The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:Bulk and noble alloys both moved largely in line with our price forecasts globally over the past month, though several markets surprised to the upside, exceeding our forecast gains. Stronger-than-forecast pricing momentum was primarily triggered by supply shortages in numerous...Read More
Turkish reinforcing bar and wire rod export prices continued to increase over the past week due to strengthening scrap costs, market participants told Fastmarkets on Thursday October 21.Turkish steel mills continued their deep-sea ferrous scrap purchases this week, with prices exceeding $500 per tonne for an 80:20 mix of No1 and No2 heavy melting scrap.Fastmarkets' daily index for steel scrap HMS...Read More
Cobalt sulfate prices have trended upward since early September this year due to continuously higher raw materials costs and the rising cost of chemical auxiliary materials despite thin downstream demand, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' assessment of the cobalt sulfate 20.5% Co basis, exw China price was assessed at 89,000-93,000 yuan ($13,914-14,539) per tonne on Wednesday October 20,...Read More
Rio Tinto will invest $7.5 billion to reduce emissions and meet its carbon targets earlier than planned, the company announced on Wednesday September 20.Following more ambitious climate targets by governments, Rio Tinto is revising its emissions reduction targets. Its new target is to reduce its Scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions of the greenhouse gas (GHG) Protocol by 50% by 2030, more than triple...Read More
Egypt's prices for imported billet and domestic reinforcing bar increased in the week to Thursday October 21, with demand also picking up from previous weeks, sources told Fastmarkets.Local rebar producers increased their prices effective October 20.Buying increased after the price hikes were announced because buyers believed prices could rise further, traders said.On the other hand, the Advanced...Read More
Fastmarkets has modified the name of one of its Japan steel scrap export prices to clarify the exact grade being assessed in the market.In Japan, prime scrap is referred to as Shindachi, which comprises Shindachi Bara, an unpressed new production busheling scrap that is the most commonly traded prime scrap in the Japan's export market, and Shindachi press bundle, which is more commonly traded in t...Read More
Spot trading for hot-rolled coil in China stagnated in the afternoon of Thursday October 21 after the continued tumble in futures prices kept market participants cautious.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,710-5,750 yuan ($892-898) per tonne, narrowing by 10-30 yuan per tonneSpot HRC was traded at 5,710-5,750 yuan per tonne in Shanghai on Thursday morning, when the most-traded HRC contract on the...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday October 21 that are worth another look.Rio Tinto will invest $7.5 billion to reduce emissions and meet its carbon targets earlier than planned, the company announced on Wednesday September 20.The government of the United...Read More
Taiwan's import prices for containers of steel scrap were expected to continue to rise because of a huge premium for bulk import prices over material arriving in containers, market sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday October 20.?EUR?Taiwanese buyers continue to book containerized cargoes?EUR?Chinese market muted by wide bid-offer gaps?EUR?China's ferrous scrap import volumes down by 49% month on...Read More
A summary of Brazilian miner Vale's base metals production results for the third quarter of 2021, as stated in its production report published on Tuesday October 19. Vale's nickel production declined in the third quarter from the prior quarter due to a labor disruption at its Sudbury mine in Canada, which halted operations for 70 days, of which 40 days were in third quarter, with an impact of 11,0...Read More
An overview of the consumer electronics markets and their latest price moves.Janie Davies in...Read More
Turkish steelmakers continued to pay higher prices for deep-sea ferrous scrap cargoes scheduled for shipment in December, market sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday October 20.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising 32,000 tonnes of an 80:20 mix of No1 and No2 heavy melting scrap at $502 per tonne and 3,000 tonnes of bonus-grade scrap at $522 per tonne cfr.Pre...Read More
Suppliers in China's domestic spot ferro-chrome market lowered their offer prices during the week to Tuesday October 19, while trading remained light due to very limited supply, Fastmarkets heard.Fastmarkets' assessment of ferro-chrome, spot, 6-8% C, basis 50% Cr, ddp China fell by 4.8% to 10,700-11,300 yuan ($1,673-1,767) per tonne on Tuesday, from 11,100-12,000 yuan per tonne one week earlier.Th...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Janie Davies, Alex Cook...Read More
Japanese local and export buyers have been locked in a fight for steel scrap in the week to Wednesday October 20, pushing up prices across the board, sources told Fastmarkets.Major electric arc furnace (EAF) mill Tokyo Steel on Wednesday announced it would raise its scrap buy prices by ?500-1,000 ($4.38-8.75) per tonne at some of its works starting Thursday October 21. This marks the second price...Read More
Lead's three-month price set a new year-to-date peak of $2,427 per tonne on the afternoon of Wednesday October 20, together with nickel, which rose by almost 6% to more than $21,000 per tonne, with sentiment on the London Metal Exchange still bullish.Lead's three-month price closed at $2,417 per tonne on Wednesday, a 1.7% increase from its Tuesday closing price of $2,376 per tonne. "We envisage a...Read More
Australia-based global miner BHP has raised its offer in a bidding war to acquire prospective Canadian nickel producer Noront Resources.The Toronto-based junior miner recommended to its shareholders in July that they accept BHP's offer, worth at that time C$325 million ($263 million), instead of a competing offer from another Australian miner, Wyloo Metals.Wyloo counteroffered, and BHP raised its...Read More
Nickel premiums were stable globally on Tuesday October 19, supported by tight inventories.Strong fundamentals continue to keep US premiums firm.Supply remains supportive of Asia premiums, but there is low liquidity with the arbitrage window closed.Europe premium is flat with liquidity still low post-LME Week.US premiums braced against headwinds, tailwindsNickel premiums were unchanged in the Unit...Read More
Fastmarkets sees upside risk to Chinese graphite prices in the fourth quarter of 2021, largely reflecting rising electricity costs and reduced power supply, as well as insufficient inventories and inadequate availability of feedstock for spherical graphite processing.High power costs and limits on energy consumption in China may make it increasingly difficult for graphite producers to stockpile ma...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday October 20 that are worth another look.Workers at steelmaker ArcelorMittal's plant in Ghent, Belgium, might go on strike from Thursday next week in a dispute over salaries, Fastmarkets heard on October 20.Trafigura has been drawing...Read More