Hot-rolled coil prices in Europe were stable to slightly higher on Thursday November 4 despite muted buying, while market sentiment remained optimistic, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe at ?,?1,022.50 ($1,184.83) per tonne on November 4, up by ?,?8.21 per tonne from ?,?1,014.29 per tonne on November 3.The index was...Read More
Domestic rebar prices in China stopped falling on Thursday November 4, reflecting tighter supply from steel mills and on the spot market.East China (Shanghai): 4,950-4,980 yuan ($774-778) per tonne, unchangedOver the week to Thursday, rebar output totaled 2.88 million tonnes, a decrease of 21,600 tonnes from the previous week. According to a local industry information...Read More
Backwardations in the forward curves of most metals on the London Metal Exchange have constrained warrant trading for the past few weeks.Copper warrants, for example, have been "impossible" to trade since steep backwardations emerged in copper's forward curve in mid-October, traders widely agreed.Its cash/three-month spread was recently at a $190 per tonne backwardation on Thursday November 4, hav...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday November 4 that are worth another look.The agreement reached between the United States and the European Union regarding the replacement of Section 232 tariffs will support domestic prices for flat steel in Europe but...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday November 4 that are worth another look.The agreement reached between the United States and the European Union regarding the replacement of Section 232 tariffs will support domestic prices for flat steel in Europe but...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States rose again on Thursday November 4 after consecutive declines, though most sources expect them to taper off again in coming weeks.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $94.33 per hundredweight ($1,886.60 per ton), up by 1.07% from $93.33 per cwt on Wednesday and down by...Read More
Mexican steel producer Deacero has opened an office in Washington to be closer to trade decisions affecting its business. It is a first for a Mexican company, according to a Thursday November 4 statement."This is where decisions are made that affect our company, its workers, and its customers - not only in the US, but also in Mexico, and in other international markets where we do...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 monthA pick-up in Covid-19 cases in Ch...Read More
The price of manganese flake has reached all-time highs in China and Europe, with most producers remaining bullish on the medium-and long-term outlook due to supply tightness. However, risk aversion continues in Europe; some cheaper offers are casting doubts about the immediate price direction of the metal, Fastmarkets heard.The manganese flake price has been on the rise in China since May, peakin...Read More
Sentiment was buoyed among most market participants at the annual Nickel & Cobalt conference held by Chinese information provider Antaike on November 1-3 in Ningbo, China, but the strong resurgence of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries has created uncertainty about consumption of the two metals.Fastmarkets summarizes below four key takeaways from the sidelines of the conference.LFP outperforms...Read More
Backwardations in the forward curves of most metals on the London Metal Exchange have constrained warrant trading for the past few weeks.Copper warrants, for example, have been "impossible" to trade since steep backwardations emerged in copper's forward curve in mid-October, traders widely agreed.Its cash/three-month spread was recently at a $190 per tonne backwardation on Thursday November 4, hav...Read More
Peru's copper output increased 17.9% in September compared with the same month in 2020, but other metals, such as zinc and lead, declined compared with 2020 levels, according to the Ministry of Energy & Mines (Minem).Higher production from Antamina, Freeport-McMoRan's Cerro Verde and the Southern Per?? Copper Corp (owned by Minera Mexico), all contributed to the increased output of 202,681 tonnes...Read More
Turkish steel mills have continued their deep-sea scrap imports with recovering prices on Thursday November 4, market participants told Fastmarkets.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a US cargo comprising 20,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $500 per tonne, 7,000 tonnes of shredded and 3,000 tonnes of bonus at $520 per tonne cfr. Another steel mill in the same region booked a cargo from the...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday November 4 that are worth another look.The agreement reached between the United States and the European Union regarding the replacement of Section 232 tariffs will support domestic prices for flat steel in Europe but...Read More
International spot cobalt prices have continued their trend upward over the past week, fueled by bullish sentiment in long-term contract negotiations due to next year's improved demand outlook, sources said.Spot units remain in tight hands, with sellers offering aggressively, while some spot buying appetite has returned among consumers in the United States and the European markets following the co...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 21 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures moved higher following release of the U.S. October Employment Report at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for October Non-farm Payrolls was an increase of 450,000 versus an upwardly revised a gain of 312,000 in September. Actual was an increase of 531,000. Consensus for the October Un...Read More
A summary of operational results for Ukrainian steelmaker Metinvest for the third quarter of 2021.In brief The group's output of coke totaled 1.09 million tonnes, down by 9% quarter on quarter due to a decrease in the number of coke ovens in use at Ukraine's Avdiivka Coke and a shortage of raw materials. Merchant slab production increased by 15% quarter on quarter...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were down across the board at the 5pm close on Thursday November 4, with strength in the United States Dollar supporting price weakness across the complex.The US Dollar Index was most recently at $94.39 after hitting an intraday high of $94.47, the highest level since October 13, with base metals trading downward as a result. The three-month alu...Read More
Vale and South Korea's Posco have signed a memorandum of understanding to seek low-carbon steelmaking solutions, the Brazil-headquartered company said on Thursday November 4.The world's largest iron ore producer and the steel producer are in talks about cutting carbon emissions - part of the strategy could involve Vale's higher-quality iron ore fines, pellets and briquettes, Vale added.This will a...Read More
Hot-rolled coil spot prices in China retreated to eight-month lows on Thursday November 4 as part of a broad-based decline led by coal.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,980-5,000 yuan ($779-782) per tonne, down by 70-100 yuan per tonneSpot HRC prices in China's eastern market fell to their lowest since March 18, wiping out all of Wednesday's gains.Traders reported that the price decline has redu...Read More