News and market analysis

Fastmarkets’ daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US Midwest for Tuesday May 19 was published earlier than scheduled due to an error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated.

The following prices were affected: MB-STE-0416 Steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), North Europe origin, cfr Turkey, $ per tonne MB-STE-0417 Steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), US origin, cfr Turkey, $ per tonne MB-STE-0894 Steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), month-to-date deal-weighted average, North Europe origin, cfr Turkey, $ per tonne MB-STE-0100 Steel scrap, […]

Front-loading cleared roughly €780 million in CBAM liabilities before the definitive phase began. The pattern is unlikely to be a one-off as free allowances step down toward zero in 2034.

The four assessments will cover continental Europe and the UK, for tissue jumbo rolls made from wood pulp and recycled pulp in a basis weight range of 14.5-18.0g per square meter. The decision follows a one-month consultation period that ended on Saturday May 16. The proposed specifications are as follows: FP-TS-0009 Tissue, wood pulp jumbo rolls for […]

Fastmarkets is clarifying the publishing schedule for two Saudi Arabia steel price assessments following confirmation of the dates of the Eid al-Adha holiday.  The two price assessments affected are as follows: MB-STE-0909 – Steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, delivered Saudi Arabia, riyals/tonne MB-STE-0940 – Steel billet, import, cfr Saudi Arabia, $/tonne The domestic rebar price assessment […]

European SAF production costs rose in the week to May 15 as used cooking oil prices climbed to €1,117 per tonne, feedstock spreads diverged sharply across rapeseed and palm oil, and firming poultry meal prices signalled that competition for Europe’s finite pool of waste-based materials is tightening across fuel and food supply chains simultaneously.

Alex Kershaw unpacks the recent volatility in global scrap steel markets and what is driving price movements across key regions. From the US and Europe to Turkey and China, the discussion explores how rising energy and freight costs are lifting prices despite weak steel demand.

As US automotive OEMs localize supply chains and accelerate EV rollout, margin pressure is intensifying across steel, aluminium and battery inputs.

The European Commission’s draft CBAM carbon price legislation, published May 13, sets out how carbon costs paid abroad will count toward EU import obligations. It also caps Article 6 credit usage at 10% of emissions and applies retrospectively from January 2026.

In this short episode of Fast Forward, Alex Kershaw, senior analyst for steel, raw materials and ferrous scrap at Fastmarkets, unpacks the recent volatility in global scrap steel markets and what is driving price movements across key regions.