Gerdau has halted price increase attempts in Brazil amid market weakness because of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report by local investment bank Ita?? BBA from Sunday March 29.The company mainly produces long steel in the country, although it also makes some hot-rolled coil and heavy plate at its Ouro Branco mill in the south-eastern state of Minas Gerais.Domestic prices are currently at...Read More
Swedish steelmaker SSAB plans temporary worker layoffs at its operations in Finland, and consequently a reduction in output, in response to the downturn in the flat steel market resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, the company said on Monday March 30.SSAB has initiated negotiations with its employees on the proposed layoffs at its Finnish assets, the company said. The decision followed a drastic...Read More
ArcelorMittal has resumed operations at its long steel manufacturing sites in Luxembourg, where it stopped operations about a week ago because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the company said on Monday March 30."After days of suspended activity, ArcelorMittal decided to resume production at the Belval, Differdange and Rodange sites on Monday," the company said.It had been reported to have started closur...Read More
The lockdown in India has caused a variety of logistical issues resulting in imported scrap material becoming stranded at ports and leading to potentially large charges at a time when trading has come to a sudden halt, market sources have told Fastmarkets. On March 24, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the country would begin a 21-day lockdown period effective from midnight until...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices fell sharply for the third time in two weeks amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which has brought steel trade to a halt and led to closures or production cuts, sources said on Monday March 30.A steel mill in northern Turkey was heard booking a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising 9,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20), 14,000 tonnes of shredded and 3,000 tonnes of bonus at an averag...Read More
Global ferrous scrap prices continued to fall sharply in major markets during the working week from Monday March 23 to Friday March 27, because of the worsening Covid-19 pandemic.Turkish import prices slump furtherBuying prices down at US East Coast docksTaiwan import price at three-year lowIndian market collapses on lockdown order; price drops $44 per tonne.TurkeyPrices in the world's largest scr...Read More
Turkish domestic scrap prices have continued to fall in the past week, in line with the sharp downturn in imported scrap values due to the Covid-19 virus outbreak, sources said on Monday March 30.Imported scrap prices in the Turkish market plunged once again last week amid production cuts, closures and weak steel trade resulting from the global spread of the coronavirus.In response to the drop in...Read More
European Metal Recycling (EMR) has shut down part of its operations in the UK due to the Covid-19 virus outbreak, the company said on its website on Friday March 27.The closures took effect from Friday evening, the company said, but no dateline was given for the move. Many scrap suppliers in the UK are cutting production, with almost all scrap processing shuttered in Scotland and much of it in Eng...Read More
Algerian steelmakers Algerian Qatari Steel (AQS) and El-Hadjar Iron & Steel Complex have stopped crude steel production because of the Covid-19 pandemic, market sources told Fastmarkets on Friday March 27.The country's authorities have issued a decree calling on companies to reduce their non-essential workforces by at least 50% to limit the spread of the virus. The decree came into force on March...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices dropped closer to the $80-per-tonne level on Monday March 30 on plunging rebar prices in China and a negative outlook for downstream demand in April among some market participants. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $82.98 per tonne, down $3.38 per tonne 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $83.88 per tonne, down $3.14 per tone58% Fe fines high-grade...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices plummeted on Monday March 30, with steel mills - especially those outside China - expected to cut output in the second quarter. Fastmarkets IndicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $147.73 per tonne, down $5.71 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $155.54 per tonne, down $2.49 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $134.01 per tonne, down $5.88 per tonneHard...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices fell further on Monday 30 amid thin trading, while exporters have started to think twice about short-selling after mills announced plans to cut production.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,290-3,310 yuan ($464-466) per tonne, down 40 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,260 yuan per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonneThin trading in Shanghai forced sellers...Read More
China domestic rebar prices fell on Monday March 30 on pessimism over the recovery of demand in the country after its central bank cut the rate on seven-day reverse repurchase agreements by 20 basis points - the largest in nearly five years.Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,430-3,460 yuan ($483-488) per tonne, down 40 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,350-3,370 yuan per tonne, down 30 yuan per t...Read More
Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were down across the board at the close of morning trading on Monday March 30, with aluminium leading the complex lower with a fall of 2.1%.The weakness across the complex was primarily due to a loss of confidence among investors while the number of infections and deaths related to the Covid-19 pandemic continue to climb. This after sentiment had...Read More
Key pricing data from the pricing sessions in the United States, Europe and Asia for the week ended March 30.China The price narrowed, declining on reduced demand from overseas secondary aluminum plants and automakers, many of which have suspended operations to contain the spread of Covid-19. Chinese exporters stopped making offers, instead asked prospective...Read More
Maersk Line, the world's biggest container shipping company, will be suspending its North Europe (AE2) and Mediterranean (AE20) services on the Asia-Europe network during the second quarter of 2020. "Due to market demand reductions in Europe caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Maersk endeavors to balance our network to match reduced demand," the Danish carrier said in an advisory on Friday March...Read More
Ferro-vanadium prices continued to move down last week in Europe and China on weakening consumer demand due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on business operations. Measures imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus outside of China continues to pressure China's export price for ferro-vanadium, which ticked down for the second consecutive week on Thursday March 26. Fastmarkets assessed&...Read More
Major Japanese steelmaker JFE Steel is facing the prospect of recording zero profit for the year ending March 2020 for the first time in its history due to global economic tensions and rising raw materials prices, it warned on Friday March 27.This has led the company to plan to shut one blast furnace in its East Japan Works and restructure its remaining operations in Japan, it said.In brief JFE St...Read More
China's domestic prices for steel scrap decreased over the past week on bearish sentiment and destocking by sellers, market participants said. Fastmarkets' weekly assessment of steel scrap heavy scrap domestic, delivered mill China, was 2,530-2,660 yuan ($357-375) per tonne for the week ended March 27, down from 2,630-2,740 yuan per tonne a week earlier.Steel prices dropped over the past week lead...Read More
China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rebounded to 52 in March, after 35.7 in February, which means 52% of purchasing managers reported conditions were “better” in March than they were a month earlier. This has provided some support to the base metals this morning, Tuesday March 31.* Asian-Pacific equity indices and pre-market western futures were mixe...Read More