Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday April 30 that are worth another look.Indian steel mills are unlikely to cut domestic hot rolled coil prices for sales in May, private mill sources in the country told Fastmarkets this week.ABN AMRO Bank has filed a claim against China's largest private copper smelter Dongying Fangyuan, according to a court document seen by Fastmar...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices have fared relatively well over the past couple of months in the face of the threat from the Covid-19 pandemic.In grade-304 material, the most common grade of stainless steel, prices were down by about 5-7% since the turn of the year - not bad, when compared with the falls in prices of other assets so f...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market was almost silent again on Thursday April 30, with mills expecting even lower prices, sources told Fastmarkets.Overall demand for deep-sea scrap remains poor because of lower steel output and weak demand for finished steel, due to the measures put in place to curb the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak.At least six steelmakers have halted produc...Read More
Buying activity for ferrous scrap cargoes imported into South Korea has increased over the past week, with steelmakers looking to acquire Japanese material, market sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday April 30.South Korean scrap demand has not held up over recent months. The spread of the Covid-19 pandemic across the country has seriously reduced high-grade steel demand and even led to major produ...Read More
Prices for ferrous scrap imports into Bangladesh declined over the past week with buying activity held back by high stocks of material as well as the start of the Islamic celebration of Ramadan, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday April 30.Prices in the Bangladesh market had been strong since the start of April, with higher offer prices from the US West Coast due to the low supply of material, to...Read More
A summary of Russian multi-metal miner Nornickel's production results for the first quarter of 2020. In brief: Despite a drop in base metals production in the first quarter of 2020, company chief executive officer Sergey Dyachenko said the Covid-19 outbreak has not had any adverse material impact on the company's operating results so far. The company's copper output decreased 9% year on...Read More
Base metals prices and global equity indices were holding up in high ground this morning, Thursday April 30, helped by the US Federal Open Market Committee's message of continued support, an expansion in manufacturing activity at China's larger factories, a stronger oil price and because state-sponsored inventory buying in China bodes well for the metals. Asian-Pacific and pre-market major western...Read More
A summary of US-based electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Tesla's financial results for the first quarter of 2020.In brief Total revenues up by 32% year-on-year, which represents the best-ever first quarter for the company, in terms of both production and deliveries, despite a seasonally slower first quarter and the effect of lower EV deliveries by the end of March due to the global spread of Covid...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday April 30 that are worth another look.Indian steel mills are unlikely to cut domestic hot rolled coil prices for sales in May, private mill sources in the country told Fastmarkets this week.ABN AMRO Bank has filed a claim against China's largest private copper smelter Dongying Fangyuan, according to a court document seen by Fastmar...Read More
Cold-rolled coil pushed up in Turkey's domestic market in the week to Thursday April 30, after a combination of Covid-19-related shutdowns, Ramadan and national holidays led to a shortage of hot rolled coil.CRC prices increased this week, with some Turkish mills offering CRC at $520-530 per tonne ex-works, up from $515-520 per tonne ex-works because of the HRC shortage.Overall demand for flat...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Oversupply to persist in North America as demand slumpsPrices for welded oil country tubular goods (OCTG) and linepipe weakened further in April nearing historical lows, and there may be room for further pipe price retreat through the second quarter. Supply of ERW OCTG and line pipe is expected to continue to outpace demand f...Read More
Domestic steel beam prices in the United States slipped in April on weaker demand and price reductions by mills, while import prices edged slightly higher in the face of collapsing demand due to foreign mills resisting price cuts. Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for steel beams 8 x 8-inch, fob mill US fell to $35.25 per hundredweight ($705 per short ton) on Thursday April 30, down by $1.25 (...Read More
A summary of the financial results for Turkey's largest steelmaking group, Erdemir, for January-March 2020.In briefEarnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda)1,068,037,000 Turkish lira ($153.07 million*), down by 38.36% from 1,732,790,000 lira in January-March 2019.Q1 2020 production, salesCrude steel production2.232 million...Read More
The Russian Steel Association has called for equal access to the country's railway infrastructure so that its members can export goods to eastern destinations, according to a local news report published earlier this week.Russian Steel unites the country's largest mining and steel companies.It filed an appeal to Russia's first deputy prime minister, Andrei Belousov, asking him to ensure that there...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The first quarter continued the 2019 trend for China to actively import relatively cheap metallics and semi-finished steel, but can this be sustained? The answer to this question will come down to the price-competitiveness of the products, we believe. One additional incentive to continue to import metallics this year compare...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market was almost silent again on Thursday April 30, with mills expecting even lower prices, sources told Fastmarkets.Overall demand for deep-sea scrap remains poor because of lower steel output and weak demand for finished steel, due to the measures put in place to curb the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak.At least six steelmakers have halted produc...Read More
Prices in the seaborne iron ore market continued to gain ground on Thursday April 30, in line with higher futures curves for steel rebar, but trading activity in the seaborne and Chinese portside markets slowed down before China's Labor Day holiday on May 1.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $84.04 per tonne, up by $1.54 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $86.70 p...Read More
Turkish import prices for steel billet have gone down over the past week on falling imported scrap values and weak demand, sources said on Thursday April 30.After about 10 days of silence in the deep-sea scrap import markets, one Turkish steel mill booked a Baltic Sea cargo on April 27 at $242 per tonne cfr for 26,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) and $252 per tonne cfr for 4,000 tonnes of bonus scrap...Read More
Prices in Southeast Asia's steel billet market sank in the week to Thursday April 30 amid market participants' concerns over a growing number of cargoes being offered in the spot market despite sluggish buying interest, Fastmarkets heard.The regulations imposed to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus continued to weigh on steel demand and prices over the assessment week, sources told Fastmarkets....Read More
China's domestic rebar prices increased slightly on Thursday April 30 on rising futures following the release of the latest steel purchasing managers' index (PMI).Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,410-3,440 yuan ($481-486) per tonne, up by 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing) - weekly assessment: 3,390-3,440 yuan per tonne, down by 30 yuan per tonne from last FridayChina's steel PMI for Ap...Read More