Growing reports of Chinese steel allegedly entering Brazil with mislabeled material, falsified quality grades and manipulated documentation have raised concerns among traders, importers and distributors, who warn that the practice is distorting competition, damaging reputations and putting end-user safety at risk.

Fastmarkets has corrected the rationale for its price indices for MB-IRO-0008 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao and for MB-IRO-0191 61% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao, which was published incorrectly on Thursday October 16. The fixed-price equivalence of several floated-price transaction concluded on a public platform were erroneously recorded in the trade log part of rationale in […]

The global iron ore market is at a turning point as quality becomes a critical focus. While steelmakers race toward cleaner production methods that require higher-grade ore, the supply side tells a different story. Declining grades and rising impurities are forcing market participants to reassess traditional benchmarks and adopt new pricing methodologies that reflect the realities of today’s traded material.

Fastmarkets has amended the base specification of its index for iron ore 65% Fe Brazil-origin fines, cfr Qingdao, to align with the specifications for high-grade sinter fines in the CFR Qingdao market.

The US prime steel scrap contracts market is undergoing a major reset as mills and suppliers renegotiate terms amid falling prices and shifting leverage. Oversupply and waning premiums are reshaping how future scrap deals are structured across North America.

The ongoing US government shutdown is reshaping the steel industry as stalled federal projects, delayed contracts and budget uncertainty ripple through domestic supply chains. With infrastructure spending on hold, producers are confronting weaker demand and rising pressure across the broader manufacturing sector.

The proposal is driven by the insufficient price inputs under the current market conditions and by market feedback about a lack of liquidity on an outright basis for the NPI contract price. Specifically, Fastmarkets is proposing to discontinue: MB-FEN-0001 Nickel pig iron, high-grade NPI content 10-15%, contract, ddp China, yuan/nickel unit price Quality: Lump. Ni10-15%, Fe 80%, […]

Fastmarkets launches MB-IRO-0193 Iron ore 62% Australia-origin lump ore premium, cfr Qingdao, US cents/dry metric tonne unit (dmtu) on Tuesday October 21.

Brazil faces growing pressure to strengthen its steel import safeguards as global trade imbalances and new EU measures reshape export and import dynamics. Rising inflows from Asia threaten domestic mills, exposing weaknesses in Brazil’s trade defenses.

Barry Zekelman discusses how the domestic steel industry remains a cornerstone of America’s national security, energy independence and technological growth.