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EU HRC: Northern mills hike offers as Italy firms

  • Spanish Market: Metals
  • 15/11/19

Domestic Italian hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices continued to firm today, spurred further by yesterday's news that steelmaker ArcelorMittal will ramp down all its Ilva blast furnaces by 15 January.

Argus' daily ex-works Italy index jumped by €5.75/t to €400/t ex-works. One domestic mill was selling around this price and was even considering €410-415/t ex-works for January. Another domestic mill has also been trying to increase prices amid firmer scrap and import costs.

Some Ilva-exposed buyers were increasingly concerned about supply, although others appeared fairly relaxed.

Import offers from Turkish mills continued to climb. One offered at roughly €425/t cif Ravenna for a few thousand tonnes, a level a trader claimed to have sold at. Another mill pulled its offers, and is anticipated to hike prices further next week.

Many traders were extremely bullish on the market's prospects because of supply disruption, and despite slack demand.

Mills in the north are trying to take advantage of strengthening Italian prices, and import offers moving to around €420/t cfr Antwerp. Some large northwest European mills have informed customers of €30-40/t increases, which they suggest will take offers to €440-450/t ex-works.

This is substantially above spot prices. The Argus daily northwest Europe HRC index slipped by €1.25/today to €412.25/t ex-works, taking the premium over Italy to €12.25/t. Italian prices have risen by €16/t since 7 November, while northern prices have slipped by €1.75/t over the same period.

The northwest European forward curve firmed for the coming months. November slipped by €0.25 to €413.75, but December rose by €7.50/t to €432.50, while January was assessed €6.50 higher at €437.50.

Demand is starting to pick up from some industrial customers in Germany. Two service centre sources said buyers had returned to the table since a trade fair in Stuttgart last week, sensing it was a good time to buy. Their enthusiasm was dented slightly by deals for December delivery from a few mills done as low as €400-410/t delivered base. But other mills have hardened their stance in the last week or so, and refuse to take part at such import-displacement prices. And inventory is not high in the supply chain, after a ferocious period of destocking.

Some second and third-tier suppliers in the automotive supply chain have already agreed to some contractual volumes. Mills and service centres anticipate that automotive demand will not be as bad as people expect, as the inventory has been run down severely this year, meaning apparent demand will be more aligned to real buying.

The northern mills are also pushing for increases to use as leverage in difficult contractual talks. Mills expect to sign half-yearly contract deals €40-50/t lower than this year, although they are pushing for shorter-terms in some instances because of the weak market environment. Annual accords could slip by €50-60/t or more.

While many concur the market has bottomed, and prices will probably rise, some allude to the likelihood of slippage in raw material costs and the tepid demand environment as likely to constrain prices. And more material could be searching for a home if China stops importing the amount of slab and coil it has been.


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21/11/24

US alleges Nippon dumped HRC at higher rates

US alleges Nippon dumped HRC at higher rates

Houston, 21 November (Argus) — The US government alleged that Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel dumped hot-rolled (HR) flat steel products at higher rates than previously determined. The US Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA) determined that during the period from October 2022 through September 2023, Nippon sold HR steel flat products with a weighted-average dumping margin of 29.03pc, up from the 1.39pc dumping margin the ITA determined for the prior period of October 2021 through September 2022. Tokyo Steel Manufacturing, which was also investigated, was determined to have not sold HR flat steel below market value, unchanged from a prior review. US imports during the period from October 2022 through September 2023 of the investigated items from Japan were 202,000 metric tonnes (t), down from the 293,600t imported in the same period the prior year, according to customs data. The original investigation into imports of Japanese flat-steel products was concluded in 2016. The ITA is now reviewing the time period of October 2023 through September 2024 and expects to issue the final results of these reviews no later than 31 October 2025. The US imported 235,700t of the investigated products from Japan during that time, customs data showed. By Rye Druzchetta Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Recent deep-sea and short-sea cfr Turkey scrap deals


21/11/24
21/11/24

Recent deep-sea and short-sea cfr Turkey scrap deals

London, 21 November (Argus) — A summary of the most recent deep-sea and short-sea cfr Turkey ferrous scrap deals seen by Argus. Ferrous scrap short-sea trades (average composition price, cif Marmara) Date Volume, t Price, $ Shipment Buyer Seller Composition Index relevant 19-Nov 5,000 345 November Izmir Greece HMS 1/2 80:20, shred Y 19-Nov 2,000 342 November Izmir Malta HMS 1/2 80:20, shred Y 12-Nov 3,000 348 November Izmir Romania HMS 1/2 80:20 N 12-Nov 5,000 350 November Izmir Croatia HMS 1/2 80:20 N 12-Nov 5,000 350 November Turkey France HMS 1/2 80:20 Y 12-Nov 10,000 351 November Marmara France HMS 1/2 80:20 Y Ferrous scrap deep-sea trades (average composition price, cfr Turkey) Date Volume, t Price, $ Shipment Buyer Seller Composition Index relevant 20-Nov 40,000 345 (80:20) December Marmara Scandinavia HMS 1/2 80:20, shred, bonus Y 20-Nov 20,000 340 (80:20) December Iskenderun UK HMS 1/2 80:20 Y 19-Nov 30,000 344 (75:25) December Izmir Cont. Europe HMS 1/2 80:20, bonus N 19-Nov 40,000 353 (80:20) December Iskenderun USA HMS 1/2 80:20, shred, bonus Y 15-Nov 40,000 354 (80:20) December Iskenderun Cont. Europe HMS 1/2 80:20, shred, bonus Y 15-Nov 40,000 356 (80:20) December Marmara Cont. Europe HMS 1/2 80:20, shred, bonus Y 14-Nov 20,000 350 (80:20) November Iskenderun UK HMS 1/2 80:20 N 13-Nov 40,000 356 (80:20) December Marmara Cont. Europe HMS 1/2 80:20, shred, bonus Y 13-Nov 40,000 353 (80:20) December Marmara Cont. Europe HMS 1/2 80:20, shred, bonus Y Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Japan’s crude steel output drops further in October


