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Latest market news

US Steel increases flat prices by $50/st

  • Market: Metals
  • 14/06/23

Steelmaker US Steel has increased flat-rolled steel prices by $50/short ton (st) amid a sliding spot market.

The increase marks the first time since mid-March that a major US steelmaker has raised prices.

US Steel did not set a minimum price.

US hot-rolled coil (HRC) pricing has dropped by 27pc since a March high to $880/st this week, a four-month low.

The decline in spot prices fueled expectations that US steelmakers could put out a price increase to slow or stop the skid.

Raw material prices have also been under pressure, with June US prime ferrous scrap prices falling by $60/gross ton (gt) in the Midwest and $50/gt in the southeast, as smaller mill buying programs weighed on scrap pricing.

By Rye Druzin

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News
08/05/26

US adds 115,000 jobs in April, jobless rate flat

US adds 115,000 jobs in April, jobless rate flat

Houston, 8 May (Argus) — The US added 115,000 nonfarm payrolls in April, marking the first back-to-back job gains in nearly a year, suggesting a mending labor market just as Gulf war energy impacts begin to hit the job market. Job gains in March were revised higher by 7,000 to 185,000 and employment for February was revised lower by 23,000 to 156,000 jobs lost, for a combined 16,000 lower than previously reported, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported. Economists surveyed by Trading Economics forecast median gains of 65,000, about even with average monthly job gains throughout all of 2025. The jobless rate held steady at 4.3pc. The data "bolster the case for thinking the labor market is convalescing," Pantheon Macroeconomics said in a note. "But the continued weakness of surveys of hiring intentions and the developing pressure on firms' costs from the surge in energy prices suggests it is too soon to sound the all-clear." Average hourly earnings rose by an annual 3.6pc in April from 3.4pc the prior month. "A good part of the slowing in the pace of job growth over the past year reflects a decline in the growth of the labor force, due to lower immigration and labor force participation, though labor demand has clearly softened as well," outgoing Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell told reporters last week. Federal government jobs fell by 9,000 and were down by 348,000 on the back of President Donald Trump's campaign of government layoffs since reaching a peak in October 2024. Federal workers on furlough during the partial shutdown were counted as employed. Transportation and warehousing gained 30,000 jobs and retail trade gained 22,000 jobs. Private education and health services gained 46,000 jobs after 91,000 gains the prior month. Employment in information fell by 13,000, including in telecommunications, motion picture, data processing, web hosting and other artificial intelligence (AI) related industries. Information employment is down by 342,000, or by 11pc, from a November 2022 peak. Financial activities lost 11,000 jobs. Manufacturing lost 2,000 jobs and is down over the past year. Mining and logging gained 3,000 jobs. By Bob Willis Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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India's NMDC raises iron ore prices in May

06/05/26
News
06/05/26

India's NMDC raises iron ore prices in May

Mumbai, 6 May (Argus) — Indian state-controlled mining company NMDC raised its iron ore prices for the fourth straight month in May, even as domestic steel prices came under pressure from slow demand. NMDC, India's biggest merchant iron ore miner, set the price for 10-40mm Baila 65.5pc lump ore at 5,500 rupees/t ($58/t) and 64pc Baila fines at Rs4,700/t. Both prices were Rs200/t higher on the month and came into effect from today. The prices are on a free-on-rail basis, excluding royalty, goods and services tax (GST), cess, forest permit fees and other taxes. NMDC has increased