European producers of hot-rolled coil have achieved a transaction price increase supported by the lack of import offers and a degree of demand improvement, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 1.The definitive decision in the EU's safeguard measures review on June 30 will also support domestic prices, market sources said. The European Commission has decided to replace yearly country-specific...Read More
Domestic prices for steel mesh-quality wire rod in Europe were largely unchanged in most regions over the past week, supported by improving demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 1.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel wire rod (mesh-quality), domestic, delivered Southern Europe, remained at ?,?420-440 ($472-494) per tonne on Wednesday, stable week on week.The assessment was b...Read More
Domestic steel rebar prices have ticked upward in the south of Europe, supported by improved buying activity, but were steady in the north, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 1.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, delivered Southern Europe, was ?,?420-435 ($472-488) per tonne on July 1, compared with ?,?410-425 a week earlier.Italian producers i...Read More
The price of steel hollow sections in Europe moved up on Wednesday July 1, following feedstock price rises. Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe was ?,?550-560 ($617-628) per tonne on Wednesday, up from ?,?535-550 per tonne a week earlier. The price rise came after producers of hot-rolled coil, the feedstock material for sections, anno...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday July 1 that are worth another look.Brazilian iron ore pellet producer Samarco is on schedule to resume operations by the end of 2020 despite health and safety measures taken to prevent Covid-19 from spreading among workers, the company told Fastmarkets on July 1.Industry associations up and down the steel and metals supply chain...Read More
Brazilian iron ore export volumes increased by 1.3% year on year in June, according to figures released by the country's economy ministry on Wednesday July 1.Shipment volumes totaled 30.05 million tonnes last month, compared with 29.66 million tonnes in June 2019.Exports also rose by 40% from May's total of 21.5 million tonnes.In May, there were concerns about the supply of iron...Read More
Turkish steel producers have resumed their deep-sea scrap purchases for August shipments after achieving lower prices, sources said on Wednesday July 1.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a US cargo, comprising 16,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $256 per tonne, 6,000 tonnes of shredded at $261 per tonne and 8,000 tonnes of plate and structural scrap (P&S) at $266 per tonne cfr. The cargo...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The latest forecast of global oil country tubular goods (OCTG) consumption paints a stark picture of the slowdown in demand from the energy industry in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent oil and gas retreat.For 2020, total global consumption is expected to amount to 13.2 million tonnes, a decline of nearly 3.5...Read More
Brazilian iron ore export volumes increased by 1.3% year on year in June, according to figures released by the country's economy ministry on Wednesday July 1.Shipment volumes totaled 30.05 million tonnes last month, compared with 29.66 million tonnes in June 2019.Exports also rose by 40% from May's total of 21.5 million tonnes.In May, there were concerns about the supply of iron...Read More
Industry associations up and down the steel and metals supply chain applauded the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade pact going into effect on Wednesday July 1.The update to the North American Free Trade Agreement - which previously governed trade between the three nations - should increase demand while also assuring that essential cross-border supply chains remain intact, the Ame...Read More
China will ban the import of all solid waste from 2021 for environmental reasons, but ferrous scrap will not be affected by the move.Well-placed sources with deep knowledge of government policy told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 1 that the ban - announced by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment a day earlier - does not affect imports of the steelmaking raw material.Import restrictions imposed s...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday July 1 that are worth another look.Brazilian iron ore pellet producer Samarco is on schedule to resume operations by the end of 2020 despite health and safety measures taken to prevent Covid-19 from spreading among workers, the company told Fastmarkets on July 1.Industry associations up and down the steel and metals supply chain...Read More
Spot availability for cobalt hydroxide remained tight in late June, with many suppliers sold out for July cargoes and taking time to gauge how much material they will be able to offer in August amid shipment uncertainties from South Africa, sources told Fastmarkets this week.Fastmarkets' cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China stood at 65-67% on Wednesday July 1, unchanged since...Read More
Brazilian iron ore export volumes increased by 1.3% year on year in June, according to figures released by the country's economy ministry on Wednesday July 1.Shipment volumes totaled 30.05 million tonnes last month, compared with 29.66 million tonnes in June 2019.Exports also rose by 40% from May's total of 21.5 million tonnes.In May, there were concerns about the supply of iron...Read More
Tariffs on low-carbon aluminium imports into the European Union should be eliminated to help power the region's Covid-19 recovery package and climate transition strategy, according to the chairman of En+ Group. Warning against the widespread use of high-carbon metals, Lord Gregory Barker said the removal of tariffs would be an urgent measure that can help European manufacturers grow a global marke...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday July 1 that are worth another look.Brazilian iron ore pellet producer Samarco is on schedule to resume operations by the end of 2020 despite health and safety measures taken to prevent Covid-19 from spreading among workers, the company told Fastmarkets on July 1.Industry associations up and down the steel and metals supply chain...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 London Metal Exchange recently reiterated its willingness to facilitate spot trading of low carbon aluminium. While not a new concept for the exchange, it would serve two important purposes. First, it would provide more transparent, digitalized data on the specification of its aluminium brands and determine whether people are actually paying more for low carbon metal. Second, it would pro...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month copper price was slightly higher at the close on Wednesday July 1, with high turnover and strong demand from Asia keeping price action firmly above nearby support levels, while lead futures lagged behind over the day. LME copper's outright price closed at $6,061 per tonne on Wednesday, climbing from an intraday low of $5,995 per tonne, while daily turnover bre...Read More