Major steel production exports out of China in July decreased from June due to the removal of an export rebate on May 1.For instance, the hot-rolled coil export was 817,276 tonnes in July, down by 20% from 1.03 million tonnes in June, according to customs data.Market participants expect exports to keep the month-on-month...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

Slab export prices from Brazil were stable in the week ended Friday August 27, after most volumes available were sold at the same level as previous weeks.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment for steel slab, export, fob main port Brazil was $900-920 per tonne on Friday, unchanged from the previous week.In the last two weeks, deals have been closed to several buyers in the United States, where demand for...Read More

Prices for flat-rolled steel imported into South America ended the week to Friday August 27 with no clear trend amid market illiquidity caused by fewer offers from China and a fewer available products from Commonwealth of Independent States.For hot- and cold-rolled coil, prices increased week on week following fewer offers from CIS-based mills, which were pressuring figures downward. The majority...Read More

Premiums in Europe and the United States continue to push higher, with market participants starting to negotiate contracts for 2022 supply.EuropeFastmarkets assessed the aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, ddp North Germany (Ruhr region) at $1,220-1,270 per tonne on Friday August 27, up from $1,200-1,250 per tonne a week earlier and from $1,190-1,240 at the beginning of the month.Fastmarkets'...Read More

An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Dalila Ouerghi and...Read More

Strict real estate regulations issued by China's central and local governments have slowed down growth in the country's housing market in the first seven months of 2021.Participants expect these policies to continue to have a strong effect on the market for the remainder the year, which would slow down growth for rebar demand.Three red linesThe People's Bank of China and the Ministry of Housing &...Read More

At $3 below $2,700 per tonne, aluminium reached its highest three-month price on the London Metal Exchange since May 2011 on Friday August 27, and most prices on the complex were also up following long-awaited statements from the US Federal Reserve Chair. The new year-to-date peak for aluminium was $2,697 per tonne on Friday; the metal was up by 1.1% at 5pm to $2,649.50 per tonne from Thursday's $...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices mostly increased on Friday August 27 amid stable trading activity in the physical market, particularly at China's ports, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $157.55 per tonne, up $4.63 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $157.84 per tonne, up $4.04 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $126.50 per tonne, up $3.62...Read More

The moment the Rig ends Silver will BLAST through THOUSANDS of DOLLARS per OUNCE!by Bix Weir of Road to RootaWhen the Global Silver Price Suppression scheme started over 170 years ago little did they know that it would take THOUSANDS of people and hundreds of institutions to keep the con alive! From the Federal Reserve to the Regulators to Private Financial Institutions to the Large Mining Compani...Read More

Low-volatility pulverized coal injection (PCI) prices in both the fob and cfr market jumped following price gains in coking coal the week to Friday August 27. And a shortage of railway wagons in Russia has delayed the transport of PCI to China, sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $408.51 per tonne, down $0.42 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $385.67 per...Read More

Fastmarkets has corrected its weekly price assessment for Molybdenum drummed molybdic oxide 57% Mo min, in-whs Rotterdam following a data entry error.The weekly price assessment for MB-FEO-0003 molybdenum drummed molybdic oxide 57% Mo min, in-whs Rotterdam on Friday August 27 should have been $20.50-20.65 per lb Mo, but was published as $2.50-20.65 per lb MoFastmarkets' pricing database has been u...Read More

Indian domestic prices for secondary steel billet tumbled by 1,900 rupees ($26) per tonne in the week ended Friday August 27 with the price of the key raw material, direct-reduced iron (DRI), dropping by 1,200 rupees per tonne.The slide in billet prices through the week was driven by sluggish demand and fewer inquiries from buyers.The price of steel billet, domestic, exw India, assessed by Fastmar...Read More

At $3 below $2,700 per tonne, aluminium reached its highest three-month price on the London Metal Exchange since May 2011 on Friday August 27, and most prices on the complex were also up following long-awaited statements from the US Federal Reserve Chair. The new year-to-date peak for aluminium was $2,697 per tonne on Friday; the metal was up by 1.1% at 5pm to $2,649.50 per tonne from Thursday's $...Read More

Fastmarkets copper concentrate treatment charge/ refining charge (TC/RC) index continued to rise in the week to August 27. Fastmarket's calculation of the copper concentrates TC index, cif Asia Pacific is now at its highest level since mid-April 2020, with smelters bidding for clean tonnage at mid-to-high $60s. Blended cargos from Asia were offered in the mid-$60s...Read More

Treatment charges for lead concentrate rose in August on a strongly negative import arbitrage and a steep backwardation on the London Metal Exchange, market participants told Fastmarkets.In addition, more mined material has become available to the Chinese market, which has been tightly supplied for the past three months.Fastmarkets' lead spot concentrate TC, low silver, cif China and the lead spot...Read More

Most base metals registered declines in inventories at Shanghai Futures Exchange-registered warehouses during the week to Friday August 27, with nickel falling the most in percentage terms at 16.6%.Recording four consecutive weeks of losses, nickel stocks dropped by 16.6% to 4,455 tonnes from 5,344 tonnes last week. The largest outflow was from warehouses operated by Zhongchu Dachang based in Shan...Read More

One western aluminium producer has extended an offer for fourth-quarter delivery aluminium to Main Japanese ports (MJP) at a premium of $250 per tonne cif, market participants told Fastmarkets on Friday August 27.The offer is the second reported in the market for the fourth quarter and is $20 per tonne higher than the first offer, sources said. At the point of publication, no producers could be re...Read More

Aluminium's three-month price reached a new year-to-date high of $2,664.50 on the morning of Friday August 27 and most other future contracts on the London Metal Exchange were also up at the start of the day. Aluminium's price was up by 1.7% from Thursday's $2,619.50 per tonne reading at 5pm. The metal was just $1.50 away from the August 2011 high of $2,666 per tonne. The physical aluminium m...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were mixed on the morning of Friday August 27 while market participants wait to hear what United States Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell has to say about the US monetary policy timeline when he speaks later today. Asian-Pacific equity indices were mixed this morningBase metalsLME three-month zinc ($2,981 per tonne) an...Read More