The pig iron import market in the United States has improved with several new deals heard, sources told Fastmarkets in Friday December 20.Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US was at $330-335 per tonne on Friday, tightening upward from $328-335 per tonne a week earlier.Several bookings of Russia-origin pig iron with January shipment were...Read More
Brazilian slab export prices remained stable in the week to Friday December 20 amid continued strong demand and prices in most buying regions.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab export, fob main port Brazil was $395-405 per tonne on December 20, unchanged from the previous week.Deals were concluded within the assessment range, mainly to clients in Mexico, Canada and the United Stat...Read More
Prices for domestically produced structural tubing in the United States strengthened after a persistently higher Fastmarkets daily hot-rolled coil index convinced more buyers that tube mill price increases were legitimate. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel hollow sections ASTM A500 Grade B domestic, fob mill US climbed to $880-910 per short ton ($44-45.50 per hundredweight) on Thursda...Read More
Aluminium billet premiums remained under pressure in the week ended Friday December 20 despite low liquidity ahead of the holiday break. Market conditions aggressive in SpainUS premium holds at all-time lowBrazilian market uneventfulThailand premium steadyVery low bids in Europe not taken seriouslyThe billet premium in Germany fell on Friday to a record low since Fastmarkets began pricing it in 20...Read More
A string of long-term deals for cobalt hydroxide show that bullish forecasts for cobalt consumption from the electric vehicle (EV) sector are coming into play. Glencore will supply battery manufacturer SK Innovation with up to 30,000 tonnes of cobalt contained in hydroxide over six years, it said last week - a deal worth about $1 billion in today's market. And other deals also point...Read More
The spot main Japanese port (MJP) aluminium premium is likely to remain under pressure next year due to growing supply and weak demand amid a decline in global automobile sales, market participants told Fastmarkets.The premium, which is paid over the London Metal Exchange cash price, currently serves as the benchmark for most of the aluminium traded in Asia.Fastmarkets has been assessing the alumi...Read More
Base metals on the London Metal Exchange broadly closed down in the afternoon on Friday December 20, once more capped by a stronger US dollar index, trading up 0.29% at 97.69 this afternoon, ignoring better-than-expected economic indicators from China.China's CB Leading index, an economic leading indicator intended to forecast future economic activity, was up three percentage points month on month...Read More
Seaborne cargoes of premium hard coking coal were sold to China below prevailing prices on Friday December 20.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $135.78 per tonne, up $1.66 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $147.47 per tonne, down $0.66 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $122.33 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $134.99 per tonne, unchangedLow...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were capped by a stronger US dollar, which traded up 0.03% at 97.43 during the morning session on Friday December 20, having absorbed any residual optimism from China's liquidity boost on Thursday. "Selling pressure has remained somewhat subdued this month," Fastmarkets research analyst Andy Farida said. The LME three-month copper price dipped below...Read More
South American flat-steel import prices continued to rise in line with the global uptrend this week, but mainly because most February-shipment deals have now been settled, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil import, cfr main ports was $515-525 per tonne on Friday December 20, up from $500-515 per tonne a week earlier.Sales to the Pacific coast close...Read More
Pig iron export prices from Brazil continue to increase amid new sales, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday December 20.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for pig iron export, fob port of Vitoria/Rio was $310-313 per tonne on Friday, up from $305-310 per tonne a week earlier.One cargo was bought at $313 per tonne fob, although at the time of publication it was not confirmed wh...Read More
Base metals on the London Metal Exchange broadly closed down in the afternoon on Friday December 20, once more capped by a stronger US dollar index, trading up 0.29% at 97.69 this afternoon, ignoring better-than-expected economic indicators from China.China's CB Leading index, an economic leading indicator intended to forecast future economic activity, was up three percentage points month on month...Read More
Fastmarkets' copper concentrates treatment and refining charges (TC/RC) index rose for the second straight week on Friday December 20, with the spot market firming slightly after cargoes from Dongying Fangyuan and some other smelters were diverted, leading to higher availability.The spot copper concentrates TC/RC index, cif Asia Pacific, was at $51.80 per tonne/5.18 cents per lb on December 20, up...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
Stocks of most base metals, except copper and tin, stored in Shanghai Futures Exchange-approved warehouses declined in the week to Friday December 20.Aluminium registered the biggest week-on-week decline in deliverable stocks, down by 24,547 tonnes or 11.2% to 193,820 tonnes.A total of 5,170 tonnes left the Zhongchu Wuxi warehouse...Read More
The benchmark alumina price will remain steady around $280 per tonne at the end of the week despite Hydro's announcement late on Thursday December 19 that it has reduced production at its Alunorte alumina refinery to 50-70% capacity, market sources told Fastmarkets. Hydro reduced production at its Alunorte refinery in Brazil on Thursday after a fallen transmission tower cut power to the produ...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were capped by a stronger US dollar, which traded up 0.03% at 97.43 during the morning session on Friday December 20, having absorbed any residual optimism from China's liquidity boost on Thursday. "Selling pressure has remained somewhat subdued this month," Fastmarkets research analyst Andy Farida said. The LME three-month copper price dipped below...Read More
The spot main Japanese port (MJP) aluminium premium is likely to remain under pressure next year due to growing supply and weak demand amid a decline in global automobile sales, market participants told Fastmarkets.The premium, which is paid over the London Metal Exchange cash price, currently serves as the benchmark for most of the aluminium traded in Asia.Fastmarkets has been assessing the alumi...Read More
Indian domestic secondary billet prices rose by 1,400 rupees ($20) per tonne in the week ending December 20 on the rising cost of directly reduced iron (DRI), the main raw material used by Indian secondary billet makers.The price of steel billet domestic, ex-works India was assessed by Fastmarkets on December 20 increased by 1,400 rupees per tonne to 27,400-27,600 rupees per tonne compar...Read More
The Polish domestic rebar price picked up slightly over the week and producers are targeting further price rises, market sources told Fastmarkets on Friday December 20.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, ex-works Poland narrowed on the top end of the range to 2,000-2,030 zloty ($522-530) per tonne on Friday, compared with 1,980-2,030...Read More