Demand for cargoes of steel billet has been low in key Southeast Asian markets over the past week with prices rangebound, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday August 13."The Southeast Asian markets are dead, there are no bids from Thailand, which has now become a billet exporter, and there is a very strict lockdown in the Philippines," a South Asian billet trader said."Philippine demand is in really...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Friday August 13 that are worth another look.Extended waiting times and bottlenecks at major Chinese ports have resulted in lower demand for imports of steel billet and higher freight costs for such shipments this week, sources told Fastmarkets...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were trading mostly higher at the close on Friday August 13, with copper, aluminium and lead all making gains.The three-month aluminium price closed at $2,600 per tonne, up from $2,582.50 per tonne. This was the first time it has closed above $2,600 per tonne since August 2.The price hit an intraday trading high of $2,622.50 per tonne, also the highe...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices trended higher in the cfr China market following a strong domestic coking coal market and fell slightly in the fob market on Friday August 13 with market participants adopting a wait-and-see attitude.Prices for seaborne pulverized coal injection (PCI) increased in the cfr China market in the week to August 13 based on good restocking demand from end users and rose sligh...Read More
Iron ore prices across the board drop on Friday August 13 due to continued thin liquidity in the seaborne market, with one market participant describing the outlook as "grim."Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $162.07 per tonne, down $0.89 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $162.74 per tonne, down $0.45 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $130.6...Read More
Demand was near-decade lows during the first three years of Trump since the economy was doing well. Then, when Corona hit...Josh Phair interviewed on Palisades Gold RadioTom welcomes Josh Phair, President of Scottsdale Mint, to the show.Josh describes his background in risk management and how that led him to become interested in the mining industry. While he liked the industry, he realized he had...Read More
Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.Proposed changes to Chile’s mining royalty regime will not have a drastic impact on the country’s production landscape in the near-term.However, analysis from global natural resources consultancy Wood Mackenzie, a Verisk c...Read More
Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.Copper will play a pivotal role in the energy transition. Aluminium may be an abundant and cheap competitor for electrification applications, but carbon footprint issues for primary metal may give copper the edge. Ultimately that poin...Read More
The export price for pig iron from the south of Brazil was firm during the week to Friday August 13 because suppliers have full order books after agreeing sales to the United States.Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, export, fob port of Vitoria/Rio, Brazil, was $540-545 per tonne on Friday, widening upward from $540-542 per...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Janie Davies, Dalila Ouerghi...Read More
Most secondary aluminium alloy prices in the United States' domestic market continued to climb on Thursday August 12 on strong demand for ingot and high manufacturing costs combined with ever-rising aluminium premiums.Fastmarkets last assessed the aluminium P1020A premium, ddp Midwest US at 34.5-35.5 cents per lb on Friday August 13, steady after reaching an all-time high on Tuesday August 10."[So...Read More
Chinese automobile production and sales figures continued to fall in July 2021, on both a monthly and an annual basis, although figures for vehicle exports and new energy vehicles hit record highs, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) has said.Carmakers in China produced 1.86 million units in July, down by 4.1% month on month and by 15.5% year-on-year. Sales came to 1.86 millio...Read More
Treatment charges for zinc concentrates have widened in the first half of August, with the market seeing minimal spot business ahead of what was expected to be large-scale buying from Chinese smelters later in the year.Fastmarkets' assessment of the zinc spot concentrate TC, cif China, widened downward to $75-90 per tonne on Friday August 13, from $78-90 per tonne two weeks earlier. After years of...Read More
Aluminium primary foundry alloy (PFA) premiums were unchanged this month in Europe and the United States, continuing to lag other value-added products such as billet.EuropeFastmarkets assessed the aluminium primary foundry alloy, silicon 7 ingot premium, ddp Germany at $510-550 per tonne on Friday August 13, flat from July 9. "The market has been really quiet this week. We are waiting until Septem...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were trading mostly higher at the close on Friday August 13, with copper, aluminium and lead all making gains.The three-month aluminium price closed at $2,600 per tonne, up from $2,582.50 per tonne. This was the first time it has closed above $2,600 per tonne since August 2.The price hit an intraday trading high of $2,622.50 per tonne, also the highe...Read More
The union at Escondida and BHP, the Chilean copper mine's majority shareholder and operator, have agreed to extend wage negotiations until Friday August 13, so a deal can be signed and a strike averted.The new labor contract has been accepted by the No1 Workers Union and ratified by its members and just needs to be signed, the miner said on Thursday.Members of the union, which represents workers a...Read More
Copper concentrate treatment and refining Charges (TC/RCs) continued their surge in early August, with traders and smelters setting down strong bids at clear levels after weeks of inactivity.The Fastmarkets TC/RC index, which tracks the mid-point of the market, came in at $54.6 per tonne / 5.46 cents per pound on August 13, up from $51.8 / 5.18 cents last Friday to reach its highest point in fifte...Read More
After three consecutive increases, prices for carbon steel plate in the United States held flat in the week to Friday August 13, but market participants expect mills to raise prices soon.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment for steel cut-to-length plate carbon grade, fob mill US remained at an all-time high of $83 per hundredweight ($1,660 per short ton) on Friday, unchanged from August 6 but 219.23% hi...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States remained above $96 per hundredweight ($1,920 per short ton) for a second day, but slipped from an all-time high reached on Thursday August 12.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $96.11 per cwt ($1,922.20 per ton) on Friday August 13, down by 0.45% from $96.54 per cwt on Thursday, which was the highest since Fastm...Read More
Prices for cold-rolled and galvanized steel sheet in the United States climbed again to all-time highs, with many buyers reporting persistent difficulty in finding sufficient spot volumes from domestic mills - potentially for the rest of the year.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel cold-rolled coil, fob mill US spiked to $107 per hundredweight ($2,140 per short ton) on Thursday August 1...Read More