Monthly European alloy steel surcharges have increased slightly in January but there were already expectations in the market for decreases in March because of falling nickel costs, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday January 31.Fastmarkets' calculation on Friday of the stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grade 304, alloy surcharge, domestic, Europe, was ?,?1,434-1,448 ($1,581-1,596) per tonne f...Read More
Imports of hot-rolled stainless steel sheet and coil from China, Taiwan and Indonesia now need to be registered on entering the European Union and could be subject to retroactive duties later in the year.The European Commission (EC) registration scheme came into force on January 24 and applies to "flat-rolled products of stainless steel, whether or not in coils (including products cut-to...Read More
Buyers in the Asian ferrous scrap market are putting off purchases of imports amid fears over the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China and news of transactions being concluded below prevailing levels involving cargoes sold to South Korea.VietnamFastmarkets' weekly price assessment for bulk cargoes of steel scrap HMS 1&2 (80:20), cfr Vietnam was $278-285 per tonne cfr on Friday January 31, down $10-...Read More
The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange closed at its lowest level in more than three years at the close of trading on Thursday January 30, settling below the nearby $2,200 per tonne support level, while the price of copper futures continued to decline over the afternoon.Zinc's outright price closed at its lowest level since July 2016 on Thursday afternoon, falling to a closing pri...Read More
The chief financial officer of copper producer Antofagasta, Alfredo Atucha, will retire on March 31, with Mauricio Ortiz appointed to replace him, the company said on Thursday January 30.Ortiz is currently the vice president of finance for the group's mining division and has been working for Antofagasta since 2015. Atucha first joined the miner in 2013."I want to thank Alfredo for his...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange was marginally higher during morning trading on Thursday January 30, supported by a fresh cancelation of 11,874 tonnes, while copper's downturn continued. Nickel's outright price on the LME was recently seen at $12,720 per tonne, with some 1,300 lots exchanged as of 9:20am London time. Nickel's price action has significantly weakened o...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday January 30 that are worth another look.The Wuhan coronavirus will likely influence fundamentals in China's steel market and Chinese export trends in the near future, sources told Fastmarkets this week.Zinc's weak fundamentals are finally catching up with prices, after being softened by a selloff sparked by concerns about the co...Read More
Zinc's weak fundamentals are finally catching up with prices, after being softened by a selloff sparked by concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in China.London Metal Exchange 3-month zinc futures fell on Thursday January 30 to their lowest level since July 2016, trading at $2,182 per tonne, down by 10.5% since the market opened on January 22. Cash zinc prices on the bourse were down by 11.4% ov...Read More
A mixture of fears over supply disruptions amid the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak and low stocks in Rotterdam are giving European traders enough leverage to increase their offers substantially, which has already an effect on prices.Fastmarkets' manganese 99.7% electrolytic manganese flake, in-whs Rotterdam price assessment rose to $1,725-1,800 per tonne on January 29, up by 3.7% from $1,680- 1,720 pe...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market has gone quiet since the recent slip in prices, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday January 30.The daily scrap indices went down by almost $10 per tonne on Wednesday, when a US cargo was heard sold at $275 per tonne cfr for HMS 1&2 (90:10).But the mills have mostly been quiet in the wake of this cargo deal, because they were still focused on rebar and bill...Read More
Japanese scrap prices continued to tumble this week, pushed down by disappointing demand in both the domestic and export markets, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday January 30. "Steel mill production and demand in Japan is not so good, so scrap prices are decreasing, but scrap generation is also poor," one scrapyard source said "So even though the local mills' buying prices are falling, I don't...Read More
John Meyer, Sergey Raevskiy and Simon Beardsmore of SP Angel clinched the top spot on the base metals leaderboard for the Apex fourth-quarter 2019 predictions, with an accuracy rating of 99.29%, while Rhona O'Connell of INTL FC Stone came top for precious metals with a rating of 99.26%.For steel raw materials, ABN Amro's Casper Burgering topped the leaderboard with a 97.44% accuracy score.Click on...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil have been fairly stable in the north of Europe, but the mood is positive, supported by good order books at the steel mills and a lack of competitive import offers, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday January 30.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, ex-works Northern Europe, was ?,?467.57 ($514.66) per tonne on Thursday January 30, up by ?,?0...Read More
The Wuhan coronavirus will likely influence fundamentals in China's steel market and Chinese export trends in the near future, sources told Fastmarkets this week.Industry sources have sketched out a number of scenarios that may happen, especially if the situation becomes drawn out and restrictions on travel and transportation persist into the foreseeable future."If logistical restrictions continue...Read More
Trade disputes and geopolitical uncertainties had already made the prospects for global economic growth uncertain. A coronavirus has now added to the challenges facing financial markets.The epicenter of the virus is Wuhan, an important commercial hub in China that is home to 11.9 million people, including the country's largest student population. It is also a manufacturing hub, with around 500 fac...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday January 30 that are worth another look.The Wuhan coronavirus will likely influence fundamentals in China's steel market and Chinese export trends in the near future, sources told Fastmarkets this week.Zinc's weak fundamentals are finally catching up with prices, after being softened by a selloff sparked by concerns about the co...Read More
Domestic rebar and wire rod prices in the Turkey dropped in the week to Thursday January 30, in response to falling imported scrap prices and limited demand, sources said.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar) domestic, exw Turkey, was 2,960-3,000 lira ($497-504) per tonne on January 30, down from last week's 2,975-3,030 lira per tonne. ...Read More
Prices for steel billet imported into Egypt dropped again in the week ending Thursday January 30 amid weak demand, sources told Fastmarkets.Egyptian rebar producers were offering rebar at E ?9,650-10,000 ($610-632) per tonne ex-works including 14% VAT, unchanged since last week.Deals were heard at these prices.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar),...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market has gone quiet since the recent slip in prices, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday January 30.The daily scrap indices went down by almost $10 per tonne on Wednesday, when a US cargo was heard sold at $275 per tonne cfr for HMS 1&2 (90:10).But the mills have mostly been quiet in the wake of this cargo deal, because they were still focused on rebar and bill...Read More
Japanese scrap prices continued to tumble this week, pushed down by disappointing demand in both the domestic and export markets, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday January 30. "Steel mill production and demand in Japan is not so good, so scrap prices are decreasing, but scrap generation is also poor," one scrapyard source said "So even though the local mills' buying prices are falling, I don't...Read More