Coal import restrictions have emerged at the ports of Jingtang and Caofeidian in China, two key entry points for seaborne coking coal to the country's steelmaking hub of Tangshan, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday January 16. Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $155.26 per tonne, unchangedPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $160.87 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, fo...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 increasing consumption of scrap and a potential shift toward the electric-arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking route from the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) route in China are medium- to long-term threats to demand for steelmaking raw materials, while in the near team coking coal import volumes will continue to be affected by iron ore procurement strategies.This was the basis of Fastmarkets research team...Read More
A preliminary trade agreement between the United States and China has done little to change the outlook for industrial minerals and minor metals, with no sign of a reversal for tariffs on Chinese material and no firm commitments on Chinese purchases. The US has agreed to pause new tariffs on Chinese goods in exchange for China signing a deal containing a number of commitments, including $200 billi...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices have tumbled with news of a fresh sale heard after negative signs emerged in the United States' export markets, sources said on Thursday January 16.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, which would put the HMS 1&2 (80:20) price at $288 per tonne.The previous US cargo sold into Turkey was boo...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday January 16 that are worth another look.Trading activity in the Iranian export market for steel billet and slab slowed down in the week ended Wednesday January 15, with the United States tightening its sanctions against a number of the Middle Eastern country's major steelmakers amid increased tension between the two nations.Fres...Read More
Representatives from the United States, European Union and Japan have agreed to jointly work toward strengthening existing World Trade Organization (WTO) rules on market-distorting industrial subsidies, a move welcomed by aluminium trade groups that have long sought to tackle Chinese overcapacity.Specifically, trade ministers from the three regions discussed the need to strengthen existi...Read More
A summary of Brazilian multi-base metal producer Nexa Resources' production and sales results in 2019 and production and sales guidance for zinc, copper and lead for 2020-2022. Falling zinc grades in treated ore put pressure on overall mining production in 2019, although 2019 full-year guidance was met for all metals. Zinc metal sales volumes increased on higher contribution from Peru's Caja...Read More
China Nonferrous Mining Corp's (CNMC) Lualaba copper smelter has commenced operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with an estimated output of 100,000 tonnes of copper this year, Fastmarkets has learned. The smelter started production at the start of 2020, a source close to the matter told Fastmarkets. The 120,000 tonne-per-year capacity smelter is the only major copper smelter in the...Read More
The three-month lead price on the London Metal Exchange was higher during morning trading on Thursday January 16, with price action breaking past the $2,000-per-tonne resistance level against strong volumes, while zinc futures followed higher. Lead's outright price on the LME was recently at $2,026.50 per tonne, while morning trading volumes were high with over 2,100 lots exchanged as of 9:30am Lo...Read More
South32 has maintained its production guidance for its Hillside and Mozal aluminium smelters for its 2020 financial year, despite the first half being affected by South African power outages. Aluminium At Hillside, aluminium saleable production increased by 1% to 362,000 tonnes in the first half of South32's financial year ended December 31, 2019, attributed to the smelter continuing to test...Read More
Copper production at the Deziwa copper-cobalt project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has officially come online in January 2020, following successful trial operations in December 2019, sources told Fastmarkets this week. And the project is expected to start production of cobalt in late first quarter, they added. Deziwa is operated by Soci?(C)t?(C) Minere de Deziwa (Somdez), a j...Read More
US hot-rolled coil prices have slipped on fears that domestic mills' recent attempts to lift tags might fail as a result of lower scrap prices, increased slab supplies and weaker demand.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil price, fob mill US was calculated at $30.75 per hundredweight ($615 per short ton) on Thursday January 16, down by 0.5% from $30.91 per cwt on Wednesday January 15 but up by...Read More
The European Commission (EC) has backtracked on an end-use monitoring procedure which was applied as part of its safeguard measures on imports of hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG) destined for the automotive industry, it said on Wednesday January 15.The HDG safeguard was among a raft of such measures that concerned 26 steel product categories, with any imports that exceeded a specific quota becomin...Read More
Demand for passenger cars in Europe moved up by a remarkable 21.65% year-on-year in December 2019, making it the fourth consecutive month of growth.New car sales in Europe totalled 1,215,076 vehicles in December last year, compared with 998,791 units sold in the corresponding month of 2018, the European Automotive Manufacturers Association (ACEA)...Read More
Domestic prices in Europe are almost unchanged day on day, but the mood in the market has remained positive, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday January 16.European steelmakers have moved offers up and are reluctant to give discounts, according to market sources. A lack of competitive import offers and some seasonal demand recovery are supporting the positive market sentiment.Fastmarkets' daily s...Read More
Turkish steel billet import prices fell slightly over the past week on the back of weakening scrap costs, and domestic and export billet prices are expected to follow suit soon, sources said on Thursday January 16.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel billet import, cfr main port Turkey, was $410-415 per tonne on Thursday, narrowing down from $410-420 per tonne last week.Steel billet supp...Read More
Brazilian producer Vale has halted operations at an iron ore mine at its subsidiary Ferrous Resources to allow for safety works, it said on Thursday January 16.Vale stopped operations of a waste and tailings pile at its Esperan??a mine as soon as it took control of Ferrous Resources, the company said...Read More
The seaborne iron ore index was rangebound on Thursday January 16, likely due to weaker demand from mills, while demand for low-alumina fines seemed robust.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $96.36 per tonne, down $0.08 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $95.40 per tonne, down $0.08 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $97.20 per tonne, up $0.09 per...Read More
Coal import restrictions have emerged at the ports of Jingtang and Caofeidian in China, two key entry points for seaborne coking coal to the country's steelmaking hub of Tangshan, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday January 16. Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $155.26 per tonne, unchangedPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $160.87 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, fo...Read More