Here are the key takeaways from market participants on US ferrous scrap metal prices, market confidence, inventory and more from our January survey.

US President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday March 4 contained key strategic policy objectives that will have a direct impact on global metals markets. Fastmarkets takes a high-level view of the key strategies below: “They tariff us…we will tariff them.” The Trump administration will introduce reciprocal tariffs on all countries that levy duties […]

Tariffs on steel and aluminum will raise US car prices, increase production costs, and squeeze profit margins. Smaller car companies may struggle to compete, while retaliatory actions could disrupt the global auto market, reshaping manufacturing and trade industry-wide.

Trump’s tariffs on Canadian and Mexican metals have introduced significant instability to the U.S. metals sector. The 25% tariffs, coupled with retaliatory measures from Canada and Mexico, have fuelled price volatility, supply chain disruptions, and operational uncertainty across multiple industries. These trade policies are reshaping global market dynamics as stakeholders brace for long-term impacts on steel, aluminium, copper, and other metal commodities.

The MB-STE-0558 steel billet index export, fob Black Sea, CIS was published at 3:32pm London time instead of the scheduled time of 4pm. The data submission window had already closed, and the data collection and price assessment were not affected by the early publication. This price is a part of the Fastmarkets steel package. For more information, […]

The Indian steel industry faces challenges as coking coal demand grows amid supply issues. Insights from Coaltrans India 2025 highlight India's reliance on Australian coal, rising met coke imports, and strategies like blending domestic coal with high-quality options.

The following prices were affected:MB-CU-0361 Copper import arbitrage, $ per tonneMB-CU-0362 Copper import arbitrage, yuan per tonneMB-NI-0106 Nickel import arbitrage, $ per tonneMB-NI-0107 Nickel import arbitrage, yuan per tonneMB-ZN-0083 Zinc import arbitrage, $ per tonneMB-ZN-0084 Zinc import arbitrage, yuan per tonneMB-AL-0289 Aluminium import arbitrage, $ per tonneMB-AL-0290 Aluminium import arbitrage, yuan per tonne These prices are part of the Fastmarkets base metals package. […]

The February monthly average and weekly averages between February 15 and 28 for the two prices (MB-LI-0040 and MB-LI-0036) were not calculated because of the error. This delay did not affect the publication of the actual daily assessments. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated. These prices are a part of Fastmarkets’ industrial minerals package. For more information […]

Presenters shared insights into zinc market dynamics at the International Zinc Association’s (IZA) International Zinc and Zinc Oxide conference held February 23-26 in San Diego.

Iron ore markets face major shifts as an oversupply looms in 2025, driven by weak demand from Chinese steel mills and changing pricing trends. Key players like Vale and Rio Tinto are tackling challenges such as fluctuating shipments, blending practices in China, and a competitive global market.