Turkish exports of flat steel products fell by 1.63% year on year to 477,680 tonnes in October 2019, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK).This compares with a volume of 485,614 tonnes in October 2018, the institute said.Cold-rolled flat steel exports fell considerably and coated flat steel shipments also dropped, while hot-rolled flat steel exports increased.Orders for C...Read More
As 2019 draws to a close, Fastmarkets examines the underlying factors driving the spread between US hot-rolled coil and steel reinforcing bar prices throughout the year.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), fob mill US averaged $33.12 per hundredweight at the midpoint in January-November, while the steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US averaged $29.77 per cwt, creatin...Read More
Spot demand for tin diminished further in the week to Tuesday December 3, with the focus now on annual contracts and backwardation returning to the London Metal Exchange price for the metal.The 99.9% European tin premium holds at its recent lower levelThanksgiving holiday cuts into trade in the United StatesAsian premiums not buoyed by earlier production cuts.European premiums flat on ubdued deman...Read More
Brazilian iron ore exports totaled 27.25 million tonnes in November 2019, a 19.8% year-on-year decrease from 33.97 million tonnes, data from the country's ministry of economy showed on Monday December 2.Shipment volumes also fell by 18.3% in comparison with 33.35 million tonnes during October 2019, according to the ministry.Figures from October were revised upward after the foreign trade secretari...Read More
The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Wednesday December 4, with upward movement in the price of the galvanizing metal supported by strong turnover, while nickel futures took a divergent path over the afternoon in a 1.6% sell-off.Zinc's underlying price on the LME closed at $2,245 per tonne in the afternoon, gaining just under 2% from Tuesday...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday December 4 that are worth another look.French special steelmaker Ascoval, part of the British Steel group, is to supply 140,000 tonnes per year of semi-finished products, rectangular blooms, to rail manufacturing specialist BSFR (British Steel France Rail) to be processed into rails for the SNCF R?(C)seau national train networ...Read More
The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Wednesday December 4, with upward movement in the price of the galvanizing metal supported by strong turnover, while nickel futures took a divergent path over the afternoon in a 1.6% sell-off.Zinc's underlying price on the LME closed at $2,245 per tonne in the afternoon, gaining just under 2% from Tuesday...Read More
A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday December 4.Please click...Read More
The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange was higher during morning trading on Wednesday December 4, with its price action bolstered by the fresh cancelation of 2,325 tonnes in addition to a narrowing of the metal's benchmark cash/three-month spread backwardation. Zinc's outright price on the LME was recently seen trading at $2,240 per tonne, a gain of $38 per tonne against Tuesday's...Read More
A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday December 4.Please click...Read More
An overview of the noble alloys markets and their latest price moves.Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday December 4 that are worth another look.French special steelmaker Ascoval, part of the British Steel group, is to supply 140,000 tonnes per year of semi-finished products, rectangular blooms, to rail manufacturing specialist BSFR (British Steel France Rail) to be processed into rails for the SNCF R?(C)seau national train networ...Read More
The Indian lead premium surged to a two-month high this week while the three-month LME price struggles but global zinc premiums held firm despite softer forward spreads.Indian secondary lead premium hits two-month high US lead premium flat; impact from Belledune smelter shutdown yet to emerge Taiwan 2020 long-term lead supply contract signed; spot premium unchanged European market steady despite s...Read More
A sharp drop in the US Midwest aluminium premium in November was the primary reason market participants turned away from any sort of arbitrage opportunity between London Metal Exchange sheds in Asia and the United States. An ongoing aluminium stock drawdown throughout November in the US and a lingering backwardation on LME spreads pushed the premium to its lowest since March 2018. "Yet further wea...Read More
Year-end destocking continues to prolong a downturn in Shanghai copper cathode premiums but US and European markets are unchanged while annual contracts are being negotiated. Shanghai cif premiums at three month low US annual contracts in focus Large-scale cancellations of European on-warrant stocksShanghai premiums drop to three-month low, bonded premiums stable Copper cathode premiums on a cif...Read More
Taiwanese buyers of zinc ingot have signed 2020 annual supply contracts with major zinc producers at lower premiums compared with this year, sources with knowledge of the matter told Fastmarkets. "Top brands are signed at $145-150 per tonne and normal brands concluded at $130-140," one Tainwan-based source told Fastmarkets. "A number of Southeast Asia traders also signed at $145-150 per tonne," a...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States went up after domestic buyers returned from the Thanksgiving holidays to find that mills were quoting higher prices, sources said.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $27.93 per hundredweight ($558.60 per short ton) on Wednesday December 4, up by 1.4% from $27.54 per cwt on December 3. The uptick on...Read More
Brazilian flat steel producers have announced price increases to distributors for early January, following a move by Usiminas, sources said.Gerdau said on Wednesday December 4 that it will increase prices by 7-9.5% effective on January 1, while Companhia Sider??rgica Nacional said it intends to raise prices by 10%. ArcelorMittal is also planning to increase prices by around 10%, sources told...Read More
The price of steel rebar in the Southern Europe domestic market was unchanged this week with buyers and sellers disagreeing on the direction the market should take, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday November 4.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, delivered Southern Europe, was ?,?465-480 ($515-532) per tonne on Wednesday, unchanged week-on-week.Simi...Read More
The price of steel rebar in the Northern Europe domestic market was unchanged this week amid a stalemate between buyers and sellers over the direction in which prices should move, Fastmarkets heard on Wednesday November 4. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, delivered Northern Europe was ?,?475-485 ($526-537) per tonne on Wednesday, unchanged from a we...Read More