The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Approaching the end of the calendar year, steelmakers and consumers enter a busy period of contract negotiations for supply for 2021 or at least the first quarter or half year.With the sharp increases in spot market steel prices during recent months, steelmakers are understandably looking to take advantage and secure higher c...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.US ERW OCTG edges higher, seamless could followRising substrate costs helped support US ERW OCTG prices this month, especially at the upper end of the range of offers. Seamless OCTG and linepipe prices, meanwhile, held firm compared with September prices. The fundamentals remain weak, with rig counts going up...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Prices for most ferro-alloys maintained their upward momentum into October, solidifying previous gains and reflecting the improved demand from steelmakers, the rebuilding of depleted inventories, and the supply-side concerns following both planned and unplanned outages. Gains were noted for ferro-silicon, silicon metal, mang...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloys forecast highlights:Prices across most ore and alloy markets trended higher in September, buoyed by improving demand from steelmakers with the end of the summer holiday season in Europe and the United States, as well as maintained demand from Chinese steel mills. Tightening of alloy inventories...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:Prices across most ferro-alloy markets trended stable to lower in August as demand remained subdued in major markets, apart from China where steel output continues to rise at a rapid pace, supporting demand for ferro-alloys. As alloy makers seek to remedy supply/demand imbalan...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:Numerous ore and alloy markets enjoyed upward pricing momentum in the first half 2020, with supply-side constraints supporting prices despite collapsing demand from steelmakers and other key end users. While supply side issues related to Covid-19 lockdowns have been resolved,...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Iron ore remains the most bullish commodity of the year, with prices fuelled by Chinese demand and supply disruptions in Brazil, along with bullish sentiment. But prices are expected to come down because Brazilian exports have begun to recover, and have reached their highest level since the Brumadinho dam disaster in 2019. W...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In the iron ore market, supply issues including heavy rains at the start of the year, followed by staffing problems during the Covid-19 pandemic, have affected exports from Brazil. This has helped Australia gain a larger market share, but since June, Brazilian export volumes have returned to levels last seen before the...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Chinese blast furnace (BF) utilization rates have stagnated and iron ore port stock volumes are rising, reaching their highest levels since March, which suggests that iron ore supply is becoming excessive while demand is not growing. Unsurprisingly, prices dropped last week and we expect the trend to continue. The market has...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.We do not consider the average iron ore fines price for September so far above $125 per tonne cfr Qingdao to be sustainable. The bullishness is not likely to last in the long term as we expect Chinese demand growth to slow down. A key factor boosting Chinese steel demand so far has been the stimulus policies from the authori...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.While a world leader in many areas, the United States is a relatively small player when it comes to stainless steel. It produces a small amount of material, both in absolute and relative terms (i.e. compared to the size of its population), while a large share of its industry is in the hands of bigger European companies. Never...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Having found it easier to increase prices than their counterparts in Europe and the United States during the past few months, Asian stainless steelmakers now face a number of concerns.In the short term, Asian prices have moved down in recent weeks while those in Europe and the US are on the up. This is mostly a reflection of...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view. A look at stainless steel price movements through August reveals the ongoing battle being faced by stainless steelmakers in Europe and the United States while they try to pass on rising costs to consumers. In these regions, prices on most grades of stainless steel are little changed from July, rising by around 2% at most -...Read More
The latest forecast from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.As we enter the summer season across the northern hemisphere, almost half a year has passed since the Covid-19 pandemic began to seriously affect Europe and the United States.One would not really be able to tell that such a dramatic event had occurred by looking at stainless steel prices, however, because they are more or less...Read More
Sentiment improving as US consumers gain confidence following Biden election win. China strong with robust Singles' Day sales. E-commerce driving growth as jewelers invest in multi-channel platforms and adjust to remote selling strategies. De Beers values 2019 diamond jewelry demand +0.7% at $79B; estimates 1H 2020 US sales -40%, China -45%, India -30%. Christie's Geneva sells $37M (89% by lot). S...Read More
RAPAPORT... The pandemic didn't stop Alibaba from recording sales growth this Singles' Day, with the Chinese e-commerce giant enjoying a sharp rise in activity on its platforms during the week and a half running up to the shopping bonanza.Gross merchandise volume rose 26% to CNY 498.2 billion ($74.1 billion) during an 11-day campaign between November 1 and 11 compared with the same period in...Read More
RAPAPORT... Petra Diamonds is investigating allegations that security guards at its Williamson deposit in Tanzania carried out deadly violence against local artisanal miners.At least seven deaths and 41 assaults have taken place at the Williamson mine since Petra acquired it in 2009, according to a report UK-based nonprofit RAID released Thursday. Some of the alleged victims had entered land...Read More
RAPAPORT... Alrosa expects to maintain production at its current low levels next year, aiming to reduce inventories that built up during the pandemic.The Russian miner is discussing a production plan of 28 million to 30 million carats for 2021, which the board will consider next month, it said Thursday. Alrosa ended the third quarter with 30.6 million carats in its safes, up 41% year on year,...Read More
(IDEX Online) - A human rights watchdog claims seven people have been killed and 41 injured by security staff at Petra Diamond's Williamson mine, in Tanzania.It alleges there has been a catalog of "killings and brutal assaults" involving local artisanal miners since Petra acquired the deposit from De Beers in 2009. The government of Tanzania holds a 25 per cent stake in the mine.The report by...Read More
RAPAPORT... E-commerce sales in the US rebounded this week following an initial dip in spending after the presidential election, according to Adobe Analytics.On November 8, consumers spent $2.5 billion online, an increase of 26% year on year, Adobe noted Wednesday. The following day, sales climbed 24% year on year to $2.4 billion, and soared 27% on November 10 to reach $2.5 billion.Those figures r...Read More