Steel Dynamics Inc (SDI) isn’t worried about a flood of new flat-rolled electric-arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking capacity because it will be offset by the closure of older integrated mills, the company’s top executive said.

Steel Dynamics Inc’s (SDI) new $1.9-billion flat-rolled steel mill in Sinton, Texas, could be the first electric-arc furnace (EAF) facility to produce exposed-grade automotive material, the company’s top executive said.

Steel service centers and other processors are finding surprising opportunities during the Covid-19 pandemic, and 2021 demand appears poised to exceed expectations for metals consumption, panelists said at Fastmarkets' 2020 Steel Success Strategies Online conference this week.

With so much uncertainty regarding the macro environment for steel consumption and prospects for tepid demand growth, US and Canadian mills are vying for a bigger piece of the pie - and using different strategies.

There are reasons to believe the worst is over for a domestic steel market rattled by the Covid-19 pandemic, Nucor Corp president and chief executive officer Leon Topalian told attendees of Fastmarkets’ Steel Success Strategies Online conference on Monday October 26.

Uncertainty about next year’s aluminium fundamentals and consumer hesitance to commit to long-term, large-tonnage contracts has Alvance chief operating officer Guillaume De Goys expecting an active spot market in 2021.

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were weaker this morning, Thursday October 22, this after a day of general strength on Wednesday that saw copper prices climb, intraday, back above $7,000 per tonne.

Half of the base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange have in recent days risen to multi-month highs, with copper reaching levels not seen since June 2018, and all of the metals are pushing higher this morning, Wednesday October 21.

Fastmarkets publishes trade logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.

Recycled copper and aluminium that meet China’s standards for renewable metals instead of solid waste can be freely imported into the country starting from November 1, according to the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment.