Aluminium and tin had risen the most on the London Metal Exchange by the close on Tuesday September 28, while nickel and copper were both under pressure.Aluminium's three-month price closed at $2,945 per tonne on Tuesday, up from its close on Monday of $2,883.50 per tonne, which was the lowest since September 21. The metal stayed above the 20-day moving average of $2,847 per tonne, a key tech...Read More
Base metals prices were mainly lower across both the London Metal Exchange and the Shanghai Futures Exchange on Tuesday September 28, the exception was LME copper. Oil prices extend gains; spot Brent crude approaching $80 per barrel. US 10-year treasuries yields push through 1.5%.Base metalsThe three-month copper price on the LME was up by 0.3% at $9,376.50 per tonne and seemed buoyant this morni...Read More
Automotive manufacturer Ford Motor Co plans to spend $11.4 billion on new production sites in the United States for electric vehicles (EVs) and their batteries as part of its push to bring zero-emission auto production to the country.One site will be in Stanton, Tennessee, where the company will build electric versions of its F-Series pickup truck as well as advanced batteries. To be known as Blue...Read More
Export prices for Chinese cold-rolled and hot-dipped galvanized steel coil edged lower over the past week, while poor demand kept trading liquidity thin.Uncompetitive prices and lingering concerns over the possible introduction of export duties continued to subdue the appeal of Chinese material."Inquires have been reduced further," a Shanghai-based trader said on Tuesday September 28."Bu...Read More
Fastmarkets proposes to liberalize the criteria for deals to be included in the calculations for the steel scrap month-to-date deal weighted average price, cfr Turkey.Currently, Fastmarkets' steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), month-to-date deal-weighted average, North Europe origin, cfr Turkey only includes deals that are classified as confirmed, which means that at least the buyer or the sell...Read More
Serious congestion at ports across the world is unlikely to ease in the immediate future, shipping line Maersk said in a market update."Ports in Asia Pacific continue to be severely congested. With continued high yard density and weather disruptions since July, operational challenges remain in port operations," the company said.Vessels calling at major ports in Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian and...Read More
Chinese demand for steel billet imports has fallen away in recent days, amid mounting concerns over China's property market and the potential for power shortages across the country, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday September 28.Some market participants fear that the debt crisis engulfing major property developer Evergrande could have a wider knock-on effect on the Chinese construction sector, w...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday September 28 that are worth another look.The Brazilian steel and aluminium sectors are preparing for a period of short electricity supply in the coming months due to a persistent drought in a...Read More
Automotive manufacturer Ford Motor Co plans to spend $11.4 billion on new production sites in the United States for electric vehicles (EVs) and their batteries as part of its push to bring zero-emission auto production to the country.One site will be in Stanton, Tennessee, where the company will build electric versions of its F-Series pickup truck as well as advanced batteries. To be known as Blue...Read More
Serious congestion at ports across the world is unlikely to ease in the immediate future, shipping line Maersk said in a market update."Ports in Asia Pacific continue to be severely congested. With continued high yard density and weather disruptions since July, operational challenges remain in port operations," the company said.Vessels calling at major ports in Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian and...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Iron ore remains the most bullish commodity of the year, with prices fuelled by Chinese demand and supply disruptions in Brazil, along with bullish sentiment. But prices are expected to come down because Brazilian exports have begun to recover, and have reached their highest level since the Brumadinho dam disaster in 2019. W...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In the iron ore market, supply issues including heavy rains at the start of the year, followed by staffing problems during the Covid-19 pandemic, have affected exports from Brazil. This has helped Australia gain a larger market share, but since June, Brazilian export volumes have returned to levels last seen before the...Read More
Zinc producers in China's southwestern province of Yunnan should be able to fully resume their operations by mid-June, sources said.Yunnan will remove its power restrictions by the end of June that have stunted local zinc output, the provincial energy bureau said.A few zinc smelters in Yunnan have already resumed production, however, sources that spoke to Fastmarkets said.Production capa...Read More
Base metals prices were mixed on the morning of Wednesday September 29 while they consolidated against a backdrop of numerous headwinds.Uncertainty has picked up regarding how high US treasury yields and the dollar will go and what will the fallout be if China’s Evergrande starts defaulting on foreign-owned debt.China’s power rationing set to hit metal production and manufacturing, and i...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices and margins for stainless steel producers have risen notably over the past few months in both Europe and the United States, but there are now signs that the rally is petering out.A clear reason for the halt to rising prices comes from the near 20% drop in nickel prices seen in late February/early March,...Read More
Swedish special steel producer Ovako is to introduce a "climate surcharge" to support initiatives and new technology investments as its production goes carbon-neutral from January 2022, the producer announced on Tuesday September 28.The company says it has reduced carbon emissions significantly through efficient processes, the use of fossil-free electricity and dedicated investments such as conver...Read More
(Updates number of rescued workers) Sept 28 (Reuters) - Vale SA said on Tuesday that35 of its employees who were trapped in a Canadian mine hadreturned to the surface and four more were on their way out.On Monday, the Brazilian miner said 39 mine workers had beentrapped underground since Sunday at its Totten mine in Sudbury,Canada. Vale said earlier on Tuesday it expected all employees tosurface b...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday September 27 that are worth another look.Brazil's Usiminas is halting its No2 blast furnace at Ipatinga for another 90-150 days after an incident on Friday, the flat steel producer said on Monday September 27.For aluminium market participants...Read More
Tin's futures contract fell by 3.9% on Monday September 27, and most other London Metal Exchange prices were also lower on the day, with somewhat bearish sentiment still holding in the complex.Tin's three-month price was at $35,100 per tonne on Monday at 5pm in London, decreasing from $36,539 per tonne at the same time on Friday.Amid concerns surrounding the supply of the metal given ongoing...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday September 27 that are worth another look.Brazil's Usiminas is halting its No2 blast furnace at Ipatinga for another 90-150 days after an incident on Friday, the flat steel producer said on Monday September 27.For aluminium market participants...Read More