Base metals futures prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower during morning trading on Monday July 12 compared with their Friday closing prices, with the exception of tin.Nickel's three-month price was down 1% on Monday at 9am from Friday's close at $18,747 per tonne. The stainless steel additive reached as high as $18,830 per tonne, however, its highest level since March 1.Three-mont...Read More
China's nickel pig iron (NPI) prices were unchanged last week amid a softening of stainless steel prices and thinner trading, though those for nickel ore still increased because of tight supply.Fastmarkets' price assessment for nickel pig iron, high-grade NPI content 10-15%, spot, ddp China was 1,225-1,250 yuan ($189-193) per nickel unit last Friday July 9, the same as a week earlier, but up by 10...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Alrosa reported its second-highest monthly sales of rough and polished diamonds in June, as demand for rough stones remained strong.But the Russian state-owned miner warned that the rough market was entering "a long period of supply deficit" as demand remained high, rough diamond stocks at the Indian mid-stream segment were low and miners' rough stocks hit a rock bottom levels...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Desperate Indians are selling their gold jewelry as the pandemic pushes them further into poverty.Many take out doorstep gold loans in the hope they'll find a way to repay, but increasing numbers are defaulting, and end up forfeiting their valuables.One of India's biggest gold loan companies, Manappuram, which has over 4,000 branches, says it auctioned $54m of customers&#...Read More
(IDEX Online) - A jewelry store owner accused of defrauding US watch customers and businesses out of millions of dollars has been arrested. Santiago Mora was apprehended by FBI agents in Miami, Florida. He was reportedly on the run from Katy, Texas, where he ran ALKU Jewels, although he texted a local TV station to say he was "just finalizing finances".Mora is accused of taking payments...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States climbed above $90 per hundredweight ($1,800 per short ton) for the second time, with market participants projecting that the rally could gain momentum.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $90.31 per hundredweight ($1,806.20 per short ton) on Monday July 12, up 1.40% from $89.06 per cwt on Friday July 9. There was...Read More
Prices for carbon steel plate in the United States were sideways for the third week in a row, with market participants predicting it will remain flat or rise soon.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment for steel cut-to-length plate carbon grade, fob mill US was at $75 per hundredweight ($1,500 per short ton) on Friday July 9, unchanged since June 25 but nearly triple $26 per cwt at the same time last year...Read More
A group of Brazilian construction and real estate companies received a 20,000-tonne shipment of rebar from Turkey last week, national construction industry chamber CBIC said.The chamber has gathered 137 companies in Brazil that were interested in importing rebar, and the material was booked in late February, CBIC said on Friday July 9.A second 20,000-tonne shipment booked by the same group wi...Read More
The state of Odisha has announced its intention to become India's key steelmaking hub after approving several projects that will almost double the steel production capacity of the region.The chief minister of Odisha state, Naveen Patnaik, announced last week that he had given high-level clearance to five major industrial projects that would invest 1.46 trillion rupees ($19.6 billion) into the regi...Read More
While more upside awaits finished steel prices, the United States' domestic ferrous scrap market might have plateaued or reached its 2021 peak, buyers and sellers told Fastmarkets.At the same time, there are a host of positive aspects that suggest the market will remain strong, even if upside might be limited.The July market was like a Kentucky Derby horse race, with commentators spending hours di...Read More
The United States' pig iron import market was calm during the week to Friday July 9, although market sentiment turned negative mainly on moderate demand and low offers from India. Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US was $650-655 per tonne on Friday, unchanged week on week."Demand is really moderate, buyers are booked and some buyers are secured with shipments...Read More
Turkish steel mills continued their deep-sea scrap purchases at a slow pace at the beginning of the week, trying to put further pressure on prices, market participants told Fastmarkets on Monday July 12.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a European cargo, comprising 28,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (75:25) and 2,000 tonnes of a mixture of bonus and HMS 1, at an average price of $486.50 per tonne cf...Read More
Turkish domestic auto bundle scrap prices have inched upward over the past week, with two steel mills in the Izmir region raising their buy prices, market participants said on Monday July 12.Long steel mill Ege ??elik increased its buy price for auto bundle scrap by 50 Turkish lira per tonne to 4,160 lira ($480) per tonne delivered.Fellow long steel mill ?-zkan raised its...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 6 points in pre-opening trade.The Shanghai Composite Index added 23.75 to 3,547.84 after China's central bank announced a reduction in reserve requirements for China's major banks effective July 15th. The reduction is expected to inject $150 billion into the economy.Disney gained $4.24 to $177.04 after JP Morgan raise...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices stayed largely stable in the cfr market on Monday July 12 and climbed up in the fob market because some buyers started to procure on a demand basis, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $210.53 per tonne, up $3.66 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $308.80 per tonne, up $0.84 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $...Read More
Iron ore prices moved up despite limited liquidity in the physical market on Monday July 12, while sentiment strengthened on news that China's central bank will cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR), sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $217.85 per tonne, up $3.08 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $220.60 per tonne, up $2.60 per tonne58% Fe fines high...Read More
The price of austenitic stainless steel scrap increased in the week to Friday July 9, particularly for grade-316 material, driven by strong demand amid ongoing tight availability, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for stainless steel scrap 316 solids domestic, delivered merchants UK was ?1,700-1,800 ($2,362-2,502) per tonne on July 9, widening upwards by ?60 per tonne...Read More
Seaborne iron ore concentrate and pellet prices increased in the week to Friday July 9, after the return of buying interest in China following the 100-year anniversary of country's communist party, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indicesPellet premium over 65% Fe fines, cfr China: $62 per tonne, unchanged66% Fe concentrate, cfr Qingdao: $245.03 per tonne, up $2.76 per tonne65% Fe bla...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices across China's domestic market increased on Monday July 12 on improved market sentiment following news late on Friday that China' s central bank would cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for all banks by 50 basis points.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,780-5,850 yuan ($893-904) per tonne, up by 80 yuan per tonneThe RRR cut by the People's Bank of China, which will tak...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices increased sharply on Monday July 12 following news that the People's Bank of China will cut the reserve ratio requirement (RRR) by 0.5 percentage points from July 15.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,150-5,200 yuan ($796-803) per tonne, up by 130-150 yuan per tonneThe news that the RRR will be cut pushed rebar futures prices as high as 5,532 yuan per tonne on Monday...Read More