The price of steel slab exports from Brazil increased in the first full week of January 2020 with higher demand from North American buyers.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab export, fob main port Brazil, was $415-425 per tonne on January 10, rising from $395-405 per tonne on January 3.Virtually all Brazilian slab producers have increased their offer prices for March-shipment batch...Read More
Trading activity in the export market for CIS steel billet recovered somewhat in the second week of January with several cargoes reported sold to Africa.Nevertheless, the market still lacked clarity, with most customers holding back from purchasing activity and some suppliers still to announce new offer prices.Those producers which have opened their sales returned to the market with offers at the...Read More
Prices in Southeast Asia's steel billet market remained stable on Friday January 10 as buyers mostly stayed away from the spot market in anticipation of softer scrap charges, sources told Fastmarkets. "It is difficult to conclude any deals because the situation envisioned by buyers [of lower scrap prices] has yet to materialize," an Indian trader said.Scrap prices in Turkey, the world's large...Read More
The price of stainless steel in Europe decreased this week on lower monthly alloy surcharges for January, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday January 10. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grade 304 transaction domestic, delivered North Europe was ?,?2,050-2,100 ($2,277-2,333) per tonne on January 3, down by ?,?40-50 per tonne...Read More
The World Trade Organization has made a final ruling that the Moroccan authorities violated parts of the WTO's Anti-Dumping Agreement in its imposition of tariffs on hot-rolled coil imports from Turkey.The WTO panel findings included the fact that Morocco failed to conclude its investigation within the 18-month maximum time limit and failed to inform all interested parties...Read More
Liberty Steel Group will cut 355 jobs at its UK steelworks in Stockbridge, South Yorkshire and Newport, South Wales due to "challenging market conditions", the company said on Thursday January 9. This follows a move late in 2019 when the GFG Alliance announced plans to consolidate all its steel businesses into one global group named Liberty Steel Group. The company said it has decided to redu...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States remained above $30 per hundredweight on Friday January 10, with domestic flat-rolled steel mills holding firm on higher prices after their fifth increase since late October of last year.Fastmarkets' daily hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $30.38 per cwt ($607.60 per short ton) on Friday, little changed from 30.48 per cwt a da...Read More
Premiums for primary foundry alloy in the United States and Europe were unchanged on Friday January 10 in an illiquid global market.Fastmarkets assessed the aluminium wheel alloy silicon 7 ingot/T-bar premium, dlvd dup over P1020A Midwest US at 7-10 cents per lb on Friday, unchanged from the previous monthly assessment and holding at an all-time low. With limited spot opportunities and abunda...Read More
The price of steel slab exports from Brazil increased in the first full week of January 2020 with higher demand from North American buyers.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab export, fob main port Brazil, was $415-425 per tonne on January 10, rising from $395-405 per tonne on January 3.Virtually all Brazilian slab producers have increased their offer prices for March-shipment batch...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange consolidated higher at the close of trading on Friday January 10, edging slightly upward on moderately low turnover, while volatility in the aluminium complex saw strong stock moves make little change to its outright price.Aluminium's underlying price settled at $1,806 per tonne in the afternoon, a climb of just 0.1% over the day, while the total vol...Read More
The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange had declined at the close of trading on Thursday January 9, dipping below nearby support levels after a fresh inflow of 1,500 tonnes into Singapore capped momentum gained earlier in the week.Zinc's outright price on the LME closed at $2,377 per tonne this afternoon, dipping back below nearby resistance after reaching an intraday and two-month...Read More
Key data from the price assessment on Thursday January 9. Fastmarkets assessed the aluminium P1020A premium, in-whs dup Rotterdam at $95-100 per tonne on Thursday, up from $90-100 per tonne the day before and from $85-95 per tonne at the beginning of January.Key drivers:Supply for P1020 in Rotterdam, and other European ports, is tight, especially for certain shapes or other specifications. Alumini...Read More
There has been a flurry of buying activity in the Chinese alumina market at the start of January, supporting the benchmark alumina price above $270 per tonne. Fastmarkets calculated the benchmark daily alumina index, fob Australia at $277.36 per tonne on Thursday January 9, up from $275.77 per tonne on Wednesday. The index has traded between $275 and $277 per tonne since December 27. Key driv...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday January 9 that are worth another look.The World Trade Organization has made a final ruling that the Moroccan authorities violated parts of the WTO's Anti-Dumping Agreement in its imposition of tariffs on hot-rolled coil imports from Turkey.Mining and trading company Mitsui is ceasing copper concentrate blending in South Korea,...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday January 9 that are worth another look.The World Trade Organization has made a final ruling that the Moroccan authorities violated parts of the WTO's Anti-Dumping Agreement in its imposition of tariffs on hot-rolled coil imports from Turkey.Mining and trading company Mitsui is ceasing copper concentrate blending in South Korea,...Read More
There has been a flurry of buying activity in the Chinese alumina market at the start of January, supporting the benchmark alumina price above $270 per tonne. Fastmarkets calculated the benchmark daily alumina index, fob Australia at $277.36 per tonne on Thursday January 9, up from $275.77 per tonne on Wednesday. The index has traded between $275 and $277 per tonne since December 27. Key driv...Read More
The Chinese alumina price recently reached a floor and began entering into a rebound on the spot market, however, excess market supply has limited the uptrend, market participants said."The bearish news of large quantities of imported material continuing as well as an oversupplied domestic market have been digested by the market already so we assume the price will enter an upward trend from now on...Read More
Fastmarkets will publish its price assessments for standard and alloy-grade cobalt, in-whs Rotterdam, on a daily basis from Monday February 3, 2020.Join members of Fastmarkets' editorial and pricing team for a discussion on the results from its recent consultation on cobalt pricing frequency, insights from Fastmarkets' pricing database and details on the practicalities of daily cobalt pricing. Cli...Read More
Trader and consumer restocking sent prices for cobalt metal higher on Wednesday January 8, with firmer Chinese equity markets, salts prices and raw material payables also underpinning sentiment. Fastmarkets assessed the price for cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam at $15.55-16.50 per lb on Wednesday, up 2.4% from Friday. The cobalt alloy-grade, in-whs Rotterdam price was marginally...Read More
Turkish steel producers have broken their silence in the deep-sea scrap markets after a mill in the Marmara region bought a European cargo, sources said on Thursday January 9.The mill booked the European cargo - comprising 15,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (75:25), 10,000 tonnes of shredded and 15,000 tonnes of bonus at an average price of $300 per tonne cfr - late on Wednesday January 8. .....Read More