Turkish prices for hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG), and color-coated coil or pre-painted galvanized iron (PPGI), narrowed in response to improving demand in the week to Friday January 17, sources told Fastmarkets.Demand picked up after buyers returned from the year-end holidays, they said.Domestic pricesLocal producers were offering 0.5mm HDG at $640-670 per tonne ex-works, with deals h...Read More
Some flat steel prices fell in Turkey during the week ending Friday January 17, following weakening scrap prices. Fastmarkets' daily index for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), Northern Europe origin, cfr Turkey fell sharply by 5.2% to $280.70 per tonne on January 16, from $295.85 per tonne on January 15. Prior to this, the ferrous raw material price had been stable for five daily pricing ses...Read More
Salzgitter Mannesmann Staalhandel, the trading part of Germany's Salzgitter group, has acquired heavy plate specialist trading company Statendam Steel Plates, Salzgitter said on January 16.The acquisition of the Netherlands-based company is effective from December 31, 2019.Statendam Steel Plates supplies customers in the Netherlands in the construction, trading, boiler manufacturing, mechanical en...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
Austenitic stainless steel scrap prices in Europe were largely stable this week on relatively stable nickel costs, Fastmarkets heard on Friday January 17.Fastmarkets' price assessment for stainless steel scrap 316 solids, domestic, delivered merchants UK, was ?1,170-1,200 ($1,528-1,567) per tonne on Friday, unchanged week-on-week.The corresponding...Read More
The price of ferrous scrap imported into India dropped this week after a sudden sharp fall on the international scrap market had a knock-on effect, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' calculation of the steel scrap, shredded, index, import, cfr Nhava Sheva, was $313.61 per tonne on Friday January 17, down from $317.35 per tonne on January 10.This was the first time the price had fallen sinc...Read More
The inter-merchant spot market for light iron scrap in the UK was up by ?5 ($6.53) per tonne in the week ended Friday January 17, tracking higher prices settled for monthly domestic deliveries to British consumers in January while steady export demand buoyed the country's scrap markets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap 5C, loose old light, domestic, delivered inter-merchant, UK...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap markets were quiet at the end of the week, as market participants digested the latest sale, which sent prices down by $13 per tonne, sources said on Friday January 17.Late on Wednesday, January 15, a steel mill in the Izmir region booked a US cargo of 35,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (95:5) at $295 per tonne cfr. This would put the HMS 1&2 (80:20) price at $288 per tonne, compar...Read More
The pig iron export market in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) remained firm on low material availability during the week ended Thursday January 16, although no sales were reported, sources told Fastmarkets. "Last week was really quiet and I see that all players took their time this week too in order to check where the market level is," one exporter said. "There is definitely no pressu...Read More
Iron ore Carajas (IOCJ) and Brazilian blended fines (BRBF) transactions took place at higher prices on Friday January 17, in anticipation of limited supplies of both brands in February-March, traders told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $97.58 per tonne, up $1.22 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $96.62 per tonne, up $1.22 per tonne.62%...Read More
Asia appears to be setting the trend in the global ferrous scrap market, with prices in Taiwan and Vietnam falling steadily since the start of the year before those in Turkey plunged toward the end of this week.VietnamFastmarkets' weekly price assessment for bulk cargoes of steel scrap HMS 1&2 (80:20), cfr Vietnam was $290-295 per tonne cfr on Friday January 17, down by $5-10 per tonne from last F...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices inched down on Friday January 17 because some participants in China have begun their Lunar New Year break early while others were holding off to consider the impact of import restrictions at the country's ports, talks of which surfaced this week. Fastmarkets indices Premium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $153.07 per tonne, down $2.19 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr...Read More
Traders reported a spike in interest for China-origin hot-rolled coil in the export market on Friday January 17 amid limited offers from mills ahead of the Chinese New Year break next week.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,860-3,880 yuan ($561-564) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,590 yuan per tonne, unchangedPrices were unchanged with sellers keeping offers stable amid the pre-h...Read More
The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange rose by 1% during morning trading on Friday January 17, holding above the $2,400 per tonne mark after breaching the mark earlier in the week. The outright LME zinc price was recently at $2,423 per tonne, while trading volumes were high at more than 2,100 lots exchanged as of 9:15am London time. Despite buying activity, the benchmark cash/thre...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices remained flat on Friday January 17 amid inactivity, though the futures market gained some strength following the release of economic data for 2019.Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,640-3,670 yuan ($529-533) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing): 3,540-3,560 yuan per tonne, unchangedChina's domestic gross product grew by 6.1% last year, the country's National Bureau o...Read More
Deliverable lead stocks at Shanghai Futures Exchange-approved warehouses plunged by 32.3% in the week to Friday January 17 after restocking demand from downstream plants ahead of the Chinese New Year holidays (January 24-30) continued over the period.At 28,306 tonnes on Friday, SHFE lead stocks are down by 13,494 tonnes from the 41,800 tonnes recorded a week earlier.Zhejiang Tianchuan in eastern C...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and their latest price moves.Read More
An overview of the Chinese minor metals markets and the reasons for their latest price moves.Read More
Hoshine Silicon, the largest industrial silicon manufacturer in China, will build an 800,000-tpy organosilicon monomer and siloxane deep processing project in Zhaotong, Yunnan province, with a total investment of 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion), the Zhaotong Municipal Government said in late December.The company signed a strategic cooperation frame agreement with Yunnan provincial government on Dec...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia, Europe and the United States for the week ending Friday January 17. China Spot domestic ferro-chrome held amid low spot market activity prior to the Chinese New Year holiday (January 24-30). The charge chrome market was stable with no activity expected before...Read More