Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were down across the board at the 5pm close on Thursday November 4, with strength in the United States Dollar supporting price weakness across the complex.The US Dollar Index was most recently at $94.39 after hitting an intraday high of $94.47, the highest level since October 13, with base metals trading downward as a result. The three-month alu...Read More
Mexican steel producer Deacero has opened an office in Washington to be closer to trade decisions affecting its business. It is a first for a Mexican company, according to a Thursday November 4 statement."This is where decisions are made that affect our company, its workers, and its customers - not only in the US, but also in Mexico, and in other international markets where we do...Read More
The copper scrap market in the United States lacked direction on Wednesday November 3, with many participants saying demand and supply remain in good balance and changes will largely be based on movement in terminal markets. "[The] copper trade is very quiet and stable and well balanced between supply and demand, albeit at lower levels," one dealer source said.A consumer agreed that "there's plent...Read More
Turkish billet prices feel in the week ended November 4 in line with lower imported scrap costs and poor demand, market participants told Fastmarkets.Suppliers in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have lowered their offers to $700-705 per tonne cfr, compared with $725-730 per tonne last week.However, the buyers bid only $660-670 per tonne for CIS-origin billet. A steel mill in the Isken...Read More
The agreement reached between the United States and the European Union regarding the replacement of Section 232 tariffs will support domestic prices for flat steel in Europe but the impact is likely to be limited, sources told Fastmarkets.On October 30, the US and the EU agreed to replace Section 232 steel and aluminium tariffs against the bloc's 27 countries with tariff-rate quotas.The decision i...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 21 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures moved higher following release of the U.S. October Employment Report at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for October Non-farm Payrolls was an increase of 450,000 versus an upwardly revised a gain of 312,000 in September. Actual was an increase of 531,000. Consensus for the October Un...Read More
Backwardations in the forward curves of most metals on the London Metal Exchange have constrained warrant trading for the past few weeks.Copper warrants, for example, have been "impossible" to trade since steep backwardations emerged in copper's forward curve in mid-October, traders widely agreed.Its cash/three-month spread was recently at a $190 per tonne backwardation on Thursday November 4, hav...Read More
Turkish long steel export prices have declined over the past week amid limited demand from the steel mills' regular shipping destinations, market participants told Fastmarkets on Thursday November 4.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), export, fob main port Turkey, was $730-740 per tonne on Thursday, down from $740-760 per tonne last week.Turkish steel...Read More
A summary of Toronto, Canada-based Noranda Income Fund's production and financial report for the third quarter 2021.In brief: Earnings before income taxes totaled $5.9 million, compared to a loss of $4.1 million in third quarter of 2020. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciated and amortization was $5.7 million, compared to $14.3 million in the same quarter last year. Revenue was $204...Read More
Major companies in logistics and heavy industry have come together as part of an initiative launched by the World Economic Forum at the the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP26 - in Glasgow to create a critical mass of demand for low carbon technologies aimed at decarbonising heavily polluting sectors.The First Movers Coalition, announced on November 4, is a partnership between th...Read More
The agreement reached between the United States and the European Union regarding the replacement of Section 232 tariffs will support domestic prices for flat steel in Europe but the impact is likely to be limited, sources told Fastmarkets.On October 30, the US and the EU agreed to replace Section 232 steel and aluminium tariffs against the bloc's 27 countries with tariff-rate quotas.The decision i...Read More
Hot-rolled coil spot prices in China retreated to eight-month lows on Thursday November 4 as part of a broad-based decline led by coal.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,980-5,000 yuan ($779-782) per tonne, down by 70-100 yuan per tonneSpot HRC prices in China's eastern market fell to their lowest since March 18, wiping out all of Wednesday's gains.Traders reported that the price decline has redu...Read More
The steel rebar and billet market in Egypt was slow during the week ending Thursday November 4, although some market participants expected rebar prices to increase because of increasing natural gas costs, sources told Fastmarkets.Local rebar producers increased their prices E ?15,000 ($952) per tonne ex-works including 14% VAT on October 20.However, the natural gas price increased to $5....Read More
Backwardations in the forward curves of most metals on the London Metal Exchange have constrained warrant trading for the past few weeks.Copper warrants, for example, have been "impossible" to trade since steep backwardations emerged in copper's forward curve in mid-October, traders widely agreed.Its cash/three-month spread was recently at a $190 per tonne backwardation on Thursday November 4, hav...Read More
An overview of the consumer electronics markets and their latest price moves on Thursday November 4.Janie Davies in London...Read More
Sentiment was buoyed among most market participants at the annual Nickel & Cobalt conference held by Chinese information provider Antaike on November 1-3 in Ningbo, China, but the strong resurgence of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries has created uncertainty about consumption of the two metals.Fastmarkets summarizes below four key takeaways from the sidelines of the conference.LFP outperforms...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday November 4 that are worth another look.The agreement reached between the United States and the European Union regarding the replacement of Section 232 tariffs will support domestic prices for flat steel in Europe but...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday November 4 that are worth another look.The agreement reached between the United States and the European Union regarding the replacement of Section 232 tariffs will support domestic prices for flat steel in Europe but...Read More
Nickel premiums remained steady in the United States, China and Europe in the week to November 3, although tight supplies and growing production disruptions are keeping prices high in the US. US nickel premiums hold at historic highsChinese premiums also stable with increased full plate imports into ChinaPremiums unchanged in Europe, with market focusing on contracts for 2022US premiums still at h...Read More
Zinc's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange on Wednesday November 3 touched its lowest since October 13, with prices in the base metals complex ending the day on a mixed note ahead of the US Federal Reserve Bank's Federal Open Market Committee press conference.Zinc reached $3,263 per tonne on Wednesday, its lowest price since announcements by Nyrstar and Glencore that production in Europ...Read More