The price of steel H-beams in Europe was unchanged again in the week ended Wednesday August 19, but market participants expected to see increases by September at the latest, Fastmarkets has heard.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel beams, domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?530-560 ($631-667) per tonne on Wednesday, unchanged week on week.In the south of Europe, prices were also...Read More

Domestic prices for heavy steel plate in Europe were stable over the week to Wednesday August 19, due to the seasonal summer lowdown, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel domestic plate, 8-40mm, exw Southern Europe, was unchanged over the week at ?,?450-470 ($536-560) per tonne on August 19.The assessment was based on deals heard in early August at ?,?450 pe...Read More

Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesEarth-i and Marex Specton's SAVANT platform, which uses satellites to monitor about 90% of global copper smelting capacity, said the global activity dispersion index averaged 41.5 in July, the lowest reading since March 2018.It said China's index dropped to 43.1, its lowest since December and the first level below 50 this year, whi...Read More

The US ferrous scrap export market has been locked in a holding pattern since overseas buyers retreated to the sidelines over the past week following a flurry of activity earlier this month.Interest in the deep-sea market from Turkey, the biggest buyer of US ferrous scrap, has died down amid reports that the country's long steel demand has been affected by a weakening Turkish lira and a strengthen...Read More

Most of the base metals on the London Metal Exchange were consolidating this morning, Wednesday August 19, after the majority of them extended gains on Tuesday; the exceptions were aluminium and tin, while copper was where the main action was this morning.The S&P 500 and Nasdaq established fresh record highs on Tuesday, while Asian-Pacific equities were mixed this morning.Gold prices are consolida...Read More

Prices for 300-series stainless steel scrap continued to climb week on week in the United States, even as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has continued to hobble the economy.While the 400-series stainless scrap grades mostly moved sideways in reaction to the ferrous market, the 300-series stainless scrap grades continued to move up, supported by nickel's upward momentum."With the London Metal...Read More

Ferrous scrap exports from the United States continue to gain traction after collapsing in the spring, with shipments edging up by 0.8% month on month in June, according to the latest figures from the US Census Bureau.US exports of ferrous scrap totaled 1,410,434 tonnes in June, up from 1,399,638 tonnes in May as increased deliveries to Turkey and Canada offset a sharp fall in exports to Banglades...Read More

The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market has remained quiet so far this week, with mills staying away due to weak finished long steel demand, sources said on Wednesday August 19.The country's steel producers halted their deep-sea bookings on August 7, when the price for HMS 1&2 (80:20) was $285 per tonne cfr for material from the United States and the Baltic Sea.Since then, no significan...Read More

A sharp rise in the Kanto auction price and improved demand from South Korea helped Japanese export steel scrap prices rise over the last week, market sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday August 19. Japan's monthly Kanto Tetsugen, which is an auction between a cooperative of scrap dealers in the Tokyo region, was moved back one week from its usual slot in the second Wednesday of the month due to...Read More

Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices in the cfr market edged lower on Wednesday August 19 on recent transactions. Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $103.56 per tonne, up $0.07 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $114.57 per tonne, down $0.50 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $85.02 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $98.29 per tonne, uncha...Read More

Iron ore fines prices gained ground on Wednesday August 19 with healthy demand continuing, sources said, while the decrease in China domestic iron ore production in July could help push prices up.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $129.09 per tonne, up $0.52 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $128.39 per tonne, up $1.31 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cf...Read More

A simmering dispute between Japan and South Korea is expected to inflict further damage on the trading relationship and diplomatic ties between the two countries, analysts told Fastmarkets this week.Two weeks ago, the District Court in Daegu, South Korea, approved the seizure of Nippon Steel assets in the country to compensate Korean men forced to work in Nippon's factories during the Se...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were mixed this morning. S&P 500 futures were unchanged in pre-opening trade. Traders were waiting for an announcement on interest rates at 2:00 PM EDT by the Federal ReserveThe Canadian Dollar slipped 0.05 at US76.02 cents following release of Canada's July Consumer Price Index at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus was an increase of 0.4% versus a gain of 0.8% in June. Actual wa...Read More

Global zinc premiums were collectively flat in the week to Tuesday August 18, while an uptick in lead demand in Southeast Asia allowed spot interest to mount, albeit against climbing LME three-month prices for both commodities. Catch-up demand boosts lead business in South Asia Higher offers heard in Shanghai on intermittent opening of arbitrage window; zinc premium holds The European summer slowd...Read More

China's hot-rolled coil prices were largely stable on Wednesday August 19, but overseas buyers were seeking cheaper numbers from traders with position cargoes.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,070-4,090 yuan ($588-591) per tonne, widening downward by 10 yuan per tonneSellers in eastern China wereoffering HRC at 4,080-4,090 yuan per tonne on Wednesday morning and later cut prices in the afternoon...Read More

Copper prices continued to soar on the London Metal Exchange during morning trading on Wednesday August 19, with the rest of the complex following higher.The LME three-month copper price was most recently trading at $6,644.50 per tonne, $77-per-tonne higher than the 5pm close on Tuesday after it had already hit an intraday high of $6,686 per tonne in early trading, a two-year high. Copper has been...Read More

A summary of Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing's (HKEX) first half-year results, for the six months ended June 30, 2020. In brief:  Revenue and other income for the first half of 2020 rose by 2% year on year to reach a half-year record high of $8.8 billion.  The increase in trading and clearing fees was partly offset by the fair value losses on collective investment schemes of $138 million....Read More

The Cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lbtrade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies. Fastmarkets assessed...Read More

The Cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies. Fastmarkets assessed Cobalt standard grade,...Read More

Key data from the Wednesday August 19 pricing session in Shanghai.Key drivers Spot cobalt metal prices in China continued to edge lower amid lackluster demand despite recent stability in local futures prices; consumers largely on the sidelines with adequate material on hand.Chinese cobalt tetroxide prices softened...Read More