Flat steel buyers in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia preferred to delay their purchasing and see how the imposition of new 5% VAT regimes in both countries affects the market, sources told Metal Bulletin on Tuesday January 10.The UAE and Saudi Arabia both imposed a 5% rate of VAT with effect from January 1, 2018.The resulting confusion in the markets has seen buyers refrain from buying n...Read More
The upcoming Lunar New Year period is expected to dampen demand for steel in Asia, although the extent to which it does so continues to depend on the ongoing winter production cuts in China that are scheduled to last until mid-March this year.The Lunar New Year festival is celebrated in many Asian countries including South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam, which typically declare sho...Read More
China's ferrous futures remained in positive territoryat lunchtime close on Tuesday January 9 despite being flat or slightly lower from their opening prices, after the Chinese government announcement of stricter rules on new steel capacity released had led to a spike in futures on Monday afternoon.Futures closing prices - morning session Shanghai Futures Exchange May rebar: 3,821 ($588) per tonne,...Read More
The steel industries in Europe and Turkey will continue to grapple with elevated costs for graphite electrodes in 2018 despite some easing of prices in recent months.Graphite electrode prices reached $22,000-40,000 per tonne cfr Turkey in 2017, compared with $2,000 per tonne cfr Turkey in 2016, according to market sources.This massive price rise has had significant consequences for the steel indus...Read More
Dutch wire products supplier Van Merksteijn is to build a mesh-quality wire rod mill with capacity for 800,000 tonnes per year at the seaport of Eemshaven in the north of the Netherlands, the company confirmed to Metal Bulletin on Tuesday January 9.The company hopes to start production at the mill in 2020, and is expected to use scrap-based electric-arc furnace (EAF) technology."The capacity we're...Read More
Turkish steel mills continued their February bookings of scrap imports from the Baltic Sea region on Tuesday January 9, with the United States market still quiet because of the heavy winter conditions.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising 24,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $374 per tonne, 5,000 tonnes of bonus at $384 per tonne and 1,000 tonnes of...Read More
Metal Bulletin has today discontinued its index for CFR China 60% Fe Iranian Iron Ore Fines.After a consultation period, Metal Bulletin has suspended its weekly Iranian Iron Ore Fines Index, which was published every Wednesday.The MBIOI-IR Index was launched in October 2015 after a period...Read More
Iron ore exports from Western Australia's Port of Port Hedland rose 5% on the year to the highest ever in December, according to data released by the Pilbara Ports Authority on Tuesday January 9.The port shipped 46.19 million tonnes of the steelmaking raw material last month, compared with 43.94 million tonnes in December 2016. The volume is also 11.7% higher than November exports of 41.35 million...Read More
Brazilian exports of carbon steel slab and billet increased in 2017, according to the country's foreign trade ministry, MDIC.Exports of carbon steel slab reached 7.3 million tonnes in 2017, up 23.49% from the 5.91 million tonnes exported in 2016, according to the figures released late last week.The US was the largest...Read More
The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for steel billet, slab and bloom. Latest transactions: billetBillet Iran, export, billet, traded at $518 per tonne cfr,...Read More
Prices for imported steel billet in the UAE have increased this week while rebar prices in that country and in Saudi Arabia have remained stable, sources have told Metal Bulletin.Demand for imported rebar, meanwhile, was very weak in both countries because local prices were more competitive.BilletIranian mills were offering billet at $520-525 per tonne cfr to the UAE for late-March delivery, while...Read More
Chinese ferro-silicon prices continued to soften over the past week amid operational restarts in the country's Ningxia province, while the European market reached new highs on tightened supply. Chinese domestic prices edge lower amid production restarts Chinese exporters drop offers amid lack of buying interest European market realizes new highs on thin supplyUS spot market falls dormant, prices o...Read More
Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) and ferro-vanadium prices had a strong start to 2018 last week, with supply concerns in focus as the markets came back from the Christmas break. Chinese V2O5 prices soar with upstream constraints in focusFerro-vanadium leads the way in Europe US ferro-vanadium prices higher but spot activity 'just getting started'Vanadium prices in China jumped last week amid limited sup...Read More
Brazilian exports of carbon steel slab and billet increased in 2017, according to the country's foreign trade ministry, MDIC.Exports of carbon steel slab reached 7.3 million tonnes in 2017, up 23.49% from the 5.91 million tonnes exported in 2016, according to the figures released late last week.The US was the largest...Read More
INTL FCStone has merged its London Metal Exchange and precious metals departments, with the new unit headed by Barry Canham, the company said. In an email to the company's global metals team and seen by Metal Bulletin, INTL chief executive officer (CEO) for EMEA and Asia Philip Smith said that the move was made following the decision by Malcolm Leonard to retire after 46 years working in LME metal...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close on Tuesday January 9, with only nickel trading in positive territory. The three-month nickel price climbed $160 per tonne higher while the cash/January-2018 nearby spread moved into a $3 per tonne backwardation. "The LME nickel market has tightened slightly since the start of the year, judging by the contraction in the...Read More
High zinc prices could eventually lead to an irreversible dent in consumption of the metal, specifically in the form of zinc alloys in electric vehicles, market participants told Metal Bulletin.Substitution out of zinc is likeliest in the alloys sector, a zinc producer told Metal Bulletin, estimating that up to 3-5% of usage of metal at current levels could be at risk - albeit over a matter of yea...Read More
Comex copper prices weakened Tuesday January 9 morning in the US, although the complex remains well-supported due to positive Chinese and US data released in the past few weeks.Copper for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange dipped 0.70 cents or 0.2% to $3.2170 per lb."We remain bullish for copper's fundamentals and the price's action seems to be supporting th...Read More
The latest metal markets news and price moves to start the North American day on Tuesday January 9.Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were on divergent paths this morning, with only copper and nickel continuing to edge higher.Here is how the LME base metals complex looked at 11.59am London time:For a snapshot of exchange news, check out our live...Read More
Good morning from Metal Bulletin's office in Singapore, as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Tuesday January 9. Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mostly higher during Asian morning trading on Tuesday, with copper prices finding slight support from potential supply-side constraints, while tin was the lone metal in negative territory. Check Metal Bulletin's l...Read More