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Mexico factory contraction extends into February

  • : Agriculture, Coking coal, Metals
  • 25/03/03

Mexico's manufacturing sector contracted again in February, according to the latest purchasing managers index (PMI) survey from the finance executive association IMEF.

The manufacturing PMI rose to 47 from 46 in January, marking the 11th consecutive month below the 50-point threshold between contraction and expansion. Manufacturing, which accounts for about a fifth of Mexico's economy, is led by the auto sector, contributing about 18pc of manufacturing GDP.

Within the manufacturing PMI, the new orders index rose 1.6 points to 44.6, still deep in contraction. Similarly, production rose 2.8 points to 45.6. The employment index fell half a point to 46.4 in February, now in contraction for 13 consecutive months.

Both manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMIs increased slightly in February but remained in contraction territory.

The non-manufacturing PMI — covering services and commerce — increased slightly to 49.5 in February from 49.2 in January, staying in contraction for a third consecutive month.

Non-manufacturing new orders rose 1.3 points to 49.4, production increased 1.6 points to 49.1 and employment fell slightly to 48.4 from 48.6, all in contraction.

Victor Herrera, director of economic studies at IMEF, described the upticks on both PMIs as fluctuations, with the statistical "trend line in both PMIs showing we are moving further into contraction."

With US president Donald Trump's tariffs on imports from Mexico set to begin Tuesday, IMEF warned they could severely impact industrial production and financial stability in Mexico.

"This is a sign of further bad news on growth in the short term," with uncertainty tied to looming US tariffs on Mexican goods weighing on investment and industrial activity, Herrera said.

By James Young


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25/03/14

EU finds no dumping on India HRC

EU finds no dumping on India HRC

London, 14 March (Argus) — A pre-disclosure to the EU's anti-dumping investigation found no dumping on hot-rolled coil (HRC) imports from India, while imposing provisional duties on Egypt, Japan and Vietnam in a range of 6.9-33pc from 7 April. Japan's Nippon Steel faces one of the highest import duties, at 33pc, while benchmark mill Tokyo Steel has the lowest, at 6.9pc. Fellow Japanese steelmakers Daido Steel and JFE Steel will be taxed at 32pc. All other Japanese producers will have a provisional duty of 33pc. Material from Vietnam will be subject to a 12.1pc duty, while Egyptian exporters face a 15.6pc tax. No provisional duties are proposed for imports from Vietnam's Hoa Phat, according to a leaked document from the European Commission. Egypt, Japan and Vietnam sold 2.2mn t of HRC into the EU last year, accounting for around 25pc of total imports. Egypt sold 694,000t, Japan 860,000t and Vietnam 727,000t. Indian imports will be unconstrained, as they are subject to a 0pc duty. It shipped 1.2mn t into its own quota last year. India was the most affected HRC supplier by the safeguard review, with imports from the country falling by 23pc to 225,000 t/quarter. The provisional rates mean Vietnamese HRC will remain easily workable into the EU, and the duties will have little impact on the volume of supply from the country — apart from the limitations already imposed by the safeguard review, which limits imports from other countries to around 111,000 t/quarter. Egypt would be "cooked", a trader said, with its import volumes likely to decline substantially, if the provisional duties become definitive. Prices in the EU are less likely to increase if these duty rates are imposed, and because the safeguard review results earlier in the week were less stringent than expected, a buyer said. The low duties on Vietnamese material — below most market expectations — will be welcomed by large re-rollers that account for a high share of the country's exports to the EU. Definitive measures are expected by 7 October. By Lora Stoyanova and Colin Richardson EU HRC provisional anti-dumping duties % Mill Provisional duty Japan Nippon Steel 33.0 Tokyo Steel 6.9 Daido Steel 32.0 JFE Steel 32.0 All others 33.0 Egypt Ezz Steel 15.6 All others 15.6 Vietnam Formosa Ha Tinh 12.1 All others* 12.1 India All mills 0† * No duties on Hoa Phat Dung Quat †no dumping found - EC Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Korea's Samsung SDI to raise funds for battery growth


