Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday July 31 that are worth another look.A fundamental industry that has always been a primary facilitator of global trade, shipping aims to be at the forefront of digital technology. This report explores initiatives at the Dutch Port of Rotterdam - Europe's largest port by cargo tonnage - and how those connect with global tra...Read More
A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday July 31.Please click...Read More
Premiums for tin ingot in the United States edged lower this week, primarily due to a lack of fundamental support in the domestic market, while a declining London Metal Exchange tin price further exacerbated business conditions, but did little to budge European and Asian premiums. US premium falls for the first time in six weeks Warrant availability stifles European physical market As...Read More
A summary of Nornickel's production results for the first half of 2019In brief Nornickel increased production across all base metals, particularly copper, and platinum-group metals in the first half of 2019. Refined nickel output fell 4% in the second quarter of 2019 from the first quarter to 54,000 tonnes, which reflects scheduled maintenance at the...Read More
Swiss private equity firm Parter Capital Group AG has completed the purchase of Alcoa's Avil?(C)s and La Coru??a aluminium plants in Spain, the producer said on Wednesday July 31. The acquisition is effective immediately and includes the casthouses at both plants and the paste plant at La Coru??a, which are currently in operation, as well as the curtailed smelters at both plants. Both companies&nb...Read More
Latin American steel group Ternium expects to reduce slab production and sales to third parties from its Brazilian operations in the third quarter of this year versus the second quarter due to a "difficult situation" in the seaborne slab market, M??ximo Vedoya, the company's chief executive officer, said on Wednesday July 31.Sales of slab to third parties are expected to be 300,000 tonnes low...Read More
Brazilian steelmaker Companhia Sider??rgica Nacional (CSN) called for the industry to push forward on price increases in the domestic steel market, given the international uptrend and higher cost inflation."The steel industry needs to be intelligent in the current business environment to take advantage from more expensive imports and ease the pressure from costlier iron ore," CSN commercial direct...Read More
Turkey imported 515,677 tonnes of flat steel in June 2019, down by 11.29% from the corresponding month in 2018, when 581,315 tonnes arrived in the country, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) said on Wednesday July 31.The country's total flat steel imports in January-June 2019 came to 3.55 million tonnes, 11.67% less than the 4.02 million tonnes imported in the first half of 2018, due to the...Read More
Latin American steel group Ternium expects steel product prices in North America to increase in the third quarter of 2019, following price rises announced by mills in the United States."Prices [in the US] have recently bottomed out and we believe they will continue to rise," chief executive officer M??ximo Vedoya said on Wednesday July 31.The price rises in the US were also expected to boost the a...Read More
India's Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has denied carrying out investigations that could result in safeguard duties being imposed on steel product imports into the country."There are no [safeguard] investigations being considered from our end [against steel imports]," a senior official from DGTR has told Fastmarkets.DGRT is part of India's ministry of commerce and industry, and is...Read More
Export billet prices from Iran continued to increase in the last week of July amid lively trading of September-rolling volumes.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel billet, export, fob ports Iran, was $390-395 per tonne on Wednesday July 31, against $385-395 per tonne a week earlier.Several cargoes have been reported sold to customers in the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia within t...Read More
A fundamental industry that has always been a primary facilitator of global trade, shipping aims to be at the forefront of digital technology. This report explores initiatives at the Dutch Port of Rotterdam - Europe's largest port by cargo tonnage - and how those connect with global trade.The shipping industry is key to enhancing global trading. The Dutch Port of Rotterdam has decided to lead the...Read More
Brazil's Companhia Sider??rgica Nacional (CSN) has increased its planned iron ore sales volumes for 2019 by 2 million tonnes or more than 5%, it said.CSN now expects to sell 40 million tonnes of iron ore during the year, the steel and iron ore producer said alongside its second-quarter earnings report on Tuesday July 30, up from its forecast of 38 million tonnes published in May,To...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices fell on Wednesday July 31, on an uncertain outlook for the markets.Fastmarkets' index for iron ore 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $117.15 per tonne, down by $2.46 per tonne.Fastmarkets' index for iron ore 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines, cfr Qingdao: $115.65 per tonne, down by $3.88 per tonne.Fastmarkets' index for iron ore 62% Fe low alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $118.34 per dmt, do...Read More
Chinese buying activity appears to be supporting prices for premium low-vol hard coking coal despite a bearish outlook for the market among Indian buyers who pointed to ample supply and a subdued steel market in the South Asian country.A September-loading cargo of premium low-vol product was at $182.50 per tonne cfr China, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 31.Another cargo of the same pro...Read More
Metinvest chief executive officer Yuriy Ryzhenkov discusses with Marina Shulga the challenges the company has overcome and the strategies for its future prosperity.Metinvest, the largest steel producer in Ukraine, has faced the seizing of its assets by rebels, military action right next to its plants, raw material supply interruptions and debt restructuring over the last five years. Over this peri...Read More
A top Japanese steelmaker is expecting prices for October shipments of hot-rolled coil in Asia to continue to trend upward amid rising production costs as a result of raw materials becoming more expensive."Production volumes of electric-arc furnaces (EAFs) in China are increasing rapidly due to strong demand for long steel products from the construction sector, particularly as a result of domestic...Read More
The nickel premium market in China was quiet in the week to Tuesday July 30, with the incentive to import now gone while premium discounting has receded in the United States and Europe is starting to feel the summer slowdown. Chinese premiums flat while import demand is low and supply sufficient US briquette premiums steady; recent discounting seemingly halts European premiums flat on sustained se...Read More
Dramatic inflows of lead stock into London Metal Exchange warehouses this week have challenged the market notion of physical tightness following a suspension at Nyrstar's Port Pirie smelter, which has been cited as the key driver of a recent surge in the lead price. Total LME lead stock soared to 79,050 tonnes as of Wednesday July 31, up 42.5% from Monday's 55,475 tonnes. There were significant de...Read More
Domestic hot-rolled coil prices in China edged up on Wednesday July 31 while pessimism grew in the export segment following days of sparse trading.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,830-3,840 yuan ($557-558) per tonne, up 20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,820 yuan per tonne, up 10 yuan per tonneSpot prices rebounded in line with gains in the futures market in the morning. In the after...Read More