in, fob mill US was $68 per hundredweight ($1,360 per short ton) on Thursday October 28, unc...Read More
IXM's head of zinc and lead trading Drago Sekularac left the Geneva-based trading house on Thursday October 28. Sekularac had been at IXM since mid-2011 as head trader of zinc and lead concentrates, having joined from Transamine, where he managed the copper concentrates and cathodes business. ...Read More
The price of UK inter-merchant light-iron steel scrap narrowed on Friday October 29 with the domestic and export markets remaining strong, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel scrap 5C, loose old light, domestic, delivered inter-merchant UK, was ?185-195 ($255-268) per tonne on Friday, narrowing from ?175-195 per tonne the week before."It's quite busy. There is a lot...Read More
Indian domestic secondary billet prices increased slightly by end of the week to Friday October 29 on renewed buying interest and rising raw material prices.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel billet domestic, ex-works India was at 46,500-46,700 rupees ($620.03-622.70) per tonne on Friday, up by 200 rupees compared with the previous week's assessment of 46,300-46,500 rupees per tonne ex-works....Read More
Copper smelters returned to the spot market this week with treatment and refining charges (TC/RC) relatively stable.For smelter purchases, clean tonnages for shipment in the fourth quarter and in January were seen with TCs in the low $60s. One extra clean cargo sold in the high $50s, while a lower-grade cargo of...Read More
Zinc producers in China's southwestern province of Yunnan should be able to fully resume their operations by mid-June, sources said.Yunnan will remove its power restrictions by the end of June that have stunted local zinc output, the provincial energy bureau said.A few zinc smelters in Yunnan have already resumed production, however, sources that spoke to Fastmarkets said.Production capa...Read More
The iron ore seaborne market supply might lose 40 million tonnes in 2022 compared with 2021, the ferrous director at Brazilian mining company Vale, Marcello Spinelli, said on Friday October 29.This reduction follows from a trend that began this year of important iron ore suppliers - including Brazil, India and the Commonwealth of Independent States - focusing more on their domestic marke...Read More