21/11/24
21/11/24

Japan’s crude steel output drops further in October

Tokyo, 21 November (Argus) — Japan's crude steel production in October fell on the year for an eighth straight month, partly because of lower steel demand from the construction sector. The country produced 6.9mn t of crude steel in October, down by 7.8pc from a year earlier, according to preliminary data released by industry group the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) on 21 November. Crude steel production by basic oxygen furnace (BOF) fell by 6.8pc on the year to 5.1mn t, marking the eighth consecutive month of year-on-year fall. Crude steel output by electric arc furnace (EAF) declined for a third straight month by 10.5pc to 1.8mn t. A double-digit output fall by EAF is partly reflecting the weaker steel demand in the construction sector. The country's steel demand is heavily dependent on the automobile and construction sectors, and steel products for each industry are generally produced using the BOF and EAF methods respectively. Booked orders of ordinary steel for construction use in September fell by 11.3pc on the year to 651,035t, marking the fourth consecutive month of year-on-year decline, according to the separate data released by JISF on 18 November. The country's major steel producer JFE on 6 November revised downward its crude steel output to 22.4mn t for the current fiscal year ending 31 March 2025. This is 600,000t lower than its initial figure announced in August, partly owing to weaker than anticipated steel demand from the construction sector, according to the steel company. Rising material costs and labour shortages are causing delays in major construction projects, JFE said, adding that lower steel demand in the construction industry is "becoming even more obvious.". By Yusuke Maekawa Japanese ferrous output ('000't) Oct '24 Sep '24 Oct '23 m-o-m ± % y-o-y ± % Crude steel production Ordinary steel 5,328 5,098 5,792 4.5 -8.0 Specialty steel 1,597 1,525 1,719 4.7 -7.1 Total crude production 6,925 6,623 7,511 4.6 -7.8 Crude steel production method Basic oxygen furnace 5,101 4,794 5,473 6.4 -6.8 Electric arc furnace 1,824 1,829 2,038 -0.3 -10.5 Pig iron production 5,075 4,802 5,405 5.7 -6.1 Source: Japan Iron and Steel federation *Based on preliminary data Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

ArcelorMittal could close two service centres in France


20/11/24
20/11/24

ArcelorMittal could close two service centres in France

London, 20 November (Argus) — Europe's largest steelmaker ArcelorMittal is contemplating closing two service centres in France as part of a restructuring at its Centres de Services business in the country. The company informed staff on Tuesday that it might close its Reims and Denain sites because of a "sharp drop in activity among its industry and automotive customers", the company told Argus . Negotiations with trade unions will begin shortly, it said. Rumours about the potential closures have been circling since just before a large industry event in Hannover, Germany, in late October. Further consolidation and restructuring is expected throughout the European service centre market because of the fall in real consumption, and the difficult financial position it has caused for some processors. Most service centres have been selling processed sheet at a loss in recent months, because of weak end-consumption. German cold-roller Bilstein, that sells predominantly to the automotive industry, will reduce headcount and is contemplating closing one of its five lines, or reducing shifts across its business. There have also been market discussions about ArcelorMittal selling other automotive-facing service centres in Europe, as part of a wider reorganisation of the EU processing sector. Germany's largest steelmaker, ThyssenKrupp, has closed some of its distribution sites in its home country. Participants note the service centres are not part of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe, which is still in talks with Daniel Kretinsky over taking a 50pc share in the business. ThyssenKrupp's ownership change could have wider ramifications for the service centre and steelmaking sector in general, with Kretinsky open to finding a strategic partner. By Colin Richardson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Graphjet launches Malaysian biomass-to-graphite plant


20/11/24
20/11/24

Graphjet launches Malaysian biomass-to-graphite plant

Singapore, 20 November (Argus) — Nasdaq-listed Graphjet Technology has started operations at its artificial graphite plant in Malaysia, which will produce battery-grade graphite using recycled palm kernel shells (PKS), the firm said on 19 November. Graphjet's facility has the capacity to produce 3,000 t/yr of graphite by recycling up to 9,000 t/yr of PKS, which is sufficient to produce batteries for 40,000 electric vehicles (EVs)/yr. The firm has already received its first shipment of PKS, it said. Graphjet has another artificial graphite production facility planned in US' Nevada, and it plans to produce hard carbon at the Malaysian facility to use as feedstock at the Nevada facility. The Nevada facility is expected to have the capacity to recycle 30,000 t/yr of PKS to produce 10,000 t/yr of battery-grade artificial graphite and is slated to begin production in 2026, said Graphjet in April. China, the dominant producer of graphite, added a number of graphite products into its export licensing scheme at the end of last year. The move back then alarmed its neighbours, Japan and South Korea , which are major battery-producing countries and they have since been looking to reduce their dependency on Chinese graphite. China's graphite flake exports fell by 23pc to 44,103t during January-September following the exports curb, according to Chinese customs data. By Joseph Ho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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