Steel billet prices were largely stable in most regions in the week ended Friday May 10, with many market sources expecting prices to fall in the near term because of declining scrap prices and weak buying interest.Fastmarkets' daily index for Northern Europe-origin HMS 1&2 (80:20) scrap was $289.83 per tonne cfr Turkey on May 10, down from $296.04 per tonne cfr Turkey on May 3.Turkey, EgyptTurkis...Read More
The Brucutu iron ore mine from Brazilian company Vale is currently operating on dry stacking at less than a third of its capacity, the miner's chief financial officer Luciano Siani said in an earnings conference call on Friday May 10."We are currently producing [at a rate of] a little less than 10 million tonnes [per year] at Brucutu," the executive stated. The mine has an output capacity of aroun...Read More
German industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp is planning to cut 6,000 jobs over the next three years, including 2,000 jobs in its steel business, chief executive officer Guido Kerkhoff said in a conference call on Friday May 10.ThyssenKrupp remains open to consolidation opportunities for its European steel business, which will be reintegrated into the parent company, following news of the European...Read More
Brazilian diversified miner Vale reported a net loss of $1.64 billion in the first quarter of 2019 due to provisions made after a disaster at a tailings dam at Brumadinho, in the country's southeastern state of Minas Gerais.This compares with a net profit of $1.59 billion in the same period a year earlier, Vale said on Thursday May 9.The miner was forced to halt several mining operations after a t...Read More
Steel billet prices were largely stable in most regions in the week ended Friday May 10, with many market sources expecting prices to fall in the near term because of declining scrap prices and weak buying interest.Fastmarkets' daily index for Northern Europe-origin HMS 1&2 (80:20) scrap was $289.83 per tonne cfr Turkey on May 10, down from $296.04 per tonne cfr Turkey on May 3.Turkey, EgyptTurkis...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday May 10 that are worth another look.Primary aluminium foundry alloy premiums in Europe were steady on Friday May 10 in a quiet market, while bearish sentiment from the automobile industry continued to cap premiums. The premium for silicon 7 aluminium wheel alloys over London Metal Exchange cash prices delivered to the Ruhr region...Read More
The temporary truce on tariffs between China and the United States could be over, injecting a new round of uncertainty into the global financial markets and suspending hopes that a resolution to the countries' trade impasse was likely.US President Donald Trump has threatened to raise the tariff on $200 billion-worth of Chinese imports to 25% from 10% by Friday May 10. He also said that the US may...Read More
Low-grade manganese ore prices have held relatively steady since rebounding from this year's lows in January, when market participants toned down fears of oversupply in the alloy market. Normally volatile low-grade manganese ore prices have held relatively steady since rebounding from this year's lows in January, after which market participants toned down fears of oversupply in the alloy market. F...Read More
When the London Metal Exchange amended its policies related to its physical delivery network a few years ago, it overlooked one key thing. The issue centers on LME's linked load-in/load-out (LILO) rule, which operates by linking the amount of metal a warehouse loads in to the amount it is obligated to load out for warehouses that have queues of over 50 days.The rule changes were part of package of...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday May 10 that are worth another look.Primary aluminium foundry alloy premiums in Europe were steady on Friday May 10 in a quiet market, while bearish sentiment from the automobile industry continued to cap premiums. The premium for silicon 7 aluminium wheel alloys over London Metal Exchange cash prices delivered to the Ruhr region...Read More
U.S. equity index futures moved lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 55 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures responded to a stalemate on trade between the U.S. and China. The Shanghai Composite lost another 1.21% to 2903.71.Crude oil gained $0.78 to $62.44 after two Saudi oil tankers were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz.Prudential Financial (PRU $101.27) is expected to open l...Read More
Aluminium billet premiums fell across Europe, the United States and Brazil on Friday May 10 due to continued poor demand for billet, forcing market participants to sell material at aggressively low levels. Italy premium drops to February 2018 low Deals discounted in Brazil Limp demand pushes US upcharge down Asia premiums unchanged following holidaysItalian premium returns to pre-Rusal-sanctions...Read More
Primary aluminium foundry alloy premiums in Europe were steady on Friday May 10 in a quiet market, while bearish sentiment from the automobile industry continued to cap premiums. The premium for silicon 7 aluminium wheel alloys over London Metal Exchange cash prices delivered to the Ruhr region with 30-day payment terms was assessed Friday at $340-360 per tonne, steady from April's assessment the...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly higher at the close of trading on Friday May 10, with nickel futures climbing 1.6% while the three-month lead price failed to recover from a three-year low. Despite the US government's decision to hike tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, potentially escalating trade tensions between the two countries, base metals prices remain...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves.Read More
Some Chinese ferro-alloys and minor metals prices wavered in a week when the United States raised the import tariff on a number of commodities from China on Friday May 10.The US raised import tariffs on $200 billion-worth of Chinese products to 25% from 10% at noon Asia time on Friday. This followed a threat on Sunday by US President Donald Trump to raise tariffs ahead of a new round of trade talk...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia, Europe and the United States for the week to Friday May 10. China China's domestic ferro-chrome spot price continued its downward trajectory amid abundant supply and thin buying interest. Some domestic ferro-chrome suppliers cut their offers further due to pressure from relatively high stocks and the bearish sentiment. Many market participant...Read More
The alumina price on the Chinese spot market is likely to break through this year's peak and move up even further in response to the local authorities' investigation into Xinfa Group regarding the chemical leakage in its alumina smelters in Xiaoyi city, Shanxi province in China, sources told Fastmarkets on May 10."The sentiment has become totally different compared with two days ago and we have se...Read More
Some Chinese ferro-alloys and minor metals prices wavered in a week when the United States raised the import tariff on a number of commodities from China on Friday May 10.The US raised import tariffs on $200 billion-worth of Chinese products to 25% from 10% at noon Asia time on Friday. This followed a threat on Sunday by US President Donald Trump to raise tariffs ahead of a new round of trade talk...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More