Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were weaker on the morning of Thursday August 26, although for the most part they seem to be consolidating after recent volatility. Asian-Pacific equity indices mainly weaker this morning while broader markets focus on Friday's United States Federal Reserve Jackson Hole symposium More companies report that supply shortages are affecting their ability...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States rose to nearly $97 per hundredweight ($1,940 per short ton), with market participants projecting that a flurry of planned mill closures for maintenance will extend the rally.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $96.83 per cwt ($1,936.60 per ton) on Thursday August 26, up by 1.59% from $95.31 per cwt on Wednesday A...Read More
Steel hot-rolled coil prices in Europe remained largely flat on Thursday August 26 in typically slow summer trading conditions, while buyers and mills attempted to gauge the market direction for September.Market participants in Northern Europe have been returning to the market after holidays but trading in the region remained limited. Buyers were cautious about making new deals, expecting prices t...Read More
Billet prices in Turkey have gone down over the past week thanks to falling imported scrap costs and limited demand, market participants told Fastmarkets on Thursday August 26.Turkish steel producers' demand for imported scrap has been limited in recent weeks.The most recent deep-sea scrap trade was recorded on Wednesday August 25, when a steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Belgian cargo...Read More
Domestic long steel prices in Turkey have continued to weaken in line with falling scrap costs and the strengthening lira, market sources said on Thursday August 26.Turkish steel producers were keeping their deep-sea scrap purchases at a slow pace to be able to put downward pressure on scrap prices.The most recent deep-sea scrap trade was recorded on August 25, when a steel mill in the Iskenderun...Read More
Turkey's reinforcing bar and wire rod export prices have continued to fall over the past week amid sluggish demand, supported by softening scrap costs, market participants told Fastmarkets on Thursday August 26.The country's steelmakers have reduced their rebar offers for exports to $670-675 per tonne fob on actual-weight basis from $680-695 per tonne fob last week. But no significant bo...Read More
Iranian export prices for steel billet continued to decrease in the week to Wednesday August 25 amid the general global downtrend, Fastmarkets heard.Steel output from the country's mills was expected to improve in September, when the weather will be less hot and mills will be allowed a more generous allocation of electricity to be used for steelmaking.For the moment, Iranian producers had to cut p...Read More
Since the company raised US$45 million in debt at the end of 2019, the development has been hit with a succession of challenges, starting with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has tested companyRead More
The workers' union at BHP's Cerro Colorado has called on its members to reject a final contract offer by the company, paving the way for a strike at the small deposit, Reuters reported.It's another potential setback for the mine, after the Supreme Court ruled in favour of indigenous communities in a complaint related to water use earlier this year.Union leader Marcelo Franco said BHP had used the...Read More
The Turkish steel mills have gone quiet in the deep-sea scrap markets once again after booking a single cargo earlier in the week, market sources said on Thursday August 26.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Belgium-origin cargo on Wednesday, comprising 22,500 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) and 12,500 tonnes of bonus at an average price of $450 per tonne cfr. The HMS 1&2 (80:20) price of th...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices were up on Thursday August 26 amid an uptrend in Chinese futures and for front-month swap contracts, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $152.92 per tonne, up $4.26 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $153.80 per tonne, up $4.85 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $122.88 per tonne, up $5.92 per tonne65% Fe Br...Read More
Japanese lower-grade scrap prices are facing renewed pressure, and Shindachi busheling prices have continued to be propped up in recent weeks by reduced generation at automaker Toyota, sources told Fastmarkets.Key Japanese mills reduce some scrap bid pricesGaps between bids and offers narrow downward with lower cost scrap emerging in the Chinese marketTaiwan imported containerized scrap prices edg...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 3 points in pre-opening trade.U.S. index futures were quiet prior to release of next estimate of second quarter annualized GDP at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus is that the U.S. economy grew at a 6.6% rate versus a 6.5% rate in the first quarter. Salesforce.com advanced $6.78 to $267.63 after the company reported higher than...Read More
Seaborne premium hard coking coal and hard coking coal prices in the cfr market both increased by over $16 per tonne on Thursday August 26, with rising offer prices and market expectations.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $408.93 per tonne, up $17.09 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $385.67 per tonne, up $20.36 per tonnePremium hard coking coal fob DBCT: $243.98 p...Read More
Fastmarkets has plotted the locations of the continuing and proposed projects for the decarbonization of the European steel sector.This includes projects and targets for green steel, carbon capture, carbon neutral, net zero, low-carbon emissions and fossil-free steel. Hotspots appear in Germany, France and Sweden, where steelmaking is already well established. Policy, funding and sharing of infras...Read More
Fastmarkets on Thursday August 26 launches a fortnightly assessment of the China pig iron import price, reported on a US-dollar-per-tonne-cfr-China basis. After a consultation period that ended on August 9, Fastmarkets has launched its pig iron, import, cfr China, $ per tonne assessment, effective on Thursday August 26. Market sources expect China to import pig iron in increasing volumes due to it...Read More
China imported 3.77 million tonnes of coking coal in July, down by 49% year on year and 9% lower month on month, according to the latest Chinese customs data.Russia remained China's largest supplier of coking coal for a third month in July, accounting for 33% of total imports.Canada (23%), the United States (17%), and Mongolia (13%) were China's second-, third- and fourth-largest suppliers last mo...Read More
Spot hot-rolled coil prices in China's domestic market moved lower on Thursday August 26, with positive industry data failing to offset concerns over continued weakness in demand.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,650-5,700 yuan ($872-880) per tonne, down by 20-40 yuan per tonneThe most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange saw losses accelerate during afternoon trading Thursday af...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices decreased on Thursday August 26 due to weaker restocking demand among trading companies, though end users' buying appetite remained steady. DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,150-5,180 yuan ($794-799) per tonne, down by 50 yuan per tonneTrading houses have almost completed their restocking for sale in the first half month of September, a trader in Shanghai said. As s...Read More
China's domestic stainless steel prices were down on Wednesday August 25 compared with a week earlier, but the market had picked up after experiencing losses earlier this week.DomesticStainless steel cold-rolled coil 2mm grade 304 domestic (Wuxi): 18,200-18,600 ($2,810-2,871) per tonne, down by 600-700 yuan per tonne from a week earlierThe three-month nickel contract on the London Metal Exchange e...Read More