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Prices of brown fused alumina (BFA) moved up during the past fortnight after holding firm for the past three months amid increasing electricity costs and tightened supply of calcined bauxite.
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The so-called “Suez Armada” of vessels that were delayed by the unintentional blockage of the Suez Canal has now been processed by the Port of Rotterdam, but the port was still “extremely” busy and there were challenges ahead for the shipping sector, speakers said during the Supply Chain Talks digital event on Wednesday May 5.
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Consuming markets of commodity raw materials are under pressure yet again from a combination of renewed increases in sea freight costs and overstretched logistics, making delivery schedules unreliable and causing long delays at a time when suppliers are tightening contracting terms to reduce liability.
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A summary of ArcelorMittal's financial results for January-March 2021.
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Industrial mineral group Imerys attributed rising revenues and income in the first quarter of 2021 to a recovery in the global economy and in its end markets.
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Prices for brown fused alumina (BFA) held firm during the fortnight to Thursday April 29, driven by complex logistics arrangements from China to major overseas markets in addition to supply interruption and good demand while white fused alumina (WFA) edged up amid similar conditions.
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Sales of passenger cars in the EU rocketed by 87.30% year-on-year in March 2021, the European Automotive Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said on Friday April 16.
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China’s crude steel, hot metal and finished steel production all rose sharply year on year in March and the first quarter of 2021, according to data released by National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Friday April 16.
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China’s bauxite markets ticked down in the two weeks to Thursday April 15 on a mixed picture of improved land transport while demand continues to be strong, whereas white fused alumina (WFA) into Europe continued to be supported by high shipping costs and brown fused alumina (BFA) held unchanged amid increasing production costs.
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Freight rate differentials between materials shipped in containers and in bulk from China to Europe continued to be a major driver of white fused alumina (WFA) prices in the two weeks ended Thursday April 1.
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Global freight markets have been plunged into further chaos this week with the continuing blockage of the Suez Canal now accompanied by rumors of fresh freight rate hikes around the world, sources told Fastmarkets.
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China’s export shipments of refractory-grade bauxite and white fused alumina (WFA) surged in January-February by 101.24% and 80.10% respectively, compared with a year earlier. And shipments of brown fused alumina (BFA) in the same period went up by 13.31%, according to Chinese customs data.
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A summary of China’s refractory raw materials exports for the first two months of 2021
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A major blockage of the Suez Canal by a large container ship, leading to a vessel traffic jam, is adding to disruption in the global bulk freight markets.
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High demand for bulk vessel space for mineral raw materials exported from China is driving costs for this transport option higher, with market participants reporting an array of factors that are affecting trading conditions and delivery timelines.
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Higher availability in Europe of white fused alumina (WFA) shipped in break bulk vessels put pressure on some cif Europe port prices in the past fortnight, while bauxite and brown fused alumina (BFA) prices were steady.
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Logistics for shipping material out of China continues to be a major concern for sellers of minerals and metals, with container freight rates firm at high levels and carriers giving priority to lighter cargoes.
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Prices of brown fused alumina (BFA) were firm during the two weeks to Thursday March 4, with market participants' views differing on the market's performance. White fused alumina (WFA), meanwhile, slipped and bauxite was stable.
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UK-registered refractory producer Vesuvius reported a sharp drop in demand for its products in 2020, driven by a slowdown in global economic activity in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Global crude steel output increased by 4.8% year on year to 162.9 million tonnes in January 2021, the World Steel Association (Worldsteel) said on February 26, marking the third monthly consecutive increase.
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United States President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday February 24 intended to secure his nation’s supply chains through a review of critical products, which will include computer chips and batteries.
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German specialty alumina supplier Nabaltec AG expects single-digit revenue growth in 2021 after achieving an increase in the fourth quarter of last year, according to preliminary results released on Thursday February 25.
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Refractory-grade bauxite prices showed a reduction this week from previously wider spreads, with China gradually returning to the market after the Lunar New Year holiday, while white fused alumina (WFA) ticked upward on higher operational costs and brown fused alumina (BFA) held firm.
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Refractories and industrial mineral group Imerys reported a sharp drop in revenues over 2020 before making a modest recovery over its fourth quarter, it said in its earning report.
