Key data from the Wednesday June 27 pricing session in Europe. Key drivers - Steady demand for ferro-titanium in the past week has seen a fairly wide range in reported trade prices, with the midpoint around $5.10 per kg ddp. - The market may ease in the seasonal slowdown months of...Read More

The following Metal Bulletin noble alloys and ores prices changed on Wednesday June 27:Noble alloys Molybdenum Europe drummed molybdic oxide, $/lb: $10.80-10.90 per lb from $10.95-11.05 Ferro-molybdenum basis 65% min, in-warehouse Rotterdam, $/kg...Read More

The recent rally in silico-manganese futures prices on China's Zhengzhou Commodities Exchange (ZCE) can largely be attributed to an impending shortage of the alloy in the country, market participants told Metal Bulletin.Silico-manganese futures prices on the ZCE have undergone a steep rally recently, with the exchange's most-traded July silico-manganese contract reaching of 8,126 yuan ($1,251) per...Read More

South African manganese miner Tshipi has been exceeding its production targets and ensuring it has adequate stockpiles to take advantage of high manganese ore prices.Metal Bulletin's 37% manganese ore index, fob Port Elizabeth stood at $5.74 per dry metric tonne unit (dmtu) on Friday June 22, up 42.4% from $4.03 per dmtu a year ago. Tshipi is targeting manganese ore production of 3.3 million tonne...Read More

Spreads between prime and obsolete scrap in the United States are likely to remain tight in the foreseeable future, with few obvious factors that could unhinge a narrow spread, according to an executive at David J. Joseph Co (DJJ), the largest domestic scrap buyer.Current spreads between prime grades and obsolete grades are much lower than they were in the 2004-08 time frame, DJJ vice preside...Read More

Construction at Cleveland-Cliffs' $700-million hot-briquetted iron (HBI) plant in Toledo, Ohio, is under way and ahead of schedule, the company's top executive said on Wednesday June 27.Cliffs expects to use the plant - slated to enter commercial production in July 2020 - to knock out the foreign raw materials that electric-arc furnace producers in the United States rely on today, accord...Read More

Turkish steel mills have resumed their deep-sea scrap purchases with slightly lower prices, sources said on Wednesday June 27.A steel producer in the Marmara region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising 25,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $353 per tonne and 5,000 tonnes of bonus at $368 per tonne cfr late on Tuesday June 26.Most market participants were expecting steel mills to resume buying...Read More

China's coke prices have peaked, sources said this week, with downside concerns arising over the decline in export activity and the potential for further environmental restrictions.Metal Bulletin's price assessment for Chinese coke exports with 65% coke strength after reaction (CSR), 12.5% ash, 30-90mm, was $360-375 per tonne fob China for the week ending Tuesday June 26.The range widened upward f...Read More

Iron ore prices remained largely rangebound on Wednesday June 27, though those for high-grade fines and lumps continued to strengthen.Metal Bulletin 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $64.60 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $2.02 per tonneMetal Bulletin 58% Fe Premium Index: $52.49 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.28 per tonneMetal Bulletin 65% Fe Iron Ore Index: $90.60 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $0.20 per tonneMetal...Read More

Seaborne coking coal prices fell on Wednesday June 27 amid weak demand. "Coke plants [in China] have a lot of coking coal in their inventories, about 7-15 days' worth," a Chinese trader told Metal Bulletin. A second trader said the coking coal market "is definitely moving in a downward trajectory." As such, he think "it's pointless to make offers at...Read More

China's ferrous futures largely trended downward during morning trading on Wednesday June 27 on weaker sentiment, dampening trading activity in the spot market. Uncertainty over China's monetary policy adjustments and a brewing global trade war were among the factors weighing on sentiment.Futures closing prices - morning session Shanghai Futures Exchange October rebar: 3,699 yuan ($563) per tonne,...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 2 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures recovered about 10 points after concerns about an imminent trade war with China related to using U.S. technology will be re-examined.Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of economic news at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for May Durable Goods Orders was a drop o...Read More

China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices widened on Wednesday June 27 after trading activity picked up in the latter half of the day in response to lower offers, a situation that traders went on to capitalize on.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,220-4,250 yuan ($642-647) per tonne, widening by 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 4,120-4,160 yuan per tonne, widening upward by 20 yuan per to...Read More

Base metals on the London Metal Exchange continued to drift lower during morning trading on Wednesday June 27, with ongoing trade uncertainties, a firm dollar and broad inventory drawdowns putting pressure on the complex. Copper prices fell by 0.6% during morning trading, drifting to a low of $6,667 per tonne, the lowest point since April 4. Volatile stock movements continue to unsettle the market...Read More

The arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel imported into China on Wednesday June 27*Copper -$132.72 (-877.22 yuan) Aluminium -$534.07 (-3,529.97 yuan) Zinc $29.45 (194.62 yuan) Nickel -$163.06 (-1,077.74 yuan) *Metal Bulletin calculates the physical arbitrage for import into...Read More

An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More

I couldn’t breathe... There were bursts of light in my field of vision... And it was all I could do to keep from puking.My high school coach was in my face yelling at the top of his lungs.“Zach, I have you in the game to play DEFENSE!” he bellowed.“If you can’t get back to your position and keep them from scoring, I’ll find someone who WILL!”His words stun...Read More

Service centers that process and distribute stainless steel to end-users are currently facing numerous constraints including eroded margins and increased competition, industry participants said at a Shanghai conference on Wednesday June 27.Shrinking margins - a result of production consolidation and globalization - have been a constraint on expansion for stainless steel distributors, according to...Read More

All MB non-ferrous UK scrap and foundry ingot prices were unchanged on Wednesday June 27.NB: prices expressed delivered consumer...Read More

Reza Hedayat, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Colorado School of Mines, has been selected for the U.S. Department of Energy's Early Career Research Program.Hedayat will receive $750,000 over five years to support the development of novel multiscale experiments to identify the geophysical signatures accompanying subsurface crack network growth. "Understanding crack ne...Read More