Stainless steel prices in China were mostly stable over the past week despite soft demand and recent gains in the price of nickel, sources said. The three-month nickel contract on the London Metal Exchange has averaged $12,707 per tonne so far in June, compared with $12,204 per tonne in May.DomesticFastmarkets' weekly price assessment for stainless steel cold-rolled coil 2mm grade 304 domestic, ex...Read More

Steel imports to the United States declined sharply in May due to fewer shipments of semi-finished steel despite double-digit growth in certain finished steel products.The United States imported 2.03 million tonnes of steel products in May, down 25% from 2.7 million tonnes in April, but up 7.8% from 1.88 million tonnes in May 2019, according to data from the US Department of Commerce's Enforcement...Read More

Global demand for steel will decrease by 6.40% year-on-year in 2020 due to the effects of Covid-19 pandemic lockdown measures, the World Steel Association (Worldsteel) said on Thursday June 4.Steel demand this year will drop to 1.65 billion tonnes, Worldsteel said in its Short Range Outlook for June 2020, but will recover in 2021 to 1.72 billion tonnes, which would be up by 3.80% year-on-year.This...Read More

Turkish domestic long steel prices have increased slightly over the past week in line with rising imported scrap costs and improving demand, sources said on Thursday June 4.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar) domestic, exw Turkey was 3,250-3,300 lira ($483-491) on Thursday, up from 3,230-3,290 lira per tonne last week, including 18% VAT.Domestic rebar prices in t...Read More

Spanish steelmaker Celsa is to investigate the use of hydrogen to replace its fossil-fuel energy sources in a project at its Nordic region site, the companies involved jointly announced on Wednesday June 3.Celsa Armeringsst??l, of the Celsa Group, has teamed up with Mo Industripark and renewable energy company Statkraft, and has signed a letter of intent to establish a green hydrogen value chain f...Read More

Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesBuoyant iron ore prices have been driven by strong Chinese demand and weak Brazilian shipments. Copper prices have also risen, but remain below pre-pandemic levels at just over US$5,500/tonne.Read More

The metals were for the most part weaker this morning, Thursday June 4, while Asian-Pacific equities were stronger. * While Asian-Pacific equities were firmer, pre-market major western equity index futures were showing losses.* Germany provides its economy with a €130 billion ($145.8 billion) stimulus package, including a 3 percentage point cut in value-added tax (VAT) and a doubling of rebat...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Iron oreSentiment in the iron ore market continues to be dominated by concerns about supply disruptions in Brazil. Prices spiked above $100 per tonne after reports that there had been a recent surge of Covid-19 cases at Vale's three mines in Itabira. A...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 21 points in pre-opening trade.The European Central Bank maintained current interest rates after releasing its monetary statement.Index futures moved lower following release of economic news at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for First Quarter Non-farm Productivity was a drop of 2.7% versus a gain of 1.2% in the fourth quarter...Read More

Turkish deep-sea scrap bookings have continued for July shipments at slightly stronger prices, sources said on Thursday June 4.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Canadian cargo, comprising 30,000 tonnes of shredded at $263 per tonne cfr.This compared with the most recent United States-origin cargo sold at...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices slipped on Thursday June 4, following a big dip in the futures market.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $99.24 per tonne, down $1.98 per tonne. 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $102.17 per tonne, down $1.83 per tonne. 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $89.41 per tonne, down $0.14 per tonne. 65% Fe Brazil-origin fi...Read More

Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices diverged on Thursday June 4, with most market participants watching from the sidelines. Fastmarkets indices Premium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $107.75 per tonne, up $1.29 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $114.38 per tonne, down $0.57 per tonne Hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $87.08 per tonne, down $0.58 per tonne Hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang...Read More

Steelmakers in Bangladesh largely abstained from the market for import bulk scrap cargoes over the last week but offer prices increased due to recent deals done in India and Pakistan, market sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday June 4. Mills in India and Pakistan bought bulk cargoes from the US West Coast over recent days at increased prices amid stronger demand for scrap, low bulk freight ra...Read More

China's domestic rebar market maintained its upward trend on Thursday June 4 on early gains experienced by rebar futures, though high temperatures in several regions weakened demand.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,620-3,650 yuan ($508-513) per tonne, up by 10 yuan per tonneThe most-traded October rebar futures contract rose to a high of 3,679 yuan per tonne in the first hour of trading. This...Read More

The cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trade 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 the price of cobalt...Read More

The cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trade 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

Trade log for cobalt sulfate in China including transactions, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets. Unless otherwise stated, all prices are yuan per tonne on an ex-works basis.Fastmarkets MB prices Click here for Fastmarkets' price assessment for cobalt sulfate, Co 20.5% basis, China ex-works,...Read More

Cobalt sulfate prices in China retreated slightly in the first half of the week with concerns over a persistent slump in demand outweighing feedstock supply constraints, but market participants expect any drop to be only limited in the near term.Nevertheless market participants are taking a watchful stance in terms of the moves of cobalt sulfate - and whether the persistent weak demand might...Read More

Copper scrap flows in the United States have begun strengthening due to an increase in the Comex copper price and a seasonal uptick in scrap production during the summer months, but this modest increase in supply has not yet eased copper scrap discounts.The most active July-delivery Comex copper contract settled at $2.4875 per lb on Wednesday June 3, up by 4.4% from $2.382 per lb one week earlier....Read More

Japanese suppliers of H2 heavy scrap are experiencing difficulty in sourcing for supply, which has led to a rise in export prices for a second week, market sources told Fastmarkets.Low supply has resulted in dockside scrap prices climbing again over the past week, which push up export offers and exert pressure on domestic steelmakers' margins since they are also struggling to obtain material."The...Read More