25/03/14
25/03/14

Korea's Samsung SDI to raise funds for battery growth

Singapore, 14 March (Argus) — South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI is looking to raise 2 trillion Korean won ($1.38bn) to fuel its battery production developments, citing a Hungary plant expansion and its joint venture investment with US carmaker General Motors (GM). The capital raise is based on the mid- to long-term growth prospects of the electric vehicle battery market, given that battery facility investments take 2-3 years to reach mass production, said the firm on 14 March. Samsung SDI previously flagged that it intends to expand its plant in Hungary's God to 40 GWh/yr. The firm in August 2024 signed an agreement with GM to build a two-phase nickel-cobalt-aluminum battery plant that is expected to have a final production capacity of 36 GWh/yr in New Carlisle, Indiana. The joint venture investment will take around $3.5bn. The proceeds will also be used to invest in solid-state battery line facilities in South Korea, said Samsung SDI. The firm launched its first all solid-state battery pilot line back in March 2022 and aims to mass produce solid-state batteries in 2027, which are more stable and have high energy density, it said last year. Its facility investment has quadrupled from W1.7 trillion in 2019 to W6.6 trillion last year, but Samsung SDI expects this to shrink this year, citing "investment efficiency". Samsung SDI's battery usage fell by almost 11pc to 29.6GWh in 2024, according to data from South Korean market intelligence firm SNE Research, given a decline in demand from major car original equipment manufacturers in Europe and North America. By Joseph Ho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Australia's Liontown to transition Li mine underground


25/03/14
25/03/14

Australia's Liontown to transition Li mine underground

Sydney, 14 March (Argus) — Australian lithium producer Liontown Resources is on-track to transition its Kathleen Valley mine from an open pit to an underground site in order to extract higher-grade ore. The company started mining underground at the 2.8mn t/yr site in November 2023 and plans to entirely stop open pit operations by January-March 2026. Liontown will start ramping up its underground operations starting in April-June 2025, it announced in its July-December 2024 half year report on 14 March. The company has also increased the efficiency of its open pit operations in recent months. Liontown cut its Kathleen Valley waste to ore ratio from 5.1 in July-September to 1.25 in October-December, and increased concentrate production at the site from 28,171t to 88,683t over the same period. The company's recent combined output and efficiency improvements softened losses for the quarter. The company posted losses of A$15.1mn ($9.5mn) in July-December 2024, down from A$30.9mn in the same period in 2023. Liontown highlighted low spot spodumene and lithium chemical prices as a source of concern despite its recent financial improvement. But Kathleen Valley's increasing efficiency could mitigate ongoing price challenges, the company said. Argus -assessed lithium concentrate (spodumene) 6pc Li2O cif China price has decreased sharply since it was first assessed in May 2022, falling from $4,925/t to $875/t over 17 May 2022-11 March 2025. But the price has been increasing over recent months despite the long-term decline, rising from $835/t on 17 December 2024. By Avinash Govind Argus' spodumene price (May 2022-March 2025) ($/t) Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Açúcar: Mudança tributária abre espaço diplomático


