Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices fell sharply on Tuesday February 4, on news of fresh cargoes from the Baltic Sea and the United States.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, sources said, comprising 25,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $251 per tonne and 5,000 tonnes of bonus at $261 per tonne cfr. The cargo is scheduled to be shipped in March.Meanwhile, another...Read More
Haven asset gold should perform better in 2020 if you take a bearish position on the global economy, ED&F Man Capital Market's independent senior commodity consultant Edward Meir said after topping the 2019 Apex precious metals leaderboard with 97.73% accuracy. Fastmarkets published its Apex full-year 2019 competition results last week."My general feeling on gold is that putting numbers out r...Read More
A rebound is underway across a broad set of markets, with China's CSI 300 index up by 2.5% this morning, after China's central bank pumped money into the financial system and appears to be working to stabilize markets and calm fears.Most Asian equity indices are rebounding.Gold prices are retreating as they pull back from Friday's highs.US 10-year government bond yields are firmer too. Base metals...Read More
The British government has brought forward a ban on the sale of internal combustion engine cars in a move which will boost demand for battery materials, including lithium.UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled the new date at a launch event for a United Nations climate change gathering. The date of the ban has been moved to 2035 from 2040. The ban will now include hybrids, which have both a batt...Read More
Swiss miner-trader Glencore produced 46,300 tonnes of cobalt in 2019, up 10% from 42,200 tonnes in 2018, mainly due to the ramp up in operations at Katanga in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cobalt production at Glencore's African copper assets, which includes Katanga and Mutanda, totaled 42,200 tonnes - contained in hydroxide - in 2019, up 10% from 38,400 tonnes a year earlier. The scale down a...Read More
Frederic Sese has joined Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) as its commercial director. Sese was previously in the raw materials and buying team at ArcelorMittal, and later Aperam. He also...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe were fairly stable on Tuesday February 4 but were expected to rise further, sources have told Fastmarkets.Despite bullish sentiment in the market, buyers have avoided booking big volumes, preferring to make deals only for sufficient volumes to maintain their stocks at balanced levels, according to market sources.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-ro...Read More
Buyers were looking for clarity in the flat steel import markets in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia this week, with prices rising but uncertainty about the direction the market will take when the Chinese new year holiday break finishes.Higher offers and deals were heard for flat steel imports, Fastmarkets heard on Tuesday February 4, but the market was unsure because buyers did not know...Read More
As international exchanges continue to encourage trade in their ferrous contracts, Fastmarkets asks market experts for their views on progress in steel price risk management over the past year and the outlook for 2020.Speaking with Fastmarkets a year ago, Phillip Price, steel derivatives expert, and since then founder of Pool, said that he had seen a sea change in the steel sector's attitude towar...Read More
Import prices for steel rebar in the United Arab Emirates increased over the past week, despite only limited demand, while billet prices remained unchanged, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday February 4.Demand was constrained because buyers were holding back to see the direction of prices after China's return to the market after the extended Lunar New Year holiday, they added. The...Read More
Europe's anti-dumping duty on imports of wire rod originating from China will expire after October 16, 2020, unless a review is initiated, the European Commission (EC) said on Monday February 3.The EC had maintained a 24% anti-dumping duty that was applied to all imports of Chinese wire rod, except material from Valin Group, on which the rate was 7.9%, following the previous expiry review in Octob...Read More
Eastern China's rebar prices continued to weaken on Tuesday February 4 due to destocking pressure, though those in the northern region held steady on an inactive market.Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,360-3,400 yuan ($480-486) per tonne, down 40-50 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,540-3,560 yuan per tonne, unchangedMost participants in Shanghai and Beijing were still away from the market due...Read More
Participants in the Mexican ferrous scrap market have started to see the first price cuts due to uncertainty in global scrap prices, which led some steelmakers to reverse their earlier increases in bid prices.Some steelmakers have lowered their offers for ferrous scrap due to the global downturn, putting Mexican prices, which were previously believed to be at a peak, under pressure.The downtrend w...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices fell sharply on Tuesday February 4, on news of fresh cargoes from the Baltic Sea and the United States.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, sources said, comprising 25,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $251 per tonne and 5,000 tonnes of bonus at $261 per tonne cfr. The cargo is scheduled to be shipped in March.Meanwhile, another...Read More
As international exchanges continue to encourage trade in their ferrous contracts, Fastmarkets asks market experts for their views on progress in steel price risk management over the past year and the outlook for 2020.Speaking with Fastmarkets a year ago, Phillip Price, steel derivatives expert, and since then founder of Pool, said that he had seen a sea change in the steel sector's attitude towar...Read More
Eastern China's rebar prices continued to weaken on Tuesday February 4 due to destocking pressure, though those in the northern region held steady on an inactive market.Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,360-3,400 yuan ($480-486) per tonne, down 40-50 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,540-3,560 yuan per tonne, unchangedMost participants in Shanghai and Beijing were still away from the market due...Read More
Import prices for steel slab in Southeast Asia and East Asia climbed over the past week amid China's continued absence from the steel markets which led to uncertainty about price trends. Multiple provinces and regions in China, including major cities such as Beijing, Tianjin and Guangdong, have delayed the resumption of business activities by another week amid the coronavirus outbreak in the count...Read More
Glencore's ferro-chrome production dropped by 9% in 2019 due to maintenance taken during periods of high costs and low prices, the trader-miner announced on Tuesday February 4.Glencore, which operates a chrome joint venture with South Africa's Merafe Resources, produced 1.44 million tonnes of ferro-chrome in 2019, down from 1.58 million tonnes in 2018."Attributable ferrochrome production of 1,438,...Read More
Steel and aluminium market participants were disappointed with the outcome of their efforts to convince President Donald Trump's administration to extend the Section 232 tariffs to downstream product imports, which have surged into the United States in the past year."I try to maintain a positive outlook at all times, and it's clear we have convinced the Department of Commerce that 232 has created...Read More
Steel and aluminium market participants were disappointed with the outcome of their efforts to convince President Donald Trump's administration to extend the Section 232 tariffs to downstream product imports, which have surged into the United States in the past year."I try to maintain a positive outlook at all times, and it's clear we have convinced the Department of Commerce that 232 has created...Read More