China's Hebei Steel raised its purchase price for silico-manganese alloys to 7,900 yuan ($1,150) per tonne for July delivery, up 3.9% from 7,600 yuan per tonne for June, market sources told Fastmarkets.China's second largest steel mill's monthly purchase price hike was mostly in accordance with market expectations amid the strong momentum in spot silico-manganese prices in June, while some alloys...Read More
Treatment charges (TCs) for lead concentrates rose in June after a price arbitrage that encouraged imports closed off, and major supplying mine Pe??asquito returned to the market after a month-long layoff.Fastmarkets assessed TCs for low-silver lead concentrates at $20-30 per tonne on Friday June 28, up from a 19-month low of $5-15 per tonne on May 31.A closed import arbitrage into China was exace...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
The steel mills in Turkey have continued to book deep-sea scrap cargoes for August shipments to replenish their stocks, sources said on Wednesday July 3.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a US cargo, comprising 30,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $299 per tonne, 5,000 tonnes of shredded at $304 per tonne and 5,000 tonnes of bonus at $309 per tonne cfr.This compared with the...Read More
Prices for rebar produced and delivered in Southern Europe widened downwards this week as domestic mills aimed to maintain current price levels, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 3.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Southern Europe was ?,?485-500 ($548-565) per tonne delivered on Wednesday, down ?,?5 per tonne week on week on the lower end from ?,?490-500 per...Read More
Demand for flat steel in Turkey failed to improve in June even after the United States halved its import tariffs for Turkish steel to 25%, market participants told Fastmarkets.And local producers have now filled their order books until late August, they said on Wednesday July 3. Turkish steel prices started to rise on May 17 after US import duties of 50% introduced in August 2018 were cut to...Read More
A spike in Chinese lithium carbonate imports in the first two months of the second quarter reflects a drop in prices that made the material more attractive to buyers.China imported 4,539 tonnes of lithium carbonate in April-May 2019, according to the most recent available figures from Chinese customs, up by 37% from 3,315 tonnes in the whole of the first quarter.The monthly average value of the im...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil (HRC) in Europe have been largely stable over the past seven days due to weak market activity, market sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 3.Buying activity has been steady due to limited demand from end-users, sufficient stocks held by buyers, and an unclear price trend."The market is slow, because buyers mainly have enough material in stock and there is...Read More
Demand for flat steel in Turkey failed to improve in June even after the United States halved its import tariffs for Turkish steel to 25%, market participants told Fastmarkets.And local producers have now filled their order books until late August, they said on Wednesday July 3. Turkish steel prices started to rise on May 17 after US import duties of 50% introduced in August 2018 were cut to...Read More
Exporters of Chinese hot-rolled coil pushed ahead with higher prices on Wednesday July 3 on expectations of a turnaround of the domestic market, notwithstanding the day's losses.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,890-3,900 yuan ($566-568) per tonne, down 30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,850-3,860 yuan per tonne, down 30 yuan per tonneSpot prices fell further after mills lowered their...Read More
Domestic prices for hollow steel sections in Northern and Southern Europe remained flat this week on a lack of trading, resulting from uncertainty about the region's new import quotas, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 3.Fastmarkets' domestic price assessment for commodity-size, grade-S235 square hollow sections made in Northern Europe was ?,?630-640 per tonne ($711-722) per tonne deliver...Read More
The price of mesh-quality wire rod in Europe was unchanged week on week, with market participants expecting price stability to continue into the summer holiday period, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 3.Fastmarkets' weekly domestic price assessment for mesh-quality wire rod in Northern Europe was ?,?500-510 ($564-575) per tonne delivered on Wednesday, unchanged from June 26."We expect th...Read More
Steel H-beam prices in Northern Europe fell back this week after a short-lived increase last week, despite mills being keen to push prices upward, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 3.Fastmarkets' price assessment for domestic S235-grade, 200x200mm, category-2 H-beam in Northern Europe was ?,?570-605 ($644-683) per tonne delivered on July 3, down from ?,?575-610 per tonne one week earlier....Read More
The steel mills in Turkey have continued to book deep-sea scrap cargoes for August shipments to replenish their stocks, sources said on Wednesday July 3.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a US cargo, comprising 30,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $299 per tonne, 5,000 tonnes of shredded at $304 per tonne and 5,000 tonnes of bonus at $309 per tonne cfr.This compared with the...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices were down on Wednesday July 3, even as futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange closed higher after hitting a five-year peak a day earlier. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $124.75 per tonne cfr China, down $1.02 per tonneMB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $125.83 per tonne cfr China, down $0.41 per tonneMB 58% Fe Premium Index: $114.86 per tonne cfr China, down $0.18 per tonn...Read More
China will allow 15,000 tonnes of ferrous scrap to be imported in 2019, according to a notice seen by Fastmarkets MB this week.The China Solid Waste & Chemicals Management Center listed nine companies in Zhejiang province that have been awarded quotas to import ferrous scrap through ports in the cities of Ningbo and Shanghai. The companies, listed below, can use their quotas in the third and fourt...Read More
Fastmarkets proposes to amend several semi-finished products' price assessment specifications in response to changing market conditions.The amendments will include new payment terms, tonnages and timing.The proposed amendments will allow Fastmarkets to consider more spot liquidity within its assessments of billet prices in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Iran as well as the Iranian sla...Read More
Demand for flat steel in Turkey failed to improve in June even after the United States halved its import tariffs for Turkish steel to 25%, market participants told Fastmarkets.And local producers have now filled their order books until late August, they said on Wednesday July 3. Turkish steel prices started to rise on May 17 after US import duties of 50% introduced in August 2018 were cut to...Read More
China's leading stainless steel mills -Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Tisco), Tsingshan Group and Baosteel - have cut their July tender prices for high-carbon ferro-chrome by 450-500 ($65-72) yuan per tonne month on month on July 3.Tsingshan and Baosteel announced the month on month 450-yuan-per tonne reduction in their July tender prices for high-carbon ferro-chrome earlier in the morning on July 3, with...Read More
Domestic prices for hollow steel sections in Northern and Southern Europe remained flat this week on a lack of trading, resulting from uncertainty about the region's new import quotas, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 3.Fastmarkets' domestic price assessment for commodity-size, grade-S235 square hollow sections made in Northern Europe was ?,?630-640 per tonne ($711-722) per tonne deliver...Read More