Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange largely edged up on the morning of Wednesday September 15 after a day of weakness, but those on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were weaker because they followed movements in London on Tuesday and reacted to weaker Chinese economic data.* China retail sales rose by just 2.5% in August after a 8.5% rise in July* Chinese industrial production climbed 5.3...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were mixed this morning. S&P 500 futures were unchanged in pre-opening trade.Index futures were virtually unchanged following released of economic news at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for the September Empire State Manufacturing Survey was a slip to 17.2 from 18.30 in August. Actual was an increase to 34.3 The Canadian Dollar added 0.10 to US78.88 cents following release of...Read More
Several lead smelters in China, which have previously struggled to raise finance, have been restarting their idled furnaces to take advantage of opportunities to sell the heavy metal's by-products abroad, market sources said.Over the past few months, Hunan-based lead smelters, including Hunan Yuteng Nonferrous Metals and Chenzhou City Jingui Silver Industry Co, have obtained silver tolling li...Read More
Turkish steelmakers have continued to book deep-sea scrap cargoes at slightly better prices, market participants told Fastmarkets on Tuesday September 14.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a United States cargo comprising 24,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (85:15) at $443 per tonne and 4,000 tonnes of plate and structural (P&S) at $458 per tonne cfr.The same mill also booked a Canadian cargo compr...Read More
Semi-finished steel imports to the Philippines, mostly made up of steel billet, fell 11.6% year on year in the first half of 2021 with demand choked by the country's ongoing struggles with Covid-19.1.23 million tonnes of material were imported to the Philippines in January-June 2021, down from 1.39 million tonnes over the first half of 2020, according to statistics compiled by the Philippines...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in London on Friday September 10th.Key drivers: There is market talk of factory closures in Lengshuijiang, Hunan Province due to high antimony content in Zijiang River, which is located there. The central government has ordered all metal refineries in...Read More
Prices for most metals fell on Monday September 13, except for aluminium, which set a new 13-year high of $3,000 per tonne on Monday.Monday's price drops came after most metals reached year-to-date highs on Friday September 10.Nickel's three-month price was down to $19,870 per tonne on Monday morning, a 2.6% decrease from its closing price of $20,392 per tonne on Friday.The stainless-steel metal r...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:US prices for hot-rolled coil moved in line with our forecasts in August, averaging $1,910 per ton, within 1% accuracy of our forecast of $1,925 per ton. The market has achieved much-needed stability in recent weeks, with prices fluctuating in the range of $1,900-1,94...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were lower across the board at 5pm on Monday September 13, after coal prices continued to trade downward and strength was seen in the US dollar.The US Dollar Index reached a high of 92.89 on Monday, the highest level seen for more than two weeks and shoring up the current weakness across the base metals complex.The three-month nickel price came under...Read More
The recovery of the Brazilian domestic flat steel market appears to have peaked in recent weeks, but it is expected to continue strong through 2022, according to ArcelorMittal Brasil chief executive officer Benjamin Baptista Filho."We saw since last year a very strong recovery of the Brazilian manufacturing activity, especially from the agribusiness sector, and demand for steel rose in a sustained...Read More
China's leading copper producer, Jiangxi Copper, will develop the Mes Aynak copper mine in Afghanistan with Metallurgical Corp of China (MCC) when conditions allow, the company said.Due to the unstable situation in Afghanistan, there has not yet been any substantial construction at the mine, but the two companies are monitoring the situation and will push forward with the project when they...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday September 13 that are worth another look....Read More
The latest data for the global manganese ore market for the week ended September 13, 2021.Read More
Flat steel prices in the Brazilian domestic market remained stable in September, with distributors facing a slow pace of sales and competition from imported material booked several months ago.Steelmakers were not giving any discounts from their prices despite a lower level of sales, because international prices for steel were still seen to be strong.Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for steel...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday September 13 that are worth another look....Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:US prices for hot-rolled coil moved in line with our forecasts in August, averaging $1,910 per ton, within 1% accuracy of our forecast of $1,925 per ton. The market has achieved much-needed stability in recent weeks, with prices fluctuating in the range of $1,900-1,94...Read More
The Brazilian domestic price for steel rebar was unchanged in September, with producers and buyers in a tug of war amid a global downturn and efforts to prevent oversupply in the market.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar) domestic, monthly, delivered Brazil held at 5,100-5,310 Reais ($972-1,012) per tonne on Friday September 10, compared with August 13, when it fell to...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices fell sharply on the news of a fresh booking for October shipment, market participants told Fastmarkets on Monday September 13.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a US cargo, comprising 32,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $436 per tonne and 8,000 tonnes of shredded at $451.50 per tonne cfr late on Friday September 10.Earlier on Friday, a booking from the B...Read More
Steelmakers in Bangladesh returned to the market for imports of bulk steel scrap cargoes in the week ended Friday September 10 despite very high freight costs, sources told Fastmarkets.Bangladesh removed its Covid-19-related lockdown in early August 2020, leading to a re-opening of the steel retail markets and easing the movement of scrap across the country.The decision also allowed induction furn...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in China on Friday September 10.Key driversChina's cobalt metal price moved up amid continuous rising local futures prices and tight spot supply among sellers. Some buyers restocked small-volume materials, but others remained cautious.The cobalt tetroxide price increased further, with most producers insisting...Read More