European producers of hot-rolled coil have been reluctant to give discounts over the past week despite the bearish sentiment among buyers, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday February 10.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, ex-works Northern Europe, was ?,?473.75 ($518.44) per tonne on Monday, up by ?,?2.08 per tonne from ?,?471.67 per tonne on February 7.Buyers estimated "work...Read More
The high-carbon ferro-chrome market price in Europe increased in week ending February 7, with some producers reporting consumers were readily accepting higher offer prices, Fastmarkets was told.Fastmarkets' ferro-chrome high carbon 6-8.5% C, basis 60-70% Cr, max 1.5% Si, delivered Europe price assessment widened by 3-4 cents per lb to $0.85-0.96 per lb on Friday February 7."Sellers are trying to p...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday February 10 that are worth another look.The United States Department of Commerce on February 10 issued affirmative final determinations in its anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations into imports of carbon and alloy steel threaded rod from China and India.LME Week Asia 2020 could be in doubt due to the coronavirus out...Read More
Nickel producers in Indonesia continue to operate at full capacity amid China's ongoing Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, but concerns that logistical delays will exacerbate the already poor projections for material demand in 2020 loom large, participants say.Indonesia-based nickel producers including Chinese stainless steel giant Tsingshan and domestic producer PT Antam have confirmed to Fastmarkets th...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month lead price closed at its lowest level since May 2019 on Monday February 10, dipping below the key $1,800-per-tonne support level, while nickel futures struggled to breach resistance against thin trading volumes. Lead's underlying price on the LME closed at $1,796 per tonne, with its price action slipping from an intraday high of $1,825 per tonne while turnover...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices eased on Monday February 10 amid the de-escalation of Tropical Cyclone Damien which hit Western Australia at the end of last week.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $82.88 per tonne, down $0.71 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $82.21 per tonne, down $0.71 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $84.07 per tonne, down $0.95 per...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices were unchanged on Monday February 10, with the market having a quiet start after the weekend following last week's activity that saw over 650,000 tonnes of spot cargoes changing hands.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $151.58 per tonne, unchangedPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $160.61 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $127.01 p...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month lead price closed at its lowest level since May 2019 on Monday February 10, dipping below the key $1,800-per-tonne support level, while nickel futures struggled to breach resistance against thin trading volumes. Lead's underlying price on the LME closed at $1,796 per tonne, with its price action slipping from an intraday high of $1,825 per tonne while turnover...Read More
The ferro-chrome price in China has jumped in the week to Friday February 7 after road travel restrictions imposed by the authorities to control the spread of the novel coronavirus led to problems with raw material supply and deliveries of alloy to stainless steel mills.Fastmarkets' price assessment for ferro-chrome, spot 6-8% C, basis 50% Cr, ddp China, was 5,900-6,100 yuan ($844-872) per tonne o...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday February 10 that are worth another look.The United States Department of Commerce on February 10 issued affirmative final determinations in its anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations into imports of carbon and alloy steel threaded rod from China and India.LME Week Asia 2020 could be in doubt due to the coronavirus out...Read More
Chinese multi-metal company Jingchuan Group produced the first batch of nickel chloride from its newly-commissioned high-end nickel salt project on Sunday February 9.The size of the first nickel-chloride yield was not stipulated but the resultant material constitutes part of the group's efforts to ramp up battery-grade nickel production for the much-lauded electric vehicle (EV) boom, according to...Read More
The waiting time to take metal out of London Metal Exchange-approved warehouses across Asia rose at the end of January 2020, according to the latest LME queue report. Fresh queues have emerged at warehouses in South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore due to further cancellations - mainly for aluminium. South Korea In Gwangyang, South Korea, there is an 18-day wait to deliver copper, lead, aluminium and...Read More
Nickel producers in Indonesia continue to operate at full capacity amid China's ongoing Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, but concerns that logistical delays will exacerbate the already poor projections for material demand in 2020 loom large, participants say.Indonesia-based nickel producers including Chinese stainless steel giant Tsingshan and domestic producer PT Antam have confirmed to Fastmarkets th...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange was higher during morning trading on Monday February 10, testing support above $13,000 per tonne against moderate turnover, while zinc came under further pressure from continued deliveries. Nickel's outright price on the LME was recently trading at $12,990 per tonne this morning after briefly climbing to an intra-morning high of $13,080 per...Read More
LME Week Asia 2020 could be in doubt due to the coronavirus outbreak, with Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing evaluating all their events taking place over the next few months. "HKEX is currently evaluating all its events over the next few months, given the backdrop of the coronavirus," a London Metal Exchange spokeswoman said. "Where postponements or cancellations are put in place, all relevant parti...Read More
Fastmarkets' copper concentrates treatment and refining charge (TC/RC) index rose to its highest level since October 2019 this week, with Chinese smelters staying on the sidelines amid a murky outlook on production plans and product sales following the coronavirus outbreak. A weekly brief on the Fastmarkets' copper concentrate index: Fastmarkets' copper concentrates TC/RC index ticks up with more...Read More
RAPAPORT... Fancy-color diamond prices fell as a sharp decline in demand for yellows outweighed growth in other hues, according to the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF).The organization's Fancy Color Diamond Index for yellows fell 5.4% year on year in the fourth quarter, while prices for blues rose 0.2%, the FCRF said Monday. Pink fancy-color diamonds inched up 0.1%, with the overall ind...Read More
RAPAPORT... When millennials tuck into their avocado toast, they probably don't realize they're going along with a successful marketing campaign that began decades ago. Sales and prices of the slippery green fruit have soared since the 1990s thanks to subtle efforts by avocado producers to reposition the once-unpopular item as a healthy, trendy food.The diamond industry has gone the opposite way....Read More
Fastmarkets outlines five key takeaways from SteelOrbis' 11th Annual Rebar and Wire Rod Conference that was held in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 3.Panelists included Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America; Philip Bell, president of the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA); and Vince Pappas, president of Stone Steel Corporation. Steel imports currently sub...Read More
RAPAPORT... Botswana's diamond trade took center stage in the newest episode of a documentary highlighting sustainability in the fashion industry.The Fashionscapes films were created by Livia Firth, wife of actor Colin Firth, and cofounder and creative director of sustainability and communications consultancy Eco-Age. A screening of the film, which Firth created together with director Andrew...Read More