China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices fell on Wednesday April 15 with sentiment dampened by losses in the futures market, while exporters awaited opportunities to sell to overseas buyers after suppliers in other regions raised their offers.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,320-3,330 yuan ($471-472) per tonne, down 10-20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,220 yuan per tonne, narrowing d...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month aluminium price was the only metal to trade up from the previous day's close during the morning session on Wednesday April 15, with a 20,000-tonne fresh inflow of material failing to cap gains in its futures price. The LME three-month aluminium price was trading up a marginal $10 per tonne at $1,513.50 per tonne during morning trading from the $1,503.50-per-to...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for their latest price moves.Read More
Metals and wider markets are mixed this morning, Wednesday April 15, while traders brace for more economic and corporate data that will start to show the economic hit that the global economy has suffered. Banks in the United States started to report dismal earnings and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the global economy faces the biggest slowdown since the Great Depression of the...Read More
South Korea's two largest steelmakers plan to slash their intake of import scrap over the coming months amid weak finished steel demand, market sources have told Fastmarkets.Major steel producer Posco will halt its buying of import and domestic ferrous scrap for the next two months, according to four sources dealing in the South Korea scrap market. While overall steel demand is struggling in South...Read More
Metals prices are in limbo this morning, Thursday April 16, while participants weigh up the stark truth that the global economy is experiencing a slump in demand with the potential for a rebound given all the monetary and fiscal stimulus being thrown at economies around the world. The combination of poor data summed up by the United States’ Empire State manufacturing index falling to -78.2 in...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 16 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures moved higher following release of economic news at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for March U.S. Housing Starts was a drop to 1.307 million units from 1.599 million in February. Actual was 1.216 million. Consensus for the April Philly Fed Index was a drop to -30.00 from -12.7 in Ma...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday April 14 that are worth another look.Toyota Motor Corp has decided to again postpone the reopening of its automaking plants in Brazil by two months amid plunging demand and in order to prevent the Covid-19 virus from spreading among its workers, the company said on Monday April 13.The Covid-19 pandemic has inevitably drawn comparis...Read More
Aluminium premiums fell across the globe during the past week, on weakened demand due to Covid-19 lockdowns and a wider contango spread between cash and three-month contracts on the London Metal Exchange which is supportive to traders holding the metal.Rotterdam down amid smelters focusing on P1020A ingotsMJP premium steady on lower market liquidityUS Midwest hits lowest level since January 2018Eu...Read More
London Metal Exchange three-month base metals prices, with the exception of lead, continued their upward momentum at the close on Tuesday April 14, buoyed by positive China customs data and ebbing virus concerns in other regions, including the United States. China's trade balance figures for March, which measure the difference in value between imported and exported goods month on month, were annou...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday April 14 that are worth another look.Toyota Motor Corp has decided to again postpone the reopening of its automaking plants in Brazil by two months amid plunging demand and in order to prevent the Covid-19 virus from spreading among its workers, the company said on Monday April 13.The Covid-19 pandemic has inevitably drawn comparis...Read More
A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday April 14.Please click...Read More
The chrome ore market appreciated on Tuesday April 14 due to bullish price sentiment after South Africa's lockdown was extended beyond the original 21 days. The chrome ore UG2 index, cif China rose by 17.5% to $134 per tonne on Tuesday, after holding at $114 for the previous three weeks. A small-volume deal was reported close to the new index level for material on a vessel that was on water a...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday April 14 that are worth another look.Toyota Motor Corp has decided to again postpone the reopening of its automaking plants in Brazil by two months amid plunging demand and in order to prevent the Covid-19 virus from spreading among its workers, the company said on Monday April 13.The Covid-19 pandemic has inevitably drawn comparis...Read More
The uncertainties surrounding cobalt supply and demand in the near term amid the continuing Covid-19 pandemic has led more Chinese salts smelters to take on tolling business to mitigate risk.The virus has had an unprecedented effect on the global economy with manufacturing sectors around the world forced to slow in attempts to halt its spread, a dynamic which eventually dented buying interest for...Read More
Ferrous scrap prices in the Mexican steelmaking regions of Monterrey and Baj?-o were mostly unchanged week on week, but market participants anticipated a series of price cuts after the United States' monthly domestic scrap settlement for April.Some steel producers in Mexico's Baj?-o region announced a price cut of 200 pesos per tonne in scrap purchases for the ongoing week, after it became known t...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices increased again on Tuesday April 14 because of the limited supplies coming from Europe and the United States, sources told Fastmarkets.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a US cargo, comprising 15,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $257 per tonne, 12,000 tonnes of shredded at $262 per tonne and 3,000 tonnes of bonus at $267 per tonne cfr.Another steel mi...Read More
Turkish domestic ferrous-scrap prices have continued to increase during the week to Monday April 13, in line with rising imported steel-scrap values, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap, auto bundle scrap, domestic, delivered Turkey was 1,515-1,700 lira ($224-252) per tonne on Tuesday April 14, up from 1,380-1,515 lira per tonne last week.Steel producers a...Read More
Markets are looking brighter this morning Tuesday April 14, on a combination of more mining production cuts, a deal on an oil supply cut, better Chinese trade data that showed imports were only down by 0.9% year on year in March and some reopening of businesses in Europe. There is light at the end of the tunnel but it is early days in the plateauing of the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe and the Unite...Read More
The uncertainties surrounding cobalt supply and demand in the near term amid the continuing Covid-19 pandemic has led more Chinese salts smelters to take on tolling business to mitigate risk.The virus has had an unprecedented effect on the global economy with manufacturing sectors around the world forced to slow in attempts to halt its spread, a dynamic which eventually dented buying interest for...Read More