China's hot-rolled coil exporters raised their offers on Tuesday January 14 on a weakening dollar, but thin trading kept domestic prices flat.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,880-3,890 yuan ($562-564) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,600 yuan per tonne, unchangedA Shanghai-based trader said there was barely any movement in the market with trading activity thinning due to downstr...Read More
Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mostly down at the close of morning trading on Tuesday January 14, with the downtrend led by nickel, which is reversing the strength seen on Monday.The most-traded March nickel contract closed Tuesday's morning trading session at 110,250 yuan ($15,981) per tonne, down by 2,960 yuan per tonne - or 2.6% - from Monday's close of 113,210 yuan pe...Read More
Silicon and bulk alloys producer Ferroglobe has appointed Marco Levi as its chief executive officer, replacing Pedro Larrea, who leaves the company to seek new professional challenges, according to a company statement on Monday January 13. The new chief executive will be in charge of designing a new strategy that will lead the ferro-alloys maker, which has recently moved its headquarters to Madrid...Read More
China's Pangang Group has paused some vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) production at one of its three blast furnaces to conduct maintenance, a source at the company confirmed to Fastmarkets. The maintenance started last month and will last for 70 days, the source said. Around 1,000 tonnes of V2O5 will be taken out of production over this period at the company's Panzhihua production base. Pangang has two...Read More
Mexican ferrous scrap prices soared last week following gains in the United States' market, continuing the upward drive that began in late December in the region of Monterrey - capital of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo Le??n - and in the country's central Baj?-o region.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment of the steel scrap No1 HMS, consumer buying price, delivered mill Bajio was at 5,200...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 2 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of economic news at 8:30 AM EST. Consensus for the January Empire State Manufacturing Survey is unchanged from December at 3.5. Actual was 4.8. Consensus for the December Producer Price Index was an increase of 0.2% versus no chang...Read More
The three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Monday January 13, settling at a nine-month high against moderate volumes traded, while aluminium futures stagnated despite tumbling exchange stocks.Copper's underlying price on the LME closed at $6,290 per tonne on Monday afternoon, its highest settlement price since April 2019, while its daily trading...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange improved during morning trading on Monday January 13, with upward momentum supported by a fresh cancelation of some 4,434 tonnes, while continued outflows did little to move a steady aluminium price. Nickel's outright price on the LME was recently seen up by 0.5% at $14,295 per tonne, while trading volumes topped the complex over the mornin...Read More
China's new policy to rename certain copper scrap, brass scrap and aluminium scrap as "recyclable raw materials" will take effect in July 2020, according to an official document seen by Fastmarkets. The criterion for eligibility has been approved by bureaus including the State Administration for Market Regulation and will be publicly announced in the next 20 days. Well informed sources told Fastma...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday January 13 that are worth another look.Sentiment in the global long steel market has become more positive "especially after the announcement that a trade deal between the [United States] and China will be signed," the International Rebar Producers & Exporters Association (Irepas) said last week.International auditing and advisory...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia, Europe and the United States for the week ended January 10. US Key drivers Weak spot demand in the United States continued to weigh on the grade 5-5-3 delivered price, which fell to $0.91-94 per lb. The monthly spot price had fleetingly stabilized in November at $0.96-1.02 per lb. Buyers remain well supplied with annual contract material pric...Read More
Manganese alloys prices in Europe and India increased in the week to Friday January 10 against steady increases in manganese ore markets since early December, although industry sources believe further increases will be limited due to relatively soft consumer demand.In Europe, the silico-manganese lumpy 65-75% Mn, basis 15-19% Si (scale pro rata), major European destinations market price climbed by...Read More
Turkish steel mills continued to hold back from deep-sea scrap purchases on Monday January 13, due to weak rebar markets and firm scrap prices, sources told Fastmarkets.Steelmakers in the country booked only one deep-sea cargo last week, when a steel mill in the Marmara region booked a European cargo, comprising 15,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (75:25), 10,000 tonnes of shredded and 15,000 tonnes of bonus...Read More
Ferrous scrap prices in most global markets dipped on weaker demand during the week ended Friday January 10, but the Indian market remained strong.Turkish market dips on fewer trades United States prices unchanged Limited buying sees Vietnam prices drop Taiwan prices down on weaker demand Indian prices continue to increase TurkeyPrices for ferrous scrap into Turkey fell this week, with only o...Read More
Sentiment in the Turkish domestic scrap market turned negative over the past week due to weakening local finished long steel prices, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday January 13.Domestic long steel prices fell slightly due to the recent strengthening of the Turkish lira against the US dollar.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic,...Read More
Despite uncertainty surrounding downstream demand, the price of cobalt sulfate in China has jumped by more than 12% so far this year, with suppliers either offering the material at aggressively high levels or holding back from sales.Fastmarkets' price assessment for cobalt sulfate 20.5% Co basis, exw China was 49,000-51,000 yuan ($7,080-7,369) per tonne on Friday January 10, up by 5,000-6,000 yuan...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States rose on Monday January 13, with buyers accepting a greater amount of the combined five price increases domestic mills have announced since October.Fastmarkets' daily hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $30.75 per hundredweight ($615 per short ton) on Monday, up by 1.2% from $30.38 per cwt on Friday January 10. Sources reported lead times...Read More
Northern European flat steel producers increased their official hot-rolled coil offer prices on Monday January 13 and transaction prices are also expected to rise, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index domestic, ex-works Northern Europe, was ?,?442.93 ($492.35) per tonne on Monday January 13, up from ?,?442.43 per tonne on January 10.Monday's index was calcul...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil market remained subdued on Monday January 13, although a weakening dollar appeared to give some support to export prices.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,880-3,890 yuan ($561-562) per tonne, narrowed by 10 yuan per tonne on both endsNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,600 yuan per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonneSources in both eastern and northern China said that trading...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday January 13 that are worth another look.Sentiment in the global long steel market has become more positive "especially after the announcement that a trade deal between the [United States] and China will be signed," the International Rebar Producers & Exporters Association (Irepas) said last week.International auditing and advisory...Read More