Seaborne coking coal prices were stable on Wednesday March 4, with trading activity muted in the spot market.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $162.75 per tonne, up $0.36 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $175.86 per tonne, up $2.44 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $145.01 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $156.50 per tonne, unchangedSeabor...Read More
Nickel premiums in China, the United States and Europe held firm in the week to Tuesday March 3, tempered by a lack of liquidity in all regions over the period.China premiums stabilized while the import arbitrage window remained firmly closedLiquidity dried up in the US - where spot trade had previously been enlivened - keeping premiums unchangedEuropean premiums held at low levels, unperturbed by...Read More
Copper has attempted to rebound since early September following a marked sell-off in the summer months where macro and fundamental forces have been prevalent.On the macro front, copper has benefited from a slight easing in US-China trade tensions and more monetary policy easing across the globe - including China, where copper consumption is the most exposed - that has shored up investor sentiment....Read More
The prices of mesh-quality wire rod in the European domestic markets have widened downward slightly over the past seven days amid competition among sellers, Fastmarkets heard on Wednesday March 4.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel wire rod (mesh-quality), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?455-470 ($507-524) per tonne on March 4, down by ?,?5 per tonne on the low end.The corre...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe were expected to remain largely stable over the week, supported by a lack of competitive import offers and good order books at domestic steelmakers, market sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday March 4.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, ex-works Northern Europe, was ?,?484.55 ($540.04) per tonne on March 4, up by only ?,...Read More
The stainless steel scrap market in the United States is not on sound footing while dealers and processors battle against a shrinking supply chain, Fastmarkets understands."Supply issues remain the key factor for stainless prices," one major dealer said, adding that the level of uncertainty had increased with the growing concerns surrounding the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and Covi...Read More
Conversations at Fastmarkets' International Copper Conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on February 26-28 revolved around the impact of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) on copper production and procurement chain, as well as logistics disruptions. Coronavirus spreads to Europe The event made use of technology to enable panelists from Italy's KME, Germany's Aurubis and China's Jiangxi Copper t...Read More
For key market participants in Europe's struggling copper industry, the coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemic further limiting demand for products was the last thing they needed.Europe, typically, consumes 16% of all global refined copper, but endured a torrid 2019 when demand for the metal dropped significantly in several major economies.A reduced need for copper in the continent shaves yet more units...Read More
Premiums for lead went down in the United States over the week to Tuesday March 3 and have shown mixed fortunes globally, with opportunistic buying in India at prices lower than those available on the London Metal Exchange, albeit at reduced premium levels.Spot premiums for secondary lead in US drop to lowest since December 2016 Backwardation on LME lead contract persists Zinc premiums stable, tho...Read More
Market participants avoided sending aluminium from Southeast Asia to the United States due to weak aluminium prices on the London Metal Exchange and premiums in the US Midwest. Fastmarkets' aluminium P1020A premium, ddp US Midwest averaged $313.81 per tonne (15 cents per lb) at the midpoint in February, down from $328.24 per tonne the month before. The LME aluminium cash price traded at...Read More
Hot-rolled coil pricing in the United States was largely steady at around $30 per hundredweight following a series of producer price increases last week. Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US ended Wednesday March 4 at $30.08 per hundredweight ($601.60 per short ton), up by 0.3% from $30 per cwt on Monday and a 2.4% increase from...Read More
The United States Department of Commerce has announced an affirmative preliminary circumvention ruling against imports of steel concrete reinforcing bar from Mexico.Imports of straight rebar that is bent at one or both ends, produced and/or exported to the US by Deacero SAPI de CV, circumvent the existing anti-dumping duty order on rebar from Mexico that is in straight or coil form,...Read More
Trading activity in the Iranian export billet market was limited in the week to Wednesday March 4 because of a mismatch between mills' offer prices and the bids placed by customers.Iranian billet producers continued to insist on export offers at $390 per tonne fob, referring to strong demand in the domestic market.The increased demand seen in the local market in recent weeks was the result of the...Read More
Demand for flat steel products in Turkey improved in February because end-user stock levels were low, market participants told Fastmarkets on Wednesday March 4.Sources added that local producers have now filled their order books until late April.Local demand was moderate in Turkey in February because buyers placed orders only to replenish their stocks. The market was now uncertain about the direct...Read More
Brazilian mining company Vale has decided to halt operations indefinitely at its Fazend??o iron ore mine in the south-eastern state of Minas Gerais, after an expansion permit was revoked in February by the local environmental development council.The stoppage was announced by the municipality of Catas Altas - where the mine is located - on Tuesday March 3, and confirmed to Fastmarkets by a Vale spo...Read More
There were new bookings reported in the Turkish deep-sea scrap market on Wednesday March 4, with steel mills expected to hold out until the end of the week, sources told Fastmarkets.The steel mills went quiet at the start of last week, after buying around 750,000 tonnes in February with no new cargoes booked so far in March.The last cargo reported sold, was on Monday February 24,&nb...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices were stable on Wednesday March 4, with trading activity muted in the spot market.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $162.75 per tonne, up $0.36 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $175.86 per tonne, up $2.44 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $145.01 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $156.50 per tonne, unchangedSeabor...Read More
Weaker domestic demand and a number of traders in short-selling positions have led to a drop in Japan export scrap prices over the past week, market sources told Fastmarkets.Lower offer prices from Japanese exporters resulted in increased sales activity from the country to South Korea and Taiwan during the week.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel scrap H2 export, fob main port Japan, was ?23,...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices rose on Wednesday March 4, with the benchmark high-grade brand Iron Ore Carajas and benchmark low-grade, low-alumina Yandi fines attracting higher prices in the seaborne market amid persistent tight supply from Brazil and margins' concerns among steel mills. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $90.99 per tonne, up $2.44 per tonne. 62% Fe low-alumina fin...Read More
Nickel premiums in China, the United States and Europe held firm in the week to Tuesday March 3, tempered by a lack of liquidity in all regions over the period.China premiums stabilized while the import arbitrage window remained firmly closedLiquidity dried up in the US - where spot trade had previously been enlivened - keeping premiums unchangedEuropean premiums held at low levels, unperturbed by...Read More