The impact of Covid-19 is undeniably huge. It continues to make its presence felt across all commodity markets, including the ferrous supply chain, from raw materials down to finished steel products. One significant impact that can be tracked closely through spot pricing is the increasing disarray in price correlations between various segments of the ferrous supply chain after the Covid-19 pandemi...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices fell on Tuesday April 28 amid lower buying interest following the weakness experienced in the futures market. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,400-3,430 yuan ($480-484) per tonne, down by 20 yuan per tonneTwo days of declines in the futures market this week led to lower buying interest in the spot market on Tuesday, sources said.Customers have cut their procuremen...Read More
The Turkish steel producers have again gone quiet in the deep-sea scrap markets despite the sharp decrease in prices seen at the beginning of this week, sources said on Tuesday April 28.After around 10 days of silence, a Turkish steel mill booked a Baltic Sea cargo on April 27 at $242 per tonne cfr for HMS 1&2 (80:20) and $252 per tonne cfr for bonus, which sent the daily scrap indices down by mor...Read More
Seaborne iron ore market prices fell on Tuesday April 28, following the momentum in the iron ore futures curve on the Dalian Commodity Exchange. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $82.20 per tonne, down $1.28 per tonne. 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $84.60 per tonne, down $0.90 per tonne. 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $71.97 per tonne, down $0.50 per t...Read More
BHP is consulting with relevant stakeholders on options to increase its licensed iron ore export capacity to over 290 million tonnes per year from Hedland, the shipping hub in Western Australia, it told Fastmarkets on Tuesday April 28.Tim Day, BHP acting asset president for Western Australia iron ore, said BHP's focus remains on reaching 290 million tonnes per year in the medium term, but improvem...Read More
Prices in the market for steel billet exports from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) continued to soften in late April, with some cargoes heard sold to customers in the Middle East with discounts.A large cargo of Ukraine-origin billet was reported sold to Saudi Arabia for around $360 per tonne cfr. According to various sources, the cost of freight would vary within the range of $20-25 p...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices fell on Tuesday April 28 amid lower buying interest following the weakness experienced in the futures market. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,400-3,430 yuan ($480-484) per tonne, down by 20 yuan per tonneTwo days of declines in the futures market this week led to lower buying interest in the spot market on Tuesday, sources said.Customers have cut their procuremen...Read More
The Indian silico-manganese export price and European domestic high-carbon ferro-manganese price rose in the past week amid tight alloy availability and hefty increases in the cost of ore. The silico-manganese 65% Mn min, min 16% Si, fob India price jumped by 13.5% to $1,000-1,100 per tonne in the week ended Friday April 24 from $900-950 per tonne on April 17. This is the assessment's highest...Read More
BHP is consulting with relevant stakeholders on options to increase its licensed iron ore export capacity to over 290 million tonnes per year from Hedland, the shipping hub in Western Australia, it told Fastmarkets on Tuesday April 28.Tim Day, BHP acting asset president for Western Australia iron ore, said BHP's focus remains on reaching 290 million tonnes per year in the medium term, but improvem...Read More
Chinese flat steel accounted for 63% of the 6.48 million tonnes of steel exported in March, with countries on short-sea routes the major buyers due to short delivery times and competitive prices. China's major steel exportsFlat steel: 4.09 million tonnes, up by 8.5% year on yearSteel bar: 1.01 million tonnes, down 16.7%Angles and sections: 400,000 tonnes, up 36.1%Steel wire rod: 18...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday April 28 that are worth another look.Swedish special steel producer Ovako has used hydrogen to heat steel before rolling for the first time, the company announced on April 28.Over the past month, Chinese importers have been keen to buy overseas copper scrap at more competitive prices, with scrap production shrunk by the effects of...Read More
A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday April 28.Please click...Read More
Rwanda has allowed some mines and exporters in the country to resume operations starting from Tuesday April 28, sources told Fastmarkets. Five of the 19 export organizations in the country in eastern Central Africa will be allowed to ship out material from today and 20 mines - including those producing tantalum, tungsten and tin - will be allowed to slowly resume operations. Ta...Read More
Domestic hot-rolled coil prices in Northern Europe moved down slightly day on day due to low demand, sources told Fastmarkets in Tuesday April 28.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was ?,?440.00 ($476.70) per tonne on Tuesday April 28, down by ?,?1 per tonne from ?,?441.00 per tonne on April 27.Tuesday's index was calculated based on official offers hear...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday April 28 that are worth another look.Swedish special steel producer Ovako has used hydrogen to heat steel before rolling for the first time, the company announced on April 28.Over the past month, Chinese importers have been keen to buy overseas copper scrap at more competitive prices, with scrap production shrunk by the effects of...Read More
The impact of Covid-19 is undeniably huge. It continues to make its presence felt across all commodity markets, including the ferrous supply chain, from raw materials down to finished steel products. One significant impact that can be tracked closely through spot pricing is the increasing disarray in price correlations between various segments of the ferrous supply chain after the Covid-19 pandemi...Read More
Upside momentum in London Metal Exchange base metals prices was capped during the afternoon session on Tuesday April 28 while pervading uncertainty across the complex left three-month prices mixed at the close. Some analysts suggested participants were waiting on the sidelines in anticipation of macro developments from virus-hit global economies including the United States, before committing to fu...Read More
Seaborne iron ore market prices fell on Tuesday April 28, following the momentum in the iron ore futures curve on the Dalian Commodity Exchange. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $82.20 per tonne, down $1.28 per tonne. 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $84.60 per tonne, down $0.90 per tonne. 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $71.97 per tonne, down $0.50 per t...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange consolidated during morning trading on Tuesday April 28, characterized by thin volumes and sideways trading, while a 7,300-tonne fresh cancellation from Asian locations bolstered copper's price incline. The LME three-month copper price was recently at $5,188 per tonne, inching up by 0.1% from an intra-morning low of $5,170 per tonne. Trading turnover...Read More
Ferro-alloys prices have generally retreated over the past month, with demand concerns gaining in prominence.The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Ferro-alloy pricing trends have generally diverged ove the past month, depending on the security of the supply-side position of the market. With most supply concerns fading with the resumption of industrial activity i...Read More