U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 28 points in pre-opening trade. The Canadian Dollar was virtually unchanged at U.S. 71.30 following release of March Canadian Housing Starts report at 8:15 AM EDT. Consensus was a drop to 180,000 from 210,100 units in February. Actual was 195,200 unitsGeneral Motors added $0.19 to $21.49 despite a downgrade by Deutsche...Read More
Vehicle production in Brazil fell by 21.1% year on year in March due to lockdowns introduced to contain the Covid-19 pandemic in the last 15 days of the month, car manufacturer association Anfavea said on Monday April 6. Output was 189,958 units during the month, compared with 240,763 units a year before. Production also fell by 7% in comparison with February data, which was 204,200 units. Over th...Read More
Moon Iron and Steel (Misco) started production of billet at its facility in Sohar, Oman in the week starting March 30, sources close to the company told Fastmarkets.Misco has an electric arc furnace, ladle furnace and a five-strand continuous billet caster with a production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per year.The company will also...Read More
The price of steel rebar in Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow declined over the past week with trading limited by concerns related to the Covid-19 pandemic, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday April 6.Last week, Severstal and Tula Steel, key suppliers to the region, tried to push rebar prices to 36,000 roubles per tonne cpt, citing better seasonal demand.Rebar demand in Russia slows i...Read More
British Steel is adjusting and pausing production at various sites due to a drop in demand, the company said on Friday April 3. British Steel chief executive Ron Deelen detailed some of the actions the company had taken during the Covid-19 virus outbreak, which included reducing production at various sites. "As we manage the internal and external challenges coronavirus brings, we'll take decisive...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices have started to rebound on tightening supply, although no transactions have been made, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday April 6.Several sources reported a Baltic Sea offer at $240 per tonne cfr for HMS 1&2 (80:20), while mills' bids were no higher than $220 per tonne.The most recent deep-sea transactions were heard at the start of last week and put the HMS 1&...Read More
The Turkish domestic scrap market was stable over the past week but prices are expected to increase soon due to tightening supply, sources said on Monday April 6.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap, auto bundle scrap, domestic, delivered Turkey, was 1,380-1,515 lira ($206-226) per tonne on Monday, unchanged week on week.Long and flat steelmaker ??olakoglu maintained its buy price...Read More
Global ferrous scrap prices continued to move downward in the week ended Friday April 3, with reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic responsible for further lockdowns around the world, bringing trading to a halt in key export markets.Turkish import prices plungeUS export market pausesTaiwan import price dips on lower demandTrading remains at a halt in India.TurkeyPrices for scrap imported into Turkey f...Read More
Demand for slab originating from the Commonwealth of Independent States came from China only during the week to Monday April 6, as activity in other outlets was disrupted due to the effects of Covid-19 pandemic.A 40,000-tonne cargo of Russia-origin slab to be shipped from the port of Saint Petersburg was reported sold to China at $347 per tonne cfr. Another mill sold a 50,000-tonne cargo to the sa...Read More
Moon Iron and Steel (Misco) started production of billet at its facility in Sohar, Oman in the week starting March 30, sources close to the company told Fastmarkets.Misco has an electric arc furnace, ladle furnace and a five-strand continuous billet caster with a production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per year.The company will also...Read More
Prices in the major global steel billet markets continued to soften in the week to Friday April 3 due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.Lack of demand for finished steel products, together with continuing uncertainty about how long the disruptions will last, were the major reasons for the negative sentiment.Even in China, which has been one of the main billet buyers recently, demand was expe...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday April 6 that are worth another look.Italian stainless steelmaker Acciai Speciali Terni (AST) has resumed production, following a week of downtime in response to the coronavirus pandemic, sources told Fastmarkets on April 6.The Covid-19 pandemic may have just sealed the fate of already-struggling aluminium smelting capacity.Chile's s...Read More
The European high-carbon ferro-chrome market cemented its recovery over the past week, with industry sources reporting higher spot prices amid supply worries from South Africa and India, both of which are on multi-week lockdowns. The low-phosphorous price also ticked up week on week, as did Turkish lumpy chrome ore, while the UG2 index to China remained flat. Sources attributed the price rises to...Read More
Vehicle production in Brazil fell by 21.1% year on year in March due to lockdowns introduced to contain the Covid-19 pandemic in the last 15 days of the month, car manufacturer association Anfavea said on Monday April 6. Output was 189,958 units during the month, compared with 240,763 units a year before. Production also fell by 7% in comparison with February data, which was 204,200 units. Over th...Read More
Moon Iron and Steel (Misco) started production of billet at its facility in Sohar, Oman in the week starting March 30, sources close to the company told Fastmarkets.Misco has an electric arc furnace, ladle furnace and a five-strand continuous billet caster with a production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per year.The company will also...Read More
Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez has urged the Spanish parliament to extend the country's lockdown to April 25 to curb the spread of Covid-19, which would mean the country's steel industry continuing to operate at reduced rates, Fastmarkets heard on Monday April 6. On Saturday April 4 Pedro Sanchezsaid thelockdown in Spain should be extended through to April 25 to overcome the disease, discard...Read More
Vehicle production in Brazil fell by 21.1% year on year in March due to lockdowns introduced to contain the Covid-19 pandemic in the last 15 days of the month, car manufacturer association Anfavea said on Monday April 6. Output was 189,958 units during the month, compared with 240,763 units a year before. Production also fell by 7% in comparison with February data, which was 204,200 units. Over th...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday April 6 that are worth another look.Italian stainless steelmaker Acciai Speciali Terni (AST) has resumed production, following a week of downtime in response to the coronavirus pandemic, sources told Fastmarkets on April 6.The Covid-19 pandemic may have just sealed the fate of already-struggling aluminium smelting capacity.Chile's s...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe have been fairly stable day on day in a slow market, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday April 6.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was ?,?473.00 ($510.96) per tonne on Monday, up by ?,?3 per tonne from ?,?470.00 per tonne on April 3.Monday's index was calculated based on deals, offers and "achievable...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month tin price closed trading higher on Monday April 6, with thin volumes across the complex allowing it capture the bulk of price gains, while aluminium entering LME warehouses put the light metal under pressure. LME tin's underlying price closed at $14,280 per tonne on Monday afternoon, climbing from an intraday low of $14,140 per tonne, while just 188 lots of ti...Read More