China's “unpredictable political moves” in relation to coking coal from Australia has driven some Chinese steel mills to increase their contractual supplies of the steelmaking raw material from elsewhere, sources told Fastmarkets this week.

The prospect of more than 5 million tons of additional flat-rolled steel production starting up in the United States by the end of this year has convinced some market participants that the current run of all-time record-high sheet prices must come to a screeching halt by summer.

Iron ore plays a critical role in decarbonizing steelmaking. What does greener steel mean for global iron ore markets? And what part will China play in driving change? Our global steel and iron experts weigh in.

US steel scrap sellers have been locked in negotiations for sales to China this week amid a continued drop in global prices, industry sources told Fastmarkets.

Covid-19 appears to have claimed another casualty: the London Metal Exchange ring trading floor.

The price of shredded steel scrap imported jumped by almost $30 per tonne on Friday December 18 due to continued tightness in container availability and a strong international market, sources told Fastmarkets.

It has been almost one year since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak and global economies are still recovering from the fallout. Fastmarkets analyzes the effects of the pandemic on global cobalt supply and trade flows.

With just 35 days remaining until the United Kingdom withdraws from the European Union, the country’s potential departure from the EU single market could see its domestic aluminium scrap market face business-critical trade barriers that, according to market participants, would send the UK’s scrap industry hurtling backwards.

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets’ team of analysts are ready to view.

Fast-rising costs for container freight on a number of major shipping routes are causing disruption in trade flows for minerals and metals alike, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday November 12.