25/03/13
25/03/13

Açúcar: Mudança tributária abre espaço diplomático

Sao Paulo, 13 March (Argus) — A isenção das importações de açúcar no Brasil é avaliada como uma tentativa de demonstrar aos Estados Unidos disposição em realizar acordos comerciais com o país, após o governo norte-americano sinalizar a possibilidade de aumentar as tarifas sobre alguns produtos brasileiros . Ao retirar as tarifas sobre o açúcar, o Brasil abre espaço para negociar a possibilidade de manutenção das tarifas de etanol, de acordo com Renato Cunha, presidente da Associação dos Produtores de Açúcar, Etanol e Bioenergia das regiões Norte e Nordeste (NovaBio). Etanol e açúcar são mercados correlatos no Brasil e as negociações dos dois costumam estar interligadas. Ambos são derivados da cana-de-açúcar e a produção de um produto ocorre em detrimento do outro. O governo brasileiro anunciou em 6 de março a eliminação dos impostos para importações de itens considerados essenciais, como o açúcar, milho, azeite, café e óleo de soja, com o intuito de reduzir os preços dos alimentos, em meio à aceleração da inflação. No caso do açúcar, o efeito sobre a inflação tende a ser limitado. O Brasil – maior produtor e exportador mundial de açúcar – é autossuficiente na produção do adoçante e as importações representam volumes mínimos no mercado. O Brasil exportou cerca de 33,5 milhões de t em 2024, alta de 23,8pc em comparação com 2023, a partir de uma produção de 42,4 milhões de t na safra 2023-24, de acordo com a Unica. Vantagens competitivas do açúcar brasileiro Mesmo que a isenção de tarifas para importar açúcar – que antes eram de até 14pc – facilite a abertura de novos mercados e crie eventuais oportunidades para os consumidores brasileiros, o produto nacional ainda é mais barato, pelos custos de produção mais baixos em relação a outros países. Os custos para produzir açúcar no Brasil são de aproximadamente 15¢/lb (equivalente a R$1,92/kg), enquanto na Tailândia – segundo maior exportador de açúcar – eles estão próximos de 21,5¢/lb, segundo participantes de mercado. Na Índia e Austrália, terceiro e quarto maiores exportadores, os custos são de aproximadamente 22,4¢/lb e 18,3¢/lb, respectivamente. Para que haja uma redução efetiva dos preços do açúcar, é necessária uma revisão nos custos de toda a cadeia produtiva até as gôndolas do mercado, disse José Guilherme Nogueira, presidente da Organização de Associações de Produtores de Cana do Brasil (Orplana). Para Nogueira, é importante se atentar a fatores além da produção, como custos de frete e seguro, áreas passíveis de atuação do governo. Como a produção é suficiente para o consumo nacional e há um grande volume excedente, o açúcar brasileiro acaba sendo majoritariamente exportado, sem o mercado externo representar efetivamente uma concorrência para o consumidor brasileiro. O preço do açúcar cristal branco registrou uma média de R$155,3/ saca de 50kg em janeiro - ou $24,9/sc na paridade de exportação, com a cotação média do dólar norte-americano a R$6,02 – segundo o indicador do Centro de Estudos Avançados em Economia Aplicada (CEPEA/Esalq). Em janeiro de 2024, os preços no mercado nacional estavam R$145,04/sc, em média, e $29,5/sc, considerando uma taxa cambial média de R$4,91. Isso mostra que mesmo com o dólar mais alto neste ano, o mercado doméstico de açúcar segue remunerando mais que o mercado externo, em comparação com o mesmo período no ano passado. Por Maria Albuquerque Envie comentários e solicite mais informações em feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . Todos os direitos reservados.

Steelmaker Gerdau to buy Kloeckner's Brazil assets


25/03/13
25/03/13

Steelmaker Gerdau to buy Kloeckner's Brazil assets

Sao Paulo, 13 March (Argus) — Brazilian steelmaker Gerdau closed a deal to acquire German metals service centre Kloeckner's operations in Parana, Brazil, for an undisclosed value. Gerdau, historically a long steel producer, has been investing in flat steel assets. The company this week inaugurated its expanded hot-rolling mill, boosting hot-rolled coil (HRC) capacity by 30pc to 1.1mn t/yr. The company has submitted a request to Brazil's antitrust watchdog Cade seeking approval for the acquisition, before completing the transaction. Kloeckner has operated in Brazil since 2011, following its acquisition of 70pc of Frefer Metal Plus assets. Last October, the German company announced that it will exit the Brazilian metals market, aligning with its strategy to concentrate investments in European and North American markets. Besides Parana, Kloeckner has plants in Sao Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul. By Isabel Filgueiras Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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