Ferrous scrap prices in Mexico have dropped for almost all grades and in almost all regions this week, with some of the country's main steelmakers applying price cuts.Last week, a large Mexican mill confirmed a price reduction of 400 pesos ($20.57) per tonne for all scrap grades, adding to previously announced price cuts of 200 pesos per week in September by two other large scrap consumers.But som...Read More
The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange was lower at the close of trading on Tuesday September 24, dipping below the $2,300-per-tonne support level despite falling exchange stocks, while aluminium futures closed at their lowest level since September 3. Zinc futures closed at $2,282 per tonne this afternoon, also settling at their lowest level since September 3 against a broad weake...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday September 24 that are worth another look.The long-lasting downtrend in the international scrap market, which has pushed prices to three-year lows this month, has led to the point where steelmakers which use electric-arc furnaces (EAFs) have a significant advantage over those equipped with blast furnaces (BFs), which use iron ore...Read More
Following a flip in global steel and ferrous trade flow trends last year caused by economic jitters in Turkey, trade defenses by the United States and production cuts in China, this year it is steel prices that are turning upside down. Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices are now below rebar prices in a phenomenon rarely seen outside of the Chinese domestic markets. HRC import prices in Vietnam have...Read More
The whole battery supply chain will benefit from lithium benchmark pricing, Fastmarkets head of battery raw materials research William Adams says as he explores what is driving auto manufacturers to support this pricing mechanism. The auto industry is going through a period of unprecedented change due to companies introducing electric vehicles (EV) into their portfolios alongside internal combusti...Read More
Steelmaking restrictions planned for China's northern region - where the concentration of mills are the highest in the country - during the autumn-winter period appear to be looser this year compared with the corresponding period of last year.While no official guidelines have emerged, a draft of measures to control air pollution in 28 cities in the region during the October-March period has been c...Read More
The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange was lower at the close of trading on Tuesday September 24, dipping below the $2,300-per-tonne support level despite falling exchange stocks, while aluminium futures closed at their lowest level since September 3. Zinc futures closed at $2,282 per tonne this afternoon, also settling at their lowest level since September 3 against a broad weake...Read More
Bearish sentiment continues to grip the seaborne coking coal market, where prices fell to a three-year low this month.Premium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $128.19 per tonne, unchangedPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $153.98 per tonne, down $1 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $122.50 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $132.76 per tonne, unchangedLow-vol PCI, fob DBCT: $98...Read More
Ongoing steelmaking restrictions continued to support prices for hot-rolled coil in China on Tuesday September 24.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,660-3,670 yuan ($515-516) per tonne, narrowing upward by 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,600 yuan per tonne, unchangedSpot prices remained largely at Monday's levels amid optimism due to the emergence of more details surrounding steelma...Read More
The increasing consumption of scrap and a potential shift toward the electric-arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking route from the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) route in China are medium- to long-term threats to demand for steelmaking raw materials, while in the near team coking coal import volumes will continue to be affected by iron ore procurement strategies.This was the basis of Fastmarkets research team...Read More
Miners launch cheaper offer prices for manganese ore in response to declining demand from China. Ore markets knocked by cheap offers, languishing demandSilico-manganese spot prices weaken in ChinaIndian silico-manganese prices drop amid poor demand, oversupplyEuropean alloy markets flatline in consumer absenceUS high carbon ferro-manganese price falters Seaborne manganese ore prices dived on Frida...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap prices have shown a slight uptick with news of a fresh European cargo trade, but the market direction was still unclear, sources said on Tuesday September 24.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a European cargo, comprising 15,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (75:25) at $220 per tonne and 10,000 tonnes of shredded at $230 per tonne cfr.News of the cargo raised the daily scrap i...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday September 24 that are worth another look.The long-lasting downtrend in the international scrap market, which has pushed prices to three-year lows this month, has led to the point where steelmakers which use electric-arc furnaces (EAFs) have a significant advantage over those equipped with blast furnaces (BFs), which use iron ore...Read More
Five private copper smelters in China have halted production because processing at market terms has become unfeasible due to a combination of weakening demand for end products, a tight copper concentrates market and the higher costs of complying with pollution standards.The smelters involved are Top-Eastern Copper in Liaoning, Jinshui Copper and Kaitong Group in Yunnan, Laizhou Fangtai in Shandong...Read More
Fastmarkets published its monthly Shanghai, nickel premium, 99.80% purity briquette, on a duty free cif basis, two minutes later than scheduled on Tuesday September 24 due to an unforeseen market shift from a premium to a discount.The following price was published in Fastmarkets' price book later than scheduled:Shanghai, nickel premium, 99.80% purity briquette, duty free, cif, $ per tonne For more...Read More
Fastmarkets published its alumina index, fob Australia 23 minutes later than scheduled on Tuesday September 24 due to a technical issue during the pricing discovery process. The following price was published in Fastmarkets' price book later than scheduled: Alumina index, fob Australia, $/tonne For more information on or to provide feedback on the delayed publication of this index or if you wo...Read More
Several large aluminium companies were now producing metal with low carbon emissions, but not all consumers were yet willing to pay a premium for the material, industry executives have said.But this was expected to change in the future, and will in part create incentives for other producers to decarbonize, they told a panel at the Fastmarkets International Aluminium Conference in Athens, Greece."S...Read More
The long-lasting downtrend in the international scrap market, which has pushed prices to three-year lows this month, has led to the point where steelmakers which use electric-arc furnaces (EAFs) have a significant advantage over those equipped with blast furnaces (BFs), which use iron ore as a feed.That was the conclusion made by the raw materials committee of the International Rebar Exporters & P...Read More
Flat-rolled steel sales volumes reported by Brazilian distributors totaled 280,000 tonnes in August 2019, falling by 6.4% from 299,200 tonnes in the corresponding month a year before, distributors' association Inda said on Tuesday September 24.Imports decreased by 9.5% on the same basis of comparison to 89,800 tonnes, from 99,200 tonnes, Inda's data showed.The distributors purchased 279,700 tonnes...Read More
Mexico's largest integrated steelmaker, Altos Hornos de M?(C)xico (Ahmsa), has been considering capitalization options, including the sale of its ownership stake or building a partnership with another company."Regarding information published today about an alleged process of sale of the company, Ahmsa affirms it has been working with several options for capitalization or partnership with many indu...Read More