United Arab Emirates producers Emirates Steel and Conares Steel have increased their rebar prices for February production with effect from Wednesday January 13.

After strong gains on the London Metal Exchange on Tuesday January 12, when prices closed up with gains averaging 1.8%, prices were for the most part little changed this morning, with nickel the main mover.

After further weakness in the base metals on Monday January 11, that saw the complex close down by an average of 1.5%, prices were up across the board on the London Metal Exchange this morning but those on the Shanghai Futures Exchange base metals prices were down across the board while they followed yesterday’s performance on the LME.

Mining and metals producer Assmang has declared force majeure on its medium-carbon ferro-manganese production in South Africa, a source told Fastmarkets this week.

Waiting times for aluminium at Istim warehouses in Port Klang, Malaysia, fell to just 20 days at the end of December, according to the London Metal Exchange’s latest queue report.

Base metals prices were for the most part weaker during morning trading on Monday January 11, while the dollar was firmer in line with strong US treasury yields.

Manufacturers in the United States have been materially injured by imports of pre-stressed concrete (PC) steel wire strand from Argentina, Colombia, Egypt, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the US International Trade Commission (ITC) has determined.

The prices of steel scrap imported into India and Pakistan moved up in the week to Friday January 8 despite a dull and uncertain market, sources have told Fastmarkets.

Sluggish Chinese domestic steel scrap prices mean there has been a large gap between bids and offers for imports of steel scrap this week, market sources told Fastmarkets on Friday January 8.

China's looming presence as a new buyer in the Asian seaborne scrap market has sparked concerns of tight supply in the region, including in Taiwan, sources told Fastmarkets this week.