Steel traders in Asia are trying to work out an arbitrage for at least 70,000 tonnes of billet to China in a highly unusual move, market sources told Metal Bulletin this week.

The downtrend in global billet prices continued over the past week as buyers looked out for bargains amid poor demand for downstream long steel products.

The Brazilian long steel market continued to show only weak trading activity for both domestic and foreign sales during September.

Steel billet prices in most global markets were largely unchanged or edged downward during the week from Monday July 30 to Friday August 3, due to limited buying interest and uncertainty about the impending United States sanctions on Iran.

Fastmarkets summarizes six hot topics that will likely dominate discussions during the 20th Asian Ferro-alloys Conference in Hong Kong on March 10-12.

Domestic steel prices in China are picking up strength after news of summer production cuts in the country’s steelmaking hub of Tangshan broke.

ArcelorMittal has once again shaken the Brazilian steel market.

Metal Bulletin reviews the major stories affecting the steel market over the past week.

Middle Eastern countries boosted their crude steel output in 2017, with producers calling for more trade protection measures to support self-sufficiency in the sector.

The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Thursday September 20.