Turkish steel mills are continuing to book deep-sea scrap at higher prices, market participants told Fastmarkets on Thursday October 14.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a US cargo at $486 per tonne cfr on an HMS 1&2 (80:20) basis. However, the cargo composition was not clear at the time of publication.The previous deep-sea transactions, on Wednesday October 13, were concluded at $480 p...Read More
Bullish sentiment on Thursday October 14, driven by Nyrstar's announcement of production cuts, has pushed the zinc price on the Shanghai Futures Exchange to its highest level since 2019.The SHFE November zinc price surged to its daily upward limit (4%) and finally closed at 25,700 yuan ($3,994) per tonne on Thursday.The surge came after the major zinc producer Nyrstar announced that it would be cu...Read More
European distributors of flat steel products reported a minor year-on-year increase in shipment volumes for August 2021, regional steel industry association Eurometal said on October 13.Growth in shipment volumes slowed to 0.5% in August from a rise of 3.4% in July and of 24.3% in June.In the first eight months of 2021, flat steel shipments in the European Union and the United Kingdom increased by...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were up at the 5pm close of trading on Thursday October 14 on a weaker US Dollar Index, and continuing power supply issues that were squeezing metal supply."Chinese factory-gate pricing in September may have grown at its fastest pace in 26 years, adding to the 'stagflation' growth threats moving down the line. But in the here and now, power and suppl...Read More
The EU and its member states must do more to assist domestic metals producers after the European Commission this week issued its "toolbox" to tackle a surge in energy prices that was forecast to last through the coming winter, according to regional non-ferrous metals industry body Eurometaux.The EC on Wednesday October 13 proposed short-term national measures that would include state aid for compa...Read More
Brazil-based multi-metal producer Nexa Resources has received an operating license for its Aripuan?? zinc-lead-copper project in Brazil, with commercial output scheduled to start next year, the company said on Wednesday October 13.According to Nexa, the license was granted by the Mato Grosso state environmental secretariat, Sema, on October 7. Mato Grosso is a state in the Brazilian midwestern reg...Read More
There was a mixed outcome in settlement negotiations for domestic steel scrap deliveries to UK steelmakers in October, with suppliers resisting downward pressure from consumers because of firm export markets, trade sources said on Thursday October 14.Scrap suppliers won increases across the board for low residual and clean grades of scrap, with rollovers agreed in contracts for other grades assess...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe and Italy remained fairly stable on Thursday October 14 due to limited trading activity, sources have told Fastmarkets.European mills have been trading reduced volumes of coil and mainly holding back from making big deals. Prices have been under downward pressure from weak automotive sector demand, high stock levels at distributors and substan...Read More
Prices for imported basic pig iron into China increased over the past fortnight amid a shortage of material available from sellers, market sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday October 14. Significant volumes of pig iron sold from the CIS to China in recent months have led to reduced availability for fresh cargoes from the region.A limited number of offers for CIS-origin pig iron were heard in the...Read More
Turkish billet prices increased during the week ended October 14 because of the upturn in imported scrap costs, market participants told Fastmarkets.Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices have increased in the past week due to limited supply and firm demand. The most recent deep-sea scrap import trade was reported on Wednesday October 13, when a steel mill in the Izmir region paid $480 per tonne cfr...Read More
Imported billet prices into Egypt increased in the week to Thursday October 14, but appetite for imports was still weak because of the "Advance Cargo Information" system (ACI), sources told Fastmarkets.The ACI system has been in effect since October 1 for all imports to Egyptian seaports. ACI is a World Customs Organization protocol that provides real-time information on transactions and operation...Read More
Iranian exporters sold significant quantities of steel billet and slab via tender in the week to Wednesday October 13, achieving small, but firm price increases on the deals, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel billet, export, fob ports Iran increased to $640.00-642.50 per tonne fob on October 13, up by $2.50-5.00 per tonne from $635-640 per tonne fob a week earlier.On...Read More
Mexican integrated steelmaker Altos Hornos de M?(C)xico (Ahmsa) has announced measures intended to reduce its consumption of natural gas after an increase in global prices.The company did not say whether the measure would affect its steel production, but it planned to gradually replace natural gas with gas generated in the steelmaking process.Ahmsa is a major steel producer and ferrous scrap consu...Read More
Offer prices for deep-sea cargoes in Bangladesh jumped in the week ended October 14 amid bullish sentiment from United States sellers and good scrap demand in competing Asian import nations, sources told Fastmarkets.Bangladeshi mills hit by strong offer pricesSouth Korean mill issues scrap import tenderTaiwanese containerized prices continue to increaseElectricity rationing sours sentiment in Chin...Read More
Regulation has been an important driver for the push toward clean energy technologies but industry has accelerated this mindset, the chief executive officer of Nth Cycle said.According to Megan O'Connor, the past several administrations in the United States have prioritized establishing a domestic supply of critical minerals used to power the energy transition. "Whether rare earths for critical de...Read More
The EU and its member states must do more to assist domestic metals producers after the European Commission this week issued its "toolbox" to tackle a surge in energy prices that was forecast to last through the coming winter, according to regional non-ferrous metals industry body Eurometaux.The EC on Wednesday October 13 proposed short-term national measures that would include state aid for compa...Read More
Diversified miner South32 is to buy a 45% interest in the Sierra Gorda copper mine in Chile from Sumitomo Metal Mining, the Australian company said on Thursday October 14.The acquisition is consistent with its strategy to reshape South32's portfolio for a low-carbon future, it said, producing materials critical for global decarbonization and the energy transition.Sierra Gorda, located in the Antof...Read More
Indian hot-rolled coil export prices have increased by about $15-25 per tonne in the week to Thursday October 14 because of strong domestic demand, Fastmarkets has heard.Mills this week have concluded HRC export bookings at prices in the range of $860-870 per tonne fob, mainly to destinations in the Middle East. This was about $15-25 per tonne higher compared with previous bookings in the range of...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices rose on Thursday October 14 amid active trading activity in the spot market and at Chinese ports because of a slight increase in buying interest, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $125.91 per tonne, up by $1.74 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $127.60 per tonne, up by $2.51 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premiu...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday October 14 that are worth another look.Rio Tinto will test the use of biomass in place of coking coal in the steelmaking process in a small-scale pilot plant, in an attempt to cut the industry's carbon emissions through the use of...Read More