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All future new-build vessels to be owned by shipping operator Maersk will have dual-fuel technology installed, allowing either carbon-neutral operations or the use of standard very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO), the company said on Wednesday February 17.
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Sales of passenger cars in the EU dropped by 24.04% year-on-year in January 2021, the European Automotive Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said on Wednesday February 17.
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Demand for steel in the European Union is expected to rebound by 13.3% year on year in 2021 after a 13% slump in 2020, the European steel association Eurofer said last week.
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The prospects for the global long steel market in 2021 remain rather optimistic despite some fluctuations, the International Rebar Producers & Exporters Association (Irepas) said on Wednesday February 10.
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Prices spread for certain grades of bauxite widened in the fortnight to Thursday February 4 on differing availability options from suppliers, while the price of white fused alumina (WFA) moved up on higher costs and brown fused alumina (BFA) held firm on bullish sentiment.
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China’s 2020 export shipments of refractory-grade bauxite and white fused alumina dropped slightly from a year earlier, while exports of brown fused alumina plunged by 26% due to preference for lower-priced WFA, according to sources.
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Global crude steel output fell by 0.9% year-on-year to 1.86 billion tonnes in 2020, with an increase in China unable to offset declines across most other major steelmaking nations, the World Steel Association (Worldsteel) has said.
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French calcined alumina producer Alteo has been acquired by West African mining and logistics group United Mining Supply (UMS), a move that secures the company’s financial foothold and paves the way for new investment to serve specialty applications including semiconductors and batteries.
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China’s steel market participants expect that the country will export more steel in 2021 than in 2020 with the recovery of demand worldwide, Fastmarkets heard on Tuesday January 26.
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A global shortage of computer chips, another consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic that is affecting carmakers, has in some cases forced automotive producers to close assembly lines, Fastmarkets understands.
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Severe logistical hurdles continue to affect the main seaborne shipping routes out of China, with prohibitively high container freight costs persisting and recent land transport issues adding to the congestion and delays at ports.
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Seaborne prices for bauxite and fused alumina in China moved up in the fortnight ended Thursday January 21 on rising land transport costs and long lead times, compounded by persistently tight supply.
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The London Metal Exchange is proposing the permanent closure of its open-outcry trading floor and the incentivization of greater liquidity on its electronic trading platform, LMESelect.
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Sales of passenger cars in the European Union dropped by 3.27% year on year in December 2020, the European Automotive Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said on Tuesday January 19.
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China’s crude steel output in 2020 exceeded 1 billion tonnes for the first time with an increase of 5.2%, according to data released by the country’s National Bureau of Statistics on Monday January 18.
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Turkey’s biggest steel producer, Erdemir, has bought compatriot magnesia producer Kümas, with the sale approved by the Turkish Competition Authority, the steelmaker said on Friday January 15.
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China’s steel imports increased sharply in 2020 but exports declined from 2019 levels, according to Chinese customs data released on Thursday January 14.
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The Covid-19 pandemic is once again disrupting logistics in China, with authorities reporting the first death in the country since the spring of 2020.
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ArcelorMittal has restarted one of its sinter plants at Gijon in Spain's Asturias region after nine months of downtime.
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China’s exports of brown (BFA) and white fused alumina (WFA) rose year on year in November on recovering demand from overseas buyers, while refractory grade bauxite exports dropped over the same period.
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Refractory raw material consumers are likely to face shortages in bauxite, with the continued supply and logistics bottlenecks from China coming against a low-stock situation in destination markets.
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China, which is finalizing a new masterplan that will form the core of its policies for the ferrous sector in its 14th Five-Year Plan, is seeking input from steel market participants, its Ministry of Industry & Information Technology (MIIT) said on December 31.
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View the Fastmarkets holiday pricing schedule for 2021 and 2022.
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The United Kingdom and European Union have reached an agreement on a trade deal that will ensure tariff-free trading of most goods between the country and the bloc after December 31 when the withdrawal transition period ends, easing metals and minerals market participants’ fears of logistics paralysis and material shortages.
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World crude steel production increased by 6.6% year on year in November, with China, Germany and Ukraine posting the largest increases.
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Shipping problems faced by commodity market participants are likely to get worse ahead of Chinese New Year on February 12, 2021, sources told Fastmarkets.
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