The price for flat-rolled steel imported into South American main destinations has edged downward week on week, with Chinese offers remaining steady, while material from other origins was presented at lower prices.Demand was recovering at a slower pace than expected after the restrictions imposed to prevent the Covid-19 pandemic from spreading, according to market participants.While some Peruvian...Read More
Prices in the Turkish domestic market for hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG) and color-coated coil decreased in the week to Friday June 26, with demand moderate, sources have told Fastmarkets.And the export market was weak because of the high prices offered by Turkish mills.The reason for the fall in the domestic prices for coated flat steel was the decline in the price for hot-rolled coil, which is...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Depending on which market one looks at, prices of coated steels have either risen, fallen or remained roughly the same since mid-May. One crucial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic that has swept the world this year is the decoupling it appears to have created between global steel markets.In China, prices of most steel products...Read More
Domestic prices for steel rebar in Poland stabilized in the week to Friday June 26, after an increase the previous week, amid moderate buying activity, source told Fastmarkets.Trading activity in Poland's rebar market was supported by strong demand from the construction sector this week, sources said."Demand is a bit slower than last week, but still rather good. Construction is still performing we...Read More
The import price for pig iron in China was likely to have reached its peak during the week ended Friday June 26, causing a pause in price growth in the global market, Fastmarkets has heard."The Chinese market is quiet for holidays [on June 25-26], so it's better to wait and see how trade will go after the Dragon Boat Festival," one international trader said. "For the moment, it seems that prices h...Read More
The price of austenitic stainless steel scrap in the European domestic market moved slightly higher this week because of tight supply, despite low demand from mills and lower nickel costs, Fastmarkets heard on Friday June 26.Traders had by this week settled their terms with stainless steel mills for July, and in some cases had secured slightly lower nickel discounts - when traders sell to mills, t...Read More
The inter-merchant spot price for light iron scrap in the UK was unchanged in the week to Friday June 26, continuing the stability seen last week amid low-key but steady trading and little change in export prices, trade sources said.There was also some market expectation that monthly delivery settlement prices would be rolled over after the conclusion of negotiations due to start next week.Trade s...Read More
Indian local secondary billet prices increased by 300 rupees per tonne week-on-week on Friday June 26 on improved demand from sustained buying by makers of finished steel products.The price of steel billet, domestic, ex-works India, was assessed by Fastmarkets on June 26 up by 300 rupees per tonne to 27,600-27,800 rupees ($366-369) per tonne, compared with last week's assessment at 27,300-27,500 r...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia, Europe and the United States during the week ending Friday June 26. China The domestic market was propelled higher by continued tight availability, with increased spot demand from mill restocking ahead of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday on June 25-27.Export prices followed the domestic market up, despite major suppliers admitting...Read More
Striking workers have put all industrial action at Tata Steel IJmuiden on hold until Friday June 26 to negotiate with management, Dutch trade union FNV Metaal said this week. All industrial action at Tata Steel IJmuiden has been temporarily stopped until Friday 1 pm local time after the company invited unions to the negotiation table, FNV said on Wednesday. "Due to the pressure of the strikes, the...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday June 23 that are worth another look.A recent resurgence of Covid-19 infections in Beijing led to some jitters in China's steel sector in the initial stages of the outbreak, but market participants do not expect this second wave to leave much of an impact on the industry.The aluminium duty-paid market in Europe is set to come under...Read More
Sales of passenger cars in the EU will fall by 25% year on year in the full 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Automotive Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said on Tuesday June 23.The major economic crisis facing the auto industry will see car sales in the European Union tumble by more than 3 million units, with only 9.6 million units expected to be sold this year, compar...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for their latest price moves.Read More
One year on from taking Nyrstar private, Trafigura chief financial officer Christophe Salmon says the trading firm "made the right choice" by committing $2.9 billion in capital doing so.In a wide-ranging interview with Fastmarkets, Salmon and Nyrstar chief executive officer Daniel Vanin discussed investment, cost reduction and plans of the company, which is the world's second-largest zinc and lead...Read More
The import price for pig iron in China was likely to have reached its peak during the week ended Friday June 26, causing a pause in price growth in the global market, Fastmarkets has heard."The Chinese market is quiet for holidays [on June 25-26], so it's better to wait and see how trade will go after the Dragon Boat Festival," one international trader said. "For the moment, it seems that prices h...Read More
The LME three-month aluminium price was the standout performer on Friday June 26, breaching nearby resistance despite limited turnover, while a steady rise in LME copper futures prompted a tightening of the red metal's forward curve.Aluminium's outright price on the LME closed at $1,601.50 per tonne on Friday afternoon, climbing from an intraday low of $1,571 per tonne, while turnover was lower th...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 LME three-month aluminium price was the standout performer on Friday June 26, breaching nearby resistance despite limited turnover, while a steady rise in LME copper futures prompted a tightening of the red metal's forward curve.Aluminium's outright price on the LME closed at $1,601.50 per tonne on Friday afternoon, climbing from an intraday low of $1,571 per tonne, while turnover was lower th...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange was higher during morning trading on Friday June 26, topping gains across the complex despite thin turnover, while the ongoing drawdown of LME lead stocks saw the heavy metal's underlying price stay elevated.Nickel's outright price on the LME was recently seen at $12,665 per tonne, more than 1.5% higher than Thursday's closing price of $12,...Read More
Markets were mainly firmer this morning, Friday June 26, with the base metals up across the board and most Asian-Pacific equities indices showing gains, while gold prices were consolidating - all of which suggesting a slight risk-on sentiment.Pre-market major European equity index futures were up by around 0.7%, following gains in the United States on Thursday.Global trade dropped by 12.1% in Apri...Read More