Copper led the way in a morning of gains on the London Metal Exchange on Friday December 4, rising to a seven-year high again and taking the rest of the complex higher after a day of slight losses on Thursday.The red metal's three-month price rose by 1.2% to $7,767 per tonne on Friday at 9am, a new year-to-date high and surpassing the previous 2020 high of $7,743 per tonne.Copper's price is now cl...Read More

Turkish steelmaker Tosyali Iron and Steel has ordered a quantum electric arc furnace and continuous slab caster from Primetals Technologies, Primetals said on Thursday December 3.The quantum EAF is able to produce 2 million tonnes per year of liquid steel and "can be operated with a mixture of scrap of varying composition, and hot briquetted iron and pig iron," Primetals said.The slab caster is tw...Read More

The publication of Fastmarkets' CIS billet export index for Friday December 4 has been delayed because of a reporter error in setting the publishing time. Rather than the scheduled time of 16.00 UK, the index will be published at 18.00 UK time.The Fastmarkets price book and database for the steel billet index, export, fob Black Sea, CIS, will both be updated at that time.For more information, or t...Read More

Indian hot rolled coil export prices have surged by $105 per tonne in the week to Friday December 4 on bookings from Europe, market participants told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets assessed the price of steel hot-rolled coil export, fob main port India at $665-670 per tonne on Friday, up by $105 per tonne from last week's $560-565 per tonne fob.The latest HRC export booking to Europe was for a small parc...Read More

Turkish prices for hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG) and color-coated coil (pre-painted galvanized iron or PPGI) continued their uptrend in the week to Friday December 4 on strong demand, sources told Fastmarkets. The price of hot-rolled coil in Turkey, the base product for coated coil, rose by 4.5% week on week, lending additional support to the coated flat steel prices. Fastmarkets' weekly price...Read More

Simon Properties (SPG), an S&P 100 stock moved above $91.96 resuming an intermediate uptrend.Pre-opening Comments for Friday December 4thU.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 14 points in pre-opening trade.Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of economic news at 8:30 AM EST. Consensus for November Non-farm Payrolls was a drop to 469...Read More

The import market for pig iron in the United States was strong in the week to Friday December 4, due to continuing robust demand, sources said.Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US was $455-465 per tonne on Friday, up from $450 per tonne a week earlier.Earlier in the week, a US buyer purchased a cargo from Ukraine at $455 per...Read More

The prices of alloy steel scrap in the UK domestic market were largely unchanged this week despite lower nickel costs, because tight supply continued to provide pricing support, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday November 4.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for stainless steel scrap 18/8 solids, domestic, delivered merchants UK, on Friday was ?950-980 ($1,276-1,316) per tonne, narrowing downwa...Read More

The price of shredded steel scrap imported into India and Pakistan increased on Friday December 4, due to continuing shipping issues and despite uncertainty over higher prices, sources have told Fastmarkets.IndiaFastmarkets calculated the steel scrap, shredded, index, import, cfr Nhava Sheva, India, at $380.65 per tonne on Friday, up from $365.18 per tonne one week earlier.Only one deal was report...Read More

An acute shortage of containers and new rule changes by container lines have combined over the past week to again raise containerized shipping costs for commodity market participants.Trading sources told Fastmarkets that container lines have not only continued to raise freight rates but have also introduced additional measures that will serve to make life increasingly difficult for companies invol...Read More

The British light iron market was stable over the week to Friday December 4, consolidating a steady run of gains through November ahead of expected increases in domestic delivery settlements for December, trade sources told Fastmarkets.There have been persistently stronger prices in inter-merchant trading for grade 5C scrap in the past few weeks, with major processors competing for tighter scrapfl...Read More

Fastmarkets' Ferrous Analytics report helps subscribers keep track of hot metal costs and steel production spreads in China, along with key pricing components of the steelmaking raw materials supply chain in Asia.Read More

Iron ore prices surged further on Friday December 4, supported by active long positions in futures markets and steady drawdowns in port inventory, sources told Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $145.01 per tonne, up $7.93 per tonne 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $144.36 per tonne, up $7.38 per tonne 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $132.83 pe...Read More

Seaborne coking coal prices fluctuated across the board in the fob market on Friday December 4 due to the latest changes in supply, while the cfr market was flat.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $102.62 per tonne, down $0.46 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $168.78 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $92.97 per tonne, up $2.17 per tonneHard coking...Read More

China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices rebounded on Friday December 4, motivating overseas buyers to pay higher prices for the Chinese flat steel product.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,280-4,290 yuan ($654-655) per tonne, up 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan) - weekly assessment: 4,130-4,160 yuan per tonne, up 130 yuan per tonneSpot prices increased again during the day after a sligh...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices dropped further on Friday December 4 for an accumulated decrease of 120 yuan per tonne from a week earlier amid subdued demand.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,970-4,000 yuan ($609-612) per tonne, down by 40 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing) weekly assessment: 3,700-3,730 yuan per tonne, down by 90-110 yuan per tonneTemperatures fell in China this week, disrup...Read More

An overview of the aerospace materials markets and their latest price moves.Ewa Manthey and Michael Greenfield in London, Susan Zou, Amy Lv...Read More

Key data from the Friday December 4 pricing session in London. Key drivers: Metal prices unchanged in a steadily, but thinly, traded market. Sellers hold firm with offers across the range, dependent on tonnage and shape, and buyers struggle to find weak sellers for nearby units. ...Read More

Key data from the pricing sessions in Europe, Asia and the United States for the week ending Friday December 4.China Seaborne manganese ore prices of both grades rose after miners successfully sold their January shipments at flat offer prices following a rise in the portside ore market and despite high inventories. Portside manganese ore prices of both grades ticked up after traders raised their o...Read More

An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Charlotte Radford, Cristina Belda and Declan Conway contributed...Read More