The market for pig iron exports from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was quiet during the week ended Thursday July 30 with demand being heard only in China.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for high-manganese pig iron, export, fob main port Black Sea, CIS, was $320-326 per tonne on July 30, up from $319-324 per tonne a week before."This week was deathly silent in all markets due to...Read More
Brazilian slab export prices increased by $10 per tonne in the week ended Friday July 31, with offers up amid a revival in demand in most buying markets.Sellers were making offers and hoping to achieve deals at $400 per tonne fob, because many had comfortable lead times and were in no rush to book orders.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob main port Brazil, reached $39...Read More
European monthly grade-304 alloy steel surcharges for August have increased slightly from July's values because of higher nickel costs, Fastmarkets heard on Friday July 31.Fastmarkets' stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grade 304, alloy surcharge, domestic, Europe was calculated at ?,?1,345-1,367 ($1,586-1,612) per tonne on Friday, up by ?,?16-24 per tonne from the July range.The average nick...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Trading activity at a minimumWelded pipe trading activity has been slow globally over July 2020, and while the holiday-period slowdown is partly to blame in several countries, disruptions to projects caused by the Covid-19 pandemic were obviously the main cause. In this context, substrate costs were driving much of the prici...Read More
Flat-rolled steel import prices were up in South America this past week, with mills continuing to offer at higher levels and clients still getting ready to negotiate October-shipment cargoes.There were more price increases during the week, particularly from China, but most offers were either not directly presented to customers or not yet countered by them, market participants said."[The comin...Read More
Aluminium billet premiums inched up in the United States, Europe and Brazil on Friday July 31 due to stronger demand, while weak demand in Asia kept the Thailand billet premium unchanged.US premium up near nine-month highItaly, Germany premiums inch upBrazil premium up on gradual demand recoveryThailand premium holds in quiet conditionsUS premium climbsFastmarkets assessed the aluminium 6063 extru...Read More
Spot cobalt hydroxide prices rose above $10 per lb in July due to resumed appetites for prompt cargoes amid a limited availability of seaborne units and buyers' attempts to reduce exposure to price uncertainty.Fastmarkets' cobalt hydroxide index, Co min 30%, cif China was calculated at $10.41 per lb on Friday July 31, up 5.8% from $9.84 per lb at the end of June.Spot deals were concluded in the lo...Read More
An overview of the noble alloys markets andthe reasons for any price moves.Read More
The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange was the standout performer at the close of trading on Friday July 31, breaching nearby resistance in a continued incline over the day, while sideways trading in LME copper futures kept the metal's outright price firmly near the $6,400 per tonne threshold. Zinc's outright price on the LME closed at $2,318.50 per tonne on Friday afternoon, with...Read More
There was strong demand in London Metal Exchange zinc during the Asia trading hours on Friday July 31, causing the three-month price to rise by 1.3%, while an easing of LME tin's forward curve prompted similar buying momentum over the morning. Zinc's outright price on the LME was recently at $2,320 per tonne, breaking through nearby resistance and improving from Thursday's closing price of $2,286....Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Trading activity at a minimumWelded pipe trading activity has been slow globally over July 2020, and while the holiday-period slowdown is partly to blame in several countries, disruptions to projects caused by the Covid-19 pandemic were obviously the main cause. In this context, substrate costs were driving much of the prici...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Global markets for coated steel continue to run at different speeds with regards to pricing at the start of the summer season in the northern hemisphere. In Asia, prices continue to rise although, as we note in our Asia analysis this month, much of this is merely cost inflation with steelmakers passing on higher substrate cos...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This year has come with several unexpected events which increased the bullish case for iron ore prices, while the Chinese government's spending on infrastructure is likely to boost iron ore demand and add upside support to prices. But supply disruptions and a demand surge which caused price spikes are now easing. We do not e...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Trading activity at a minimumWelded pipe trading activity has been slow globally over July 2020, and while the holiday-period slowdown is partly to blame in several countries, disruptions to projects caused by the Covid-19 pandemic were obviously the main cause. In this context, substrate costs were driving much of the prici...Read More
Pig iron demand remained negligible in the United States during the week ended Friday July 31 due to the depressed nature of the steel market, Fastmarkets has heard.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US, was $325-335 per tonne on Friday, widening from $327-330 per tonne a week before."Hot-rolled [steel product] prices continue to fall and the utilization...Read More
The US aluminium billet premium rose to its highest point in nearly nine months on Friday July 31, with billet producers securing higher spot premiums while the automotive and construction sectors continued to recover from Covid-19-related disruptions.Fastmarkets assessed the aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, delivered Midwest US at 7-9 cents per lb on July 31, narrowing upward from 6-9 cen...Read More
A summary of Peru-based miner Buenaventura's production figures and financial results for the second quarter of 2020, as stated in its earnings report published on Thursday July 30.In brief Mine production fell sharply during the second quarter from a year before, because units had to be closed to comply with the state of emergency declared by the Peruvian government in light of the Covid-19 pande...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
Stocks of copper and nickel in Shanghai bonded warehouses rose at the end of July on the closure of the import arbitrage window, while zinc inventories witnessed a decline despite the poor arbitrage. Aluminium stocks were little changed. Shanghai bonded copper stocks up amid closed arbitrage The lack of appetite for imported copper amid the closed arbitrage window between London and Shanghai led t...Read More
The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange was the standout performer at the close of trading on Friday July 31, breaching nearby resistance in a continued incline over the day, while sideways trading in LME copper futures kept the metal's outright price firmly near the $6,400 per tonne threshold. Zinc's outright price on the LME closed at $2,318.50 per tonne on Friday afternoon, with...Read More