Chinese importers could be able to buy United States' copper and aluminium scrap without the current 25% tariffs from July, China's Ministry of Finance Customs Department said in a notice on Tuesday February 18.Copper and aluminium scrap are among 696 products listed by the ministry that can have tariffs exempted. Importers can apply for exemptions starting from March 2, 2020.As part of a tit-for-...Read More
The Turkish steel mills have continued to book deep-sea scrap for March shipments at slightly higher prices, sources said on Wednesday February 19.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising 9,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $279 per tonne, 15,000 tonnes of shredded at $284 per tonne and 6,000 tonnes of bonus at $289 per tonne cfr.The same mill booked a second Baltic...Read More
Japanese ferrous scrap export prices have risen over the past week amid tightening supplies and healthy demand from Vietnamese buyers, sources in Japan told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' inaugural price assessment for steel scrap H2 export, fob main port Japan was ?24,000-24,500 ($219-223) per tonne fob Tokyo Bay on February 19, up by around ?500-1,000 per tonne from prices heard last week. In t...Read More
After the broad-based dip on Tuesday February 18 that was partially triggered by Apple's sales warning, markets have recovered on Wednesday with equity indices in Asia stronger, as are pre-market western equity indices.Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were up across the board this morning, while those on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mixed. Spot gold prices are holding on to Tu...Read More
The cobalt sulfate price in China has continued higher because of spot tight availability while refineries that suspended operations during the Chinese New Year holiday (January 24-February 2) have gradually resumed operations. Fastmarkets' price assessment of cobalt sulfate 20.5% Co basis, exw China was 57,000-58,000 yuan ($8,145-8,288) per tonne on Wednesday February 19, up by 0.9% fro...Read More
Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) is considering the construction of a plant to produce lithium-ion battery precursor materials, the company said today. The plant would be supplied with cobalt hydroxide produced at ERG's Metalkol Roan Tailings & Reclamation (RTR) project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The intention is to produce nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) precursor materials that are u...Read More
Domestic prices for heavy steel plate in Europe moved down over the past week due to limited trading activity, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel domestic plate, 8-40mm, exw Southern Europe was ?,?490-500 ($530-541) per tonne on Wednesday February 19, down by ?,?10 per tonne from ?,?500-510 per tonne ex-works a week earlier.That assessment is based on deals and...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe have moved up day on day, supported by good order books at mills and a lack of competitive imports, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday February 19.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, ex-works Northern Europe, was calculated at ?,?481.25 ($520.53) per tonne on February 19, up by ?,?0.94 per tonne from ?,?480.31 per tonn...Read More
Exporters of Chinese hot-rolled coil lowered their offers further to stimulate sales amid high inventory levels despite a relatively stable domestic market on Wednesday February 19.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,480-3,490 yuan ($497-499) per tonne, narrowing upward by 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,230 yuan per tonne, unchangedA Shanghai-based trader said prices in the city nar...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday February 19 that are worth another look.Chinese wire rod producers are keeping export offers stable on expectations of improved demand in April, market sources told Fastmarkets, which kept prices flat in the past week amid sparse trading.Primary aluminium stocks at the three main Japanese ports (MJP) of Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama...Read More
Wire rod prices in the United States are stable after February's scrap decline halted the upward trajectory recorded over the past three months, but extended lead times and increased demand have sparked optimism among market participants. Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel wire rod (low carbon) industrial quality, fob mill US was at $31-32 per hundredweight ($620-640 per short ton) on Tuesday...Read More
The price of steel mesh-quality wire rod in the European domestic markets was unchanged this week with most market participants focusing on trading steel rebar instead, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday February 19.In addition, the influence on wire rod prices exerted by prices for ferrous scrap, the feedstock material, was unclear because lower monthly European scrap prices contrasted with ri...Read More
The Turkish steel mills have continued to book deep-sea scrap for March shipments at slightly higher prices, sources said on Wednesday February 19.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising 9,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $279 per tonne, 15,000 tonnes of shredded at $284 per tonne and 6,000 tonnes of bonus at $289 per tonne cfr.The same mill booked a second Baltic...Read More
Japanese ferrous scrap export prices have risen over the past week amid tightening supplies and healthy demand from Vietnamese buyers, sources in Japan told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' inaugural price assessment for steel scrap H2 export, fob main port Japan was ?24,000-24,500 ($219-223) per tonne fob Tokyo Bay on February 19, up by around ?500-1,000 per tonne from prices heard last week. In t...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices were rangebound on Wednesday February 19 amid a murky short-term outlook for demand.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $90 per tonne, down $0.18 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $89.33 per tonne, down $0.18 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $91.16 per tonne, down $0.04 per tonne.58% Fe fines high-premium, cfr Qingdao: $7...Read More
The prices of hollow steel sections in Europe moved up this week, following news that Turkey's country-specific import quota has been completely taken up, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday February 19.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?620-650 ($671-703) per tonne on Wednesday, widening upward by ?,?10 per tonne from ?,...Read More
Flat steel sales from Brazilian distributors increased by 5.3% year on year in January, with the country's steel consumption rising amid price increases, according to national flat steel distributors' association Inda. Shipments amounted to 279,400 tonnes last month, against 265,300 tonnes a year before, Inda said on Tuesday February 18."The market is improving slowly," Inda president Carlos Loure...Read More
Ukraine's largest producer of long steel, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (AMKR), is currently bringing its new continuous casting machine No3 (CCM No3) to designed capacity, the company announced on Monday February 17."We already produce 150mm billet at CCM No3 and will start production of 130mm billet soon, " a company source told Fastmarkets.The equipment addition is part of a company project to repla...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday February 17 that are worth another look.Seaborne iron ore prices were up on Monday amid the gradual return of workers after the extended lunar new year holiday in China.The European Commission has initiated a review of existing safeguard measures into a number of imported steel products, it said on Saturday February 15.The market of...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday February 19 that are worth another look.Chinese wire rod producers are keeping export offers stable on expectations of improved demand in April, market sources told Fastmarkets, which kept prices flat in the past week amid sparse trading.Primary aluminium stocks at the three main Japanese ports (MJP) of Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama...Read More