China's domestic rebar prices dropped on Friday October 18 amid renewed expectations of looser steelmaking restrictions in the northern region over the next few months of the cold season.Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,580-3,610 yuan ($505-510) per tonne, down 30-40 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,550-3,590 yuan per tonne, down 10-20 yuan per tonneThe Ministry of Ecology & Environment has re...Read More
An overview of the noble alloys markets and their latest price moves. Read More
UK and mainland European alloy steel scrap prices fell in the week to Friday October 18, due to the decline in nickel costs and limited trading activity, sources told Fastmarkets this week.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for stainless steel scrap 18/8 solids, domestic, delivered merchants UK, was ?760-800 ($879-925) per tonne on October 18, down by ?20 per tonne from ?780-820 per tonne."De...Read More
The price of stainless steel cold-rolled sheet in Europe has decreased over the past week under pressure from slow trading, Fastmarkets heard on Friday October 18.Fastmarkets' price assessment for stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grade-304, transaction domestic, delivered North Europe, was ?,?2,300-2,350 ($2,554-2,609) per tonne on October 18, down by ?,?50 per tonne week on week from ?,?2,...Read More
BHP has reported a 9.6% year-on-year drop in metallurgical coal output in the three months to September, a period during which fob Australia prices for premium hard coking coal fell amid Chinese import restrictions and weak demand outside of China.The miner produced 9.35 million tonnes of met coal during the period, which also marked a 21% quarter-on-quarter drop, it said on Thursday October 17. B...Read More
Members of the incoming European Commission, expected to take office in November, have released more details of a planned "carbon border tax", which could levy charges on metal imports into the European Union. Products affected would be those deemed by the EU as manufactured with excessive carbon emissions. While details of what will be covered, and under what circumstances, will be included in a...Read More
US President Donald Trump said on Monday October 14 that he will impose a 50% tariff on imports of steel from Turkey in response to that country's military actions in northeastern Syria.However, market participants believe such a move will have a minor impact on the Turkish steel sector, because Turkey's steel exports to the United States are already limited because of weak demand.BilletA trader f...Read More
Global scrap prices in all the major markets recovered during the working week ended Friday October 18, boosted by lower material availability and rising Turkish import prices. Turkish import prices up as mills resume November buying US export prices up on bulk sales to Turkey Taiwan import prices up on reduced supply, Vietnam import prices stable Indian import prices up in line with Turkish marke...Read More
An overview of the noble alloys markets and their latest price moves. Read More
Import prices for hot-rolled coil and cold-rolled coil (HRC, CRC) into South America have fallen in the week ended Friday October 18, with producers from many regions competing for clients.Offers from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Brazil, Japan and China reached South American buyers at lower levels than last week.Fastmarkets assessed the price for steel HRC, import, cfr main ports...Read More
Pig iron import prices in the United States rebounded during the week ended Friday October 18, but more as a result of lower material availability than better demand.Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US, was $300-310 per tonne on October 18, up from $290-300 per tonne a week before."Demand in the US is recovering and we see that some market participants who ar...Read More
Electric vehicles (EVs) are forecast to reach cost and functional parity with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles by 2025. Theoretically, this should create the global tipping point for mass market EV adoption, along with the development of the associated charging infrastructure required to accompany the growth.In practice, it is not quite as straightforward.A recent report by investment res...Read More
Market participants in both China and Europe have been taking a wait-and-see approach to procurement in the run-up to the auctions of four cargoes of minor metals formerly held by the Fanya Metal Exchange. On October 11, Southwestern China's Kunming Intermediate People's Court announced germanium, gallium, tellurium and selenium stocks will be auctioned over a 24-hour period starting at 10am...Read More
The whereabouts of minor metal stocks held by the now defunct Fanya Metals Exchange has been a weight on the outlook of minor metals prices and contract negotiations since the exchange collapsed in 2015. The whereabouts of minor metal stocks held by the now defunct Fanya Metals Exchange has been a weight on the outlook of minor metals prices and contract negotiations since the exchange collapsed i...Read More
Market participants in both China and Europe have been taking a wait-and-see approach to procurement in the run-up to the auctions of four cargoes of minor metals formerly held by the Fanya Metal Exchange. On October 11, Southwestern China's Kunming Intermediate People's Court announced germanium, gallium, tellurium and selenium stocks will be auctioned over a 24-hour period starting at 10am...Read More
The alumina price on a fob Australia basis has stabilized just below $280 per tonne in the week ending Friday October 18, after a flurry of deals over the past week. Fastmarkets calculated the benchmark daily alumina index, fob Australia at $278.25 per tonne on Friday, down from $277.14 per tonne on Thursday. It has hovered between $277 and 278 per tonne over the past week. Key drivers: ...Read More
The inter-merchant spot market for UK-origin light iron scrap was steady in the week ended Friday October 18, extending a run of stability into a third week amid a recovery in European steel scrap export prices.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel scrap 5C, loose old light, domestic, delivered inter-merchant, UK, was ?60-80 ($77-102) per tonne on Friday. The market is around where it was when...Read More
Turkish steel producers have continued their deep-sea scrap bookings for November shipments at steady prices, sources said on Friday October 18.Steel mills in the country had resumed their deep-sea purchases on Thursday October 17 with slightly higher prices amid tight supply.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a UK cargo, comprising 18,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $240 per tonne cfr.Ano...Read More
An increase in copper concentrate treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) so far this month reflects a drop in the number of spot deals ahead of annual contract negotiations that are set to start during the annual London Metal Exchange Week gathering. With major smelters well stocked, bids are close to the new quarterly price floor set by the China Smelters Purchase Team (CSPT). Traders, meanwhile...Read More
Three-month prices of base metals traded on the London Metal Exchange, with the exception of tin and lead, were buoyed by a weaker US dollar to close up at the afternoon kerb on Friday October 18.The LME three-month copper price finally began to make gains, closing up 1.1% at $5,806 tonnes from yesterday's $5,739 per tonne close. Much has been made of copper futures' lack of reaction to tightening...Read More