Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday July 23 that are worth another look.Russian producer UC Rusal has completed the installation of a new aluminium smelter with capacity for 120,000 tonnes per year at its Boguchansky plant at Krasnoyarsk in Russia, it said on Tuesday July 23. Rising freight rates offset the benefit of a 3.5% increase in chrome ore prices ...Read More
Rising freight rates offset the benefit of a 3.5% increase in chrome ore prices in terms of producer sales in the week to Friday July 19, market sources told Fastmarkets. Chrome ore prices jumped on Friday amid rising nickel prices and stronger sentiment around the stainless steel market. Fastmarkets' chrome ore South Africa UG2 concentrates index basis 42%, cif China, rose by $5 per tonne, o...Read More
Norsk Hydro's Alunorte alumina refinery has reached 80-85% utilization after the Brazilian government lifted a production embargo against the facility in May.The Norwegian aluminium producer announced on Tuesday July 23 that a continued ramp-up in production at its facilities in Brazil has been successful. Capacity utilization at Alunorte, located in the northern Brazilian state of Par??, is expec...Read More
German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp approved investment funds to build a new chromium coating line for packaging steel at its Rasselstein site in Andernach, western Germany, it said late in the week ending on July 19.The new coating line will be a replacement for the current line, following a change in European Union (EU) regulations. ThyssenKrupp declined to provide the value of the investment but sai...Read More
Strategic & Precious Metals Processing's (SPMP) antimony and gold processing facility in Sohar, Oman, has produced its first antimony metal, parent company Tri-Star Resources said on Monday July 22. Tri-Star, which has a 40% equity interest in SPMP, has reported the facility's first antimony production after nine months of remedial activity and several technical issues that have delayed output ini...Read More
Turkish steel mills remained silent over the course of the day on July 23, while news of an older cargo was revealed, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday July 23.The market is waiting to hear of any fresh cargo purchases this week, after a cargo that was reportedly sold on July 19 came to light late on Monday July 22.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region bought a United States-origin cargo compris...Read More
Against a backdrop of poor economic growth, especially in Germany and China, and in the absence of fresh news, markets seem to be content to consolidate this morning, Tuesday July 23.This is especially so ahead of the release of flash manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) data on Wednesday and the European Central Bank (ECB) rate decision on Thursday. Metals consolidate after recent price...Read More
The principal flat steel suppliers to Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow have increased their prices on seasonally good demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday July 22.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel hot-rolled sheet, domestic, cpt Moscow, Russia, was 44,500-45,000 roubles ($706-714) per tonne on July 22, including 20% VAT. This was up from 43,000-44,500 roubles per...Read More
German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp approved investment funds to build a new chromium coating line for packaging steel at its Rasselstein site in Andernach, western Germany, it said late in the week ending on July 19.The new coating line will be a replacement for the current line, following a change in European Union (EU) regulations. ThyssenKrupp declined to provide the value of the investment but sai...Read More
Prices paid for flat steel imports into the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia were stable this week, with demand remaining weak amid the seasonal summer lull.Buying may improve if prices fall by about $25 per tonne, but such a fall is unlikely any time soon, one market participant said.UAE Offers for hot-rolled coil imports from China to the UAE came in at $500-510 per tonne cfr, but no major...Read More
Prices for imported rebar in the United Arab Emirates increased this week in response to domestic price hikes, but billet import values declined in line with the global market, sources said on Tuesday July 23.The higher price for rebar imports was driven by local producers in the UAE increasing their prices last week.But weakening billet prices globally, sent billet import pric...Read More
In the process of standardizing the names of its prices, Fastmarkets has found that the delivery destination was displayed incorrectly in the name of its Russian domestic steel prices. In Fastmarkets' price names for steel cold-rolled sheet, hot-rolled sheet, plate and rebar in the Russian domestic market, the delivery destination had been listed as Russia. The correct destination, as properly dis...Read More
Rebar prices in Russia's major steel-consuming region, the Central Federal District, edged down over the past week, with supplies to the market continuing to increase since Tula Steel's entry into the rebar market earlier this year.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar) domestic, cpt Moscow, Russia, including 20% VAT, was 41,000-41,500 rubles ($650-658) per tonne cp...Read More
Turkish steel mills remained silent over the course of the day on July 23, while news of an older cargo was revealed, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday July 23.The market is waiting to hear of any fresh cargo purchases this week, after a cargo that was reportedly sold on July 19 came to light late on Monday July 22.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region bought a United States-origin cargo compris...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices were rangebound on Tuesday July 23, while the ongoing environmental restrictions have limited iron ore demand.Fastmarkets' index for iron ore 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $117.82 per tonne, down $0.51 per tonne. Fastmarkets' index for iron ore 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines, cfr Qingdao: $117.74 per tonne, down $0.51 per tonne. Fastmarkets' index for iron ore 62% Fe low alumina...Read More
Bad weather is weighing on domestic rebar demand in China, but prices were unchanged on Tuesday July 23 with the strength in the futures market being sustained.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,970-4,000 yuan ($577-581) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing): 3,900-3,930 yuan per tonne, unchangedVarious parts of northern and southeastern China were inundated with heavy rain in the last co...Read More
Rising freight rates offset the benefit of a 3.5% increase in chrome ore prices in terms of producer sales in the week to Friday July 19, market sources told Fastmarkets. Chrome ore prices jumped on Friday amid rising nickel prices and stronger sentiment around the stainless steel market. Fastmarkets' chrome ore South Africa UG2 concentrates index basis 42%, cif China, rose by $5 per tonne, o...Read More
Both the Chinese domestic and export ferro-silicon prices jumped up by around 5% week on week on Wednesday July 17 on improved demand and tight supply, while US market participants view the stabilizing European price as a hint that the US price is close to reaching a bottom. An uptick in ferro-silicon demand pushed the Chinese domestic market up by 4.8% while the export price increased by 5.1%.US...Read More
China's stainless steel prices are set to come under pressure from rising supply, but with the Shanghai Futures Exchange set to launch its futures for this segment, the spot market could be in store for more liquidity as well as fluctuation.Rising capacity China's stainless steel mills are making more investments in infrastructure amid an outlook for steady growth of consumption in the country in...Read More
German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp approved investment funds to build a new chromium coating line for packaging steel at its Rasselstein site in Andernach, western Germany, it said late in the week ending on July 19.The new coating line will be a replacement for the current line, following a change in European Union (EU) regulations. ThyssenKrupp declined to provide the value of the investment but sai...Read More