East Asia's stainless steel market strengthened slightly over the past week, with elevated nickel prices keeping mills under pressure to raise their offers.Metal Bulletin's assessment of prices for benchmark 304 stainless 2mm trimmed cold-rolled coil was $2,230-2,310 per tonne cif East Asian ports for the week ended Wednesday May 9, up $10-60 per tonne from a week earlier. Metal Bulletin's assessm...Read More
Turkish steel mills have extended their absence from the deep-sea scrap markets due to increasing offer prices and sluggish finished steel demand in the country's export markets, sources said on Thursday May 10.The mills were expected to book more cargoes for May to replenish their low stock levels, but instead they decided to fall silent with the latest increase in prices.A steel mill in the Marm...Read More
Chinese aluminum ingot ADC 12 export prices to main Japanese ports (MJP) hit a six-week high on Wednesday May 9 following the one-month ban on US scrap imports to China, while consumers have looked for alternatives amid rising Chinese prices. Metal Bulletin's price assessment for Chinese aluminium alloy ADC 12 delivered to MJPs jumped to $2,000-2,100 per tonne on Wednesday from $1,970-1990 pe...Read More
Silver futures would complement the gold futures that already trade on Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing (HKEX), chief executive officer Charles Li said in an interview with Metal Bulletin ahead of LME Asia Week.As well, the London Metal Exchange is considering options for LME precious metals as well as hot-rolled coil contracts, Li added.The LME and the World Gold Council teamed up to launch the LME...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were more negative than positive on the morning of Thursday May 10, with all of the metals, except for tin (+0.2%) and lead (0.0%), down by an average 0.6%. Aluminium prices led the decline with a 1.1% drop to $2,330 per tonne, while copper prices were down by 0.1% at $6,811 per tonne.Volume on the LME has been below average, with 4,769 lots traded a...Read More
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) miner Gecamines' push to dissolve Katanga Mining Ltd subsidiary Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) has been delayed according to a release from Katanga on Tuesday May 8. Glencore-owned Katanga received a decision from the DRC Supreme Court allowing KCC to challenge the competency of the Kolwezi Commercial Court to rule on litigation regarding the dissolution of...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices weakened further on Thursday May 10 amid low trading activity. DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,170-4,200 yuan ($655-659) per tonne, widened downward by 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 4,010-4,030 yuan per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonneDemand remained weak in the morning amid losses in the futures market, which led to a slight price decrease in....Read More
Chinese ferrous futures remained subdued during morning trading on Thursday May 10, ending the session little changed from their opening prices after the physical steel and iron ore markets weakened a day earlier.Futures closing prices - morning session Shanghai Futures Exchange October rebar: 3,587 yuan ($564) per tonne, unchanged October hot-rolled coil: 3,682 yuan per tonne, down 5 yuan per ton...Read More
Import rod markets have been quiet in the United States, with traders still hesitant to close on cargoes due to ongoing uncertainty around Section 232 exemptions. American Metal Market kept its assessment of import rod prices steady, at $600-635 per ton ($661-700 per tonne), flat from two weeks ago. The price has been unchanged since February 28, when traders grew concerned about future cargoes be...Read More
US wire rod mills have shrugged off a $10-per-gross-ton decline in Chicago shredded scrap to keep steel rod prices flat, market participants said. American Metal Market kept its domestic industrial-quality rod price flat, at $38-$40 per hundredweight, in an assessment on Wednesday May 9. Buyers polled by American Metal Market saw prices in a range of $37-41.50 per cwt, although the $37 per cw...Read More
Buying activity in the European long steel markets is likely to remain cautious because of weak demand and relatively high stock levels among consumers, market sources told Metal Bulletin this week.Rebar consumption is expected to rise with the weather improving through May and construction projects ramping up, but public holidays in several areas across Europe during the month could damp any poss...Read More
The export market for pig iron from the Commonwealth of Independent States was quiet this week because sellers and buyers preferred to wait to see whether prices would fall, sources told Metal Bulletin on Thursday May 10."The busheling-grade scrap price in the United States didn't decrease, while shredded scrap went down by $10-20 [per tonne] in May. That could cause a reduction in pig iron prices...Read More
Turkish steel mills have extended their absence from the deep-sea scrap markets due to increasing offer prices and sluggish finished steel demand in the country's export markets, sources said on Thursday May 10.The mills were expected to book more cargoes for May to replenish their low stock levels, but instead they decided to fall silent with the latest increase in prices.A steel mill in the Marm...Read More
Iron ore prices at ports in China softened on Thursday May 10 while those for seaborne cargoes picked up some strength.Metal Bulletin 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $66.83 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up by $0.37 per tonne Metal Bulletin 58% Fe Premium Index: $54.40 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up by $0.11 per tonne Metal Bulletin 65% Fe Iron Ore Index: $85.20 per tonne cfr Qingdao, unchangedMetal Bulletin 62% Fe Chi...Read More
Turkish billet prices have remained stable over the past week with demand for material being very limited, sources said on Thursday May 10.The billet mills in the CIS region tried to increase their offer prices, in line with the uptick in Turkish imported scrap prices. But, due to poor demand for rebar, none of the customers...Read More
The price of imported steel billet and local rebar prices have been mostly unchanged in Egypt this week, sources told Metal Bulletin on Thursday May 10.The country's rebar biggest producer, Ezz Steel, is still offering material at E ?12,528 ($705) per tonne ex-works, including 14% VAT, while Beshay Steel, also a major domestic producer, is offering rebar at E ?12,525 per tonne ex-works including 1...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices continued to trend downward on Thursday May 10 amid persistently weak demand. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,890-3,940 yuan ($611-619) per tonne, down 60 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,870-3,920 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonne Rebar futures were trading below Wednesday's settlement price of 3,596 yuan per tonne for most of the day before c...Read More
Chinese ferrous futures remained subdued during morning trading on Thursday May 10, ending the session little changed from their opening prices after the physical steel and iron ore markets weakened a day earlier.Futures closing prices - morning session Shanghai Futures Exchange October rebar: 3,587 yuan ($564) per tonne, unchanged October hot-rolled coil: 3,682 yuan per tonne, down 5 yuan per ton...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were more negative than positive on the morning of Thursday May 10, with all of the metals, except for tin (+0.2%) and lead (0.0%), down by an average 0.6%. Aluminium prices led the decline with a 1.1% drop to $2,330 per tonne, while copper prices were down by 0.1% at $6,811 per tonne. Volume on the LME has been below average, with 4,769 lots traded...Read More
East Asia's stainless steel market strengthened slightly over the past week, with elevated nickel prices keeping mills under pressure to raise their offers.Metal Bulletin's assessment of prices for benchmark 304 stainless 2mm trimmed cold-rolled coil was $2,230-2,310 per tonne cif East Asian ports for the week ended Wednesday May 9, up $10-60 per tonne from a week earlier. Metal Bulletin's assessm...Read More