US Midwest aluminium premiums have slumped in reaction to the ramifications of the spread of Covid-19. The US aluminium market has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and is expected to remain challenged for much of this year. The extent of the impact will depend upon factors including how long it will take for demand from the major end-use markets to recover and what the mills' supply response...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month lead price increased during morning trading on Monday May 11, with a fresh cancellation of some 14,025 tonnes prompting a 1.5% price incline, while steady buying allowed copper futures also to improve. LME lead's outright price was recently at $1,670 per tonne, climbing from an intra-morning low of $1,641 per tonne, while turnover was moderate with just over 1...Read More
Nickel briquettes will be allowed for delivery on the Shanghai Futures Exchange from October 16 for contracts for November delivery onwards, the Exchange announced on Friday May 8.The announcement, however, did not specify designated delivery warehouses or the rate of premium and discount applied to delivery warehouses at different locations, and will be separately specified an...Read More
The London Metal Exchange will not rush back into trading on the open outcry ring and is happy with the effectiveness of the current electronic pricing model, chief executive officer Matthew Chamberlain said."The LME will be adopting a very staged and cautious return to its office, given the effectiveness of our work at home practices," Chamberlain said, speaking in video format on May 7 on the LM...Read More
Sentiment in the Commonwealth of Independent States' (CIS) export billet market improved over the weekend amid ongoing demand from China as well as increasing scrap costs, sources said.Fastmarkets' daily steel billet index, export, fob Black Sea, CIS was $345 per tonne on May 11, up by $9 from Thursday May 7. Several cargoes of Ukraine-origin billet totaling 90,000 tonnes were sold to C...Read More
The value added tax (VAT) rate in Saudi Arabia will increase to 15% - from the current 5% - in effect from July 1, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Finance announced on Monday May 11.The country had initially imposed 5% VAT from January 1, 2018 alongside the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - forthe first time in the history of the two countries.Saudi Arabia's Ministry of...Read More
China imported around 1,820 tonnes of ferro-niobium in March, a drop of 43% from 3,200 tonnes over the corresponding period in March 2019, according to the latest official but unconfirmed data seen by Fastmarkets. China's imports of ferro-niobium started to fall in December 2019 when the volume slid to 2,915 tonnes from about 5,954 tonnes in the previous month. The total imported volume in th...Read More
Brazil's domestic rebar price fell slightly in the first week of May, with selective discounts applied to encourage trade, while individual states impose their own lockdown measures to combat the Covid-19 virus, sources told Fastmarkets.Despite this, market participants said they expected prices to stabilize in the coming months.Fastmarkets most recently assessed the price for steel reinforci...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices weakened on Monday May 11, with downstream buyers taking a wait-and-see approach following futures losses in the afternoon.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,480-3,510 yuan ($492-496) per tonne, down by 20-30 yuan per tonneA Shanghai-based trader said trading activity in the spot market thinned during the day in comparison with last week, with sentiment dampened by t...Read More
Turkish steel mills returned to the deep-sea scrap markets amid better domestic steel demand, causing prices to rise, while other major markets except Vietnam were largely stable during the working week ended Friday May 8.Turkish steel producers resume deep-sea bookings, prices upUS scrap export market silent; dock buying prices flatSentiment in the Vietnamese scrap import market positive due to i...Read More
Turkish steel producers have resumed their deep-sea scrap purchases at higher prices amid recovering demand in the country's local long steel markets, with further sales to Europe anticipated when the safeguarding quota period ends at the end of the June.A steel mill in the Izmir region booked a Baltic Sea cargo comprising 24,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $251.75 per tonne and 6,000 tonnes of b...Read More
Domestic scrap prices in the Turkish markets have increased over the past week amid a strengthening of demand, sources said on Monday May 11.The steel mills in the Izmir region have increased their buy prices for auto bundle scrap by 50-75 Turkish lira ($7-11) per tonne over the past week.Long steel mills ID?? and Habas raised their buy prices for auto bundle scrap to 1,590 lira ($224) per tonne,...Read More
Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices rebounded on Monday May 11, with Chinese buyers driving trading activity at the end of last week, resulting in market participants' estimates of workable prices also moving upward.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $113.97 per tonne, up by $3.54 per tonne.Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $120.87 per tonne, up by $4.60 per tonne.Ha...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices were largely stable on Monday May 11 amid slower port trading activity, while the market saw a solid premium for June delivery cargoes and good demand from Chinese mills. Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $88.61 per tonne, up $0.01 per tonne. 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $91.18 per tonne, up $0.26 per tonne. 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, c...Read More
Seaborne iron ore concentrate prices continued to fall in the week to Friday May 8, under the pressure from lower pellet prices and China's domestic concentrates market.Some sources noticed fewer offers from Indian miners for June delivery cargoes despite the slight drop in prices.Fastmarkets' index for iron ore 66% Fe concentrate, cfr Qingdao, stood at $93.35 per tonne on May 8, down 1.77% or $1....Read More
Fastmarkets will host a steel webinar with the Singapore Exchange (SGX) on Tuesday May 19 that covers the latest developments and outlook for the industry.The two-hour webinar from 3-5pm Singapore time will delve into price analyses and market outlook by Fastmarkets' editorial and research teams. These will include the impact of Covid-19 on steel supply chains, developments and the outlook for Chi...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices edged up on Monday May 11, but market participants are bracing themselves for a retreat as a result of thin trading.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,390-3,400 yuan ($479-481) per tonne, up 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,350 yuan per tonne, up 10 yuan per tonneSellers kept their offers high amid the relative strength of the futures market, b...Read More
Key data from the Friday May 8 pricing session in Shanghai.Key drivers Activity in the export market was sluggish with no deals concluded in the week ended May 8. Several inquiries received from buyers in East Asia and Southeast...Read More
Market participants in the United States who normally buy silicon have given up trying to sell their surplus metal and the price has settled into an academic range in a near total absence of spot trade while most automakers remain closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, sources told Fastmarkets.Some say producers are not lowering their offers because they do not believe that business will materialize...Read More
Trade log for cobalt sulfate in China including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets. Unless otherwise stated, all prices are yuan per tonne on an ex-works basis.Fastmarkets pricesClick here for Fastmarkets' price assessment for cobalt sulfate, Co 20.5% basis, China ex-works, yuan/tonne.The exchange rate on Friday May 8 was 43,000 yuan to $6,063.Read More