Brazil's Gerdau expects international steel prices to remain at current levels throughout 2019, but is concerned about trade conflict pressure, president and chief executive officer Gustavo Werneck said on Wednesday November 7.Market fundamentals are expected to be supportive for long steel, the company's main product, due to the US Section 232 tariffs leading to increased steel prices in the Unit...Read More

Demand for flat steel in Argentina is expected to show a slight increase in 2019, after this year's financial and economic turmoil in the country, Ternium Siderar general director Mart?-n Berardi said on Wednesday November 7."We need to get through this difficult period, which should last around two to three months," Berardi said in Colombia on the sidelines of the 59th Latin America Steel Confere...Read More

Latin American steelmakers are worried about the effects of the Section 232 tariffs imposed on steel imports into the United States, as well as a diversion of steel products to the region and low-priced material from China.Increasing protectionism worldwide was one of the factors behind the slow economic growth in the region, along with currency volatility and uncertainty in Argentina, Brazil and...Read More

The new round of sanctions imposed by the United States on November 5 is expected to cut Iranian steel exports further, gradually leading to lower Iranian steel output, market sources believe."Today's action includes the designation of 50 Iranian banks and their foreign and domestic subsidiaries," the US Treasury Department announced in its report on Monday, along with "the identification of more...Read More

The price for rebar produced and delivered in Northern Europe rebounded at the low end of the range in the week to Wednesday November 7, with sellers rejecting any further push for lower prices due to high scrap prices."Scrap prices are higher and rebar prices are higher," one trader said. "There hasn't been any increase in demand, but prices have bottomed out."Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment...Read More

Prices for hollow steel sections in Northern Europe widened downward this week due to falling feedstock costs, Fastmarkets heard on Wednesday November 7.Fastmarkets' domestic price assessment for commodity-size, grade-S235 square hollow sections made in Northern Europe fell by ?,?10 per tonne on the low end to ?,?640-660 ($730-753) per tonne delivered on November 7.This compared with ?,?650-660 pe...Read More

The following Fastmarkets minor metals prices changed on Wednesday November 7:Antimony MB free market regulus, $/tonne: $8,150-8,350 per tonne from $8,150-8,400Antimony MMTA standard grade II, $/tonne: $8,100-8,300 per tonne from $8,100-8,350Antimony MB Chinese free market MMTA standard grade II, yuan/tonne:...Read More

The latest ferro-tungsten and ammonium paratungstate (APT) transactions, bids, offers and assessments in Europe, Vietnam and China, with blue tungsten oxide (BTO) and yellow tungsten oxide (YTO) deals taken into consideration.To view the latest price quotations, follow the links below:China- APT, fob China- Ferro-tungsten, fob China Europe- APT, cif Rotterdam - Ferro-tungsten, in-warehouse Rotterd...Read More

The following Fastmarkets noble alloys and ores prices changed on Wednesday November 7:Noble alloysMolybdenum Europe drummed molybdic oxide, $/lb: $11.80-12.00 per lb from $12.00-12.15Ferro-molybdenum basis...Read More

Fastmarkets has today discontinued the weekly price assessment for molybdenum concentrate, 45% Mo, in China's domestic market. Following a one-month consultation period, Fastmarkets decided to discontinue on Wednesday November 7 the assessment of its molybdenum concentrate, 45% Mo, on an in-warehouse China basis, specification below. Description: Molybdenum concentrate 45% Mo in-warehouse China Pr...Read More

China's largest steel mill, Hebei Steel, has raised its monthly purchase price for silico-manganese, reversing the cut in last month's tender.The mill has offered to buy silico-manganese at 9,100 yuan ($1,315.78) per tonne for November delivery. The price includes delivery costs and payment through an acceptance draft, according to market sources in China.The latest tender is about 100 yuan higher...Read More

The stainless scrap market is limping along in the United States, with little to no improvement in sight while participants remain cautious heading into year-end."The stainless scrap market continues to be sleepy and not waking up anytime soon," one major US processor said. "Most dealers and processors are just trying to get to the end of the year with the least amount of damage [to their earnings...Read More

Ferrous scrap export prices for shipments from the United States to Turkey have held above $340 per tonne cfr, but East Coast exporters were seen holding the line on dock buying prices despite gains in the export and domestic markets.Two cargoes were sold from the US to Turkey over the past seven days.An East Coast cargo reported on Thursday November 1 concluded up $7 per tonne compared with the p...Read More

Turkish steel producers continued their deep-sea scrap purchases on Wednesday November 7, with prices remaining largely stable, according to market sources.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a European cargo, comprising 15,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (75:25) at $330 per tonne, 3,000 tonnes of shredded at $340 per tonne and 7,000 tonnes of bonus at $345 per tonne cfr.Another steel producer in t...Read More

The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for iron ore, pig iron, direct-reduced iron and other steelmaking raw materials.Latest transaction: iron oreIron oreVale, tender, 176,924 tonnes of 62.29% Fe Standard Sinter Feed Guaiba, traded at the December average of the MB 62%...Read More

Iron ore prices weakened on Wednesday November 7 amid steel market falls, while supply issues in Australia supported premiums for index-linked cargoes.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $75.27 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.47 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $74.30 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.47 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $78.38 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.92 per t...Read More

Trading activity in the seaborne coking coal market was muted on Wednesday November 7, with participants awaiting a firmer direction to emerge."We have not heard of any aggressive bids in recent days and it seems $220-222 per tonne cfr China for premium low-vol materials is the ceiling," a trader source said.The source added that the presence of opposing factors - robust domestic coking coal price...Read More

Japanese ferrous scrap export prices are leading the downtrend in regional scrap values so far this week.A major regional buyer was bidding for Japanese H2 scrap exports at ?34,000 ($300) per tonne as of Wednesday November 7, while sellers were offering similar materials at ?35,000 per tonne."Japanese H2 prices are coming off and should reach a bottom soon," a Japanese trader told Fastmarkets MB...Read More

Base metals on the London Metal Exchange pushed higher during morning trading on Wednesday November 7, supported by a strong bounce in global equity markets, while the US dollar index lost ground after gains by the Democrats in the US midterm elections. Overnight, US midterm election results indicated a majority win for the Democrats in the House of Representatives, with US president Trump's admin...Read More

China's domestic rebar market maintained its downward trend on Wednesday November 7 with sellers stepping up their efforts to destock.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,500-4,550 yuan ($650-657) per tonne, down 90 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 4,380-4,420 yuan per tonne, down 40 yuan per tonneSellers were actively destocking during the day on the weak futures market and their bearish o...Read More