The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In a webinar we conducted on Asian ferro alloys, our research team discussed the Chinese authorities' announcing some major infrastructure investments that will increase demand for steel and steel raw materials, including iron ore. Our research shows that the recent infrastructure investment announcements are equal to about...Read More
Offer prices on CIS-origin steel billet to foreign customers have surged upward toward the end of this week, supported by a recovery of demand in China, Fastmarkets heard on Thursday July 9.Chinese domestic rebar prices rose early in the week on restocking activity and a rise in futures, which resulted in a resumption of import activity in the billet sector.Chinese domestic billet has been traded...Read More
The European construction industry has reported different levels of operational strength across various countries, with some projects reported as cancelled or postponed, putting pressure on demand for long steel products, sources have told Fastmarkets.For long steel products such as beams, hollow sections, rebar and wire rod, construction is a key sector for demand. With the Covid-19 pandemic and...Read More
Market participants in the US ferrous supply chain attending aFastmarkets webinar on June 30 expected prices to be largely stable in the coming months, but benchmark indicators continue to track downward as an uneven reopening of the United States economy clouds the outlook. About 62% of respondents to a poll held during the webinar - titled "Sunny days ahead?" - expected hot-rolled coil...Read More
Tata Steel has reached an agreement with trade union FNV Metaal over its Dutch assets, bringing an end to 25 days of industrial action, the company said on Friday July 3.There will be no redundancies at Tata Steel at IJmuiden and the parent company will invest in site's upgrade, FNV said.In addition, an employment pact for the company's Dutch workers has been extended by five years until Octo...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday July 2 that are worth another look.European importers of long steel and hot-rolled coil have claimed that this week's definitive decision in the EU steel imports safeguard case review ignored the interests of independent buyers and focused protection only on steelmakers, market sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 1.Chilean...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday July 9 that are worth another look.In light of the recent turmoil in the oil market, the Fastmarkets research team has closely examined the correlations between the price of oil and the prices for ferrous scrap and finished steel products, to discover nuanced relationships and their changes over time.South Africa's government has...Read More
The BMW Group has signed a five-year cobalt supply deal with Moroccan mining company Managem Group covering around one-fifth of its needs for its latest electric drive trains, the company said. The German automotive company will source its remaining cobalt needs for the electric drive trains from Australia, it added.The ?,?100-million ($113-million) contract is for 2020-25 and follows a memorandum...Read More
The London Metal Exchange has released off-warrant stock data to the market in a bid to increase transparency of global metal availability. In an announcement on July 9, the exchange said it hopes by providing visibility to metal which may potentially be put on LME warrant in the future, the market will be able to trade on the basis of a more complete supply picture. The LME's new data, which is o...Read More
Offer prices on CIS-origin steel billet to foreign customers have surged upward toward the end of this week, supported by a recovery of demand in China, Fastmarkets heard on Thursday July 9.Chinese domestic rebar prices rose early in the week on restocking activity and a rise in futures, which resulted in a resumption of import activity in the billet sector.Chinese domestic billet has been traded...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday July 9 that are worth another look.In light of the recent turmoil in the oil market, the Fastmarkets research team has closely examined the correlations between the price of oil and the prices for ferrous scrap and finished steel products, to discover nuanced relationships and their changes over time.South Africa's government has...Read More
The London Metal Exchange is looking for ways to boost its options market, which has been struggling for some years to replicate the growth seen in the same sector among its peers.The exchange has launched a consultation, scheduled to end on July 29, on developing electronic options via a new trading platform while retaining its current inter-office options trading structure.Items up for discussio...Read More
The mining industry does a huge amount of good for local communities, to say nothing of its essential contribution to society through the materials it produces. Unfortunately, it all too often manages to give itself a bad name, worsening negative perceptions of the sector through accidents, spills and a failure to act as a steward of the environments in which it operates. In the past month alone,...Read More
The threat of Section 232 tariffs on aluminium imports from Canada into the United States has, like the great white shark following the Brody family in the universally panned film, 'Jaws: The Revenge,' returned - akin to a truly awful horror movie franchise. And that's how Neil Herrington, senior vice president for the Americas, US Chamber of Commerce, views reports that the US administration is c...Read More
The global nickel market continues to suffer a disconnect between on-exchange activity and market fundamentals, with the appetite for physical material distinctly lackluster, while speculative sights are set firmly on the electric vehicle (EV) battery revolution. Shanghai Futures Exchange nickel prices continue to be volatile despite stagnating stainless steel and EV demand for nickel because of t...Read More
The London Metal Exchange has released off-warrant stock data to the market in a bid to increase transparency of global metal availability. In an announcement on July 9, the exchange said it hopes by providing visibility to metal which may potentially be put on LME warrant in the future, the market will be able to trade on the basis of a more complete supply picture. The LME's new data, which is o...Read More
The three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Thursday July 9, continuing to test levels last seen in January despite a volatile forward curve, while nickel lost ground into the afternoon despite high turnover across the base-metals complex.Copper's outright price on the LME closed at $6,300 per tonne on Thursday afternoon, improving from an intrad...Read More
Movements in prices for seaborne iron ore were rangebound on Thursday July 9, with concerns coming to light over the limited port inventories of some low- and mid-grade iron ore fines brands, according to market participants.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $106.32 per tonne, down by $0.18 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $108.30 per tonne, up by $0.02 per ton...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Aluminium: Capped by oversupplyA lack of a meaningful supply adjustment to the Covid-19 demand hit is keeping the aluminium physical market oversupplied and weighing on prices, limiting the success of more buoyant macro and technical forces on prices. Our premium forecasts are under review in light of threats from the U...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Aluminium: Poised for a technical breakoutFears over a second wave of Covid-19 continue to grow, forcing prices of aluminium and the other base metals to take a pause. Our base-case scenario is that countries will respond more efficiently to contain the virus spread, so economic activity and metal demand should continue to r...Read More