Hong Kong trading house Noble Group Holdings will close its base metals and rare earths trading desks as part of widespread board-mandated staffing cuts, informed sources told Fastmarkets. Noble's board is said to have agreed on a directive for a major cut to headcount across the business, with traders informed that they would be let go on Monday and Tuesday this week. "They are blaming Covid-19 b...Read More
Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were trading in positive territory at the close on Tuesday April 7, bolstered by reports that daily-reported Covid-19 cases were abating, giving rise to a spate of short-covering. Other market participants attributed today's gains to a risk-off rally induced by China's gradual return to market amid a fresh slew of supply disruptions to ke...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday April 7 that are worth another look.The second quarter of 2020 will be one of volume survival due to massive capacity cuts in scrap, billet and long steel products globally amid Easter and Ramadan holiday periods and during efforts to contain the coronavirus, the International Rebar Producers & Exporters Association (Irepas) said o...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday April 7 that are worth another look.The second quarter of 2020 will be one of volume survival due to massive capacity cuts in scrap, billet and long steel products globally amid Easter and Ramadan holiday periods and during efforts to contain the coronavirus, the International Rebar Producers & Exporters Association (Irepas) said o...Read More
Glencore-owned Mopani Copper Mines is to transition its operations to care-and-maintenance status from Wednesday April 8 but will continue to process on-site material at the associated Zambian smelter and refinery until further notice.Mopani cited the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic along with a weaker copper price for the decision, which it made after a number of meetings with government m...Read More
Hong Kong trading house Noble Group Holdings will close its base metals and rare earths trading desks as part of widespread board-mandated staffing cuts, informed sources told Fastmarkets. Noble's board is said to have agreed on a directive for a major cut to headcount across the business, with traders informed that they would be let go on Monday and Tuesday this week. "They are blaming Covid-19 b...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday April 7 that are worth another look.The second quarter of 2020 will be one of volume survival due to massive capacity cuts in scrap, billet and long steel products globally amid Easter and Ramadan holiday periods and during efforts to contain the coronavirus, the International Rebar Producers & Exporters Association (Irepas) said o...Read More
Hong Kong trading house Noble Group Holdings will close its base metals and rare earths trading desks as part of widespread board-mandated staffing cuts, informed sources told Fastmarkets. Noble's board is said to have agreed on a directive for a major cut to headcount across the business, with traders informed that they would be let go on Monday and Tuesday this week. "They are blaming Covid-19 b...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday April 7 that are worth another look.The second quarter of 2020 will be one of volume survival due to massive capacity cuts in scrap, billet and long steel products globally amid Easter and Ramadan holiday periods and during efforts to contain the coronavirus, the International Rebar Producers & Exporters Association (Irepas) said o...Read More
Prices for plate and structural scrap and for No1 busheling increased week on week in the Mexican steelmaking regions of Monterrey and Baj?-o, while other scrap grades remained stable because of reduced material generation and expectations about the April scrap trade in the United States.Fastmarkets' assessment of the steel scrap No1 heavy melt, consumer buying price, delivered mill Monterrey ...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices have gone up strongly, as expected, with news of fresh cargo deals, sources said on Tuesday April 7.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a European cargo, comprising 10,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (75:25) at $235 per tonne, 20,000 tonnes of shredded at $243 per tonne, 4,000 tonnes of a mixture of HMS 1 and plate and structural scrap (P&S) at $248 per tonne, a...Read More
First Quantum Minerals has put its Cobre Panama operation into care and maintenance following orders from the government to suspend activities to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mining and processing operations will be halted, but the company said it is expected that the port and power plant will continue operations to supply electrical power into the Panama national grid as well as t...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were up across the board this morning, Tuesday April 7, with gains averaging 1.2% and 1.4% respectively.Broader markets are in a firmer tone following a 7.7% rise in the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Monday and after this morning's announcement of a record breaking 108 trillion yen ($990 billion) stimulus package by Ja...Read More
Delivery and sales of electric vehicles (EVs) from leading EV manufacturer Tesla showed no sign of weakness despite the economic setbacks triggered by the global spread of Covid-19, according to preliminary data released by the company on Friday April 3.Tesla produced about 103,000 and delivered 88,400 EVs in the first three months of 2020. The figures show a year-on-year increase in production of...Read More
Import offer prices for hot-rolled coil in Europe have been moving downward, adding negative sentiment to the market, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday April 7.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was ?,?468.75 ($506.37) per tonne on Tuesday, down by ?,?4.25 per tonne day on day from ?,?473.00 per tonne on April 6.Tuesday's index was calculated based on...Read More
Flat steel import prices in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia were stable this week after the sharp fall last week, with the market very slow amid concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday April 7.Only one hot-rolled coil booking was heard, with nobody wanting to place new orders because of the current situation in around the world and sharply falling prices...Read More
Austrian steelmaking group Voestalpine has downgraded its outlook for business year 2019/20 - April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020 - because of the negative effects it expects the coronavirus to have both operationally and in terms of non-recurring effects, the company said on Tuesday April 7.The outbreak of Covid-19 has already hit the heart of the European economy, with widespread closures of car-man...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday April 7 that are worth another look.The second quarter of 2020 will be one of volume survival due to massive capacity cuts in scrap, billet and long steel products globally amid Easter and Ramadan holiday periods and during efforts to contain the coronavirus, the International Rebar Producers & Exporters Association (Irepas) said o...Read More
The second tranche of the European Union's steel product import quotas has reached the point where some have become exhausted. Fastmarkets looks at the progress of quota take-up country by country, and reviews the likely dates for exhaustion that were calculated at the end of 2019.BackgroundOn February 2, 2019, the European Commission (EC) imposed definitive safeguard measures on a list of importe...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Uncertainty and a near complete stop of economic activity in numerous countries around the world froze steel markets and seaborne trade. This has led to sharp price falls or created expectations that prices will drop as soon as markets reopen. The fast-moving nature of events made forecasting particularly challenging, and th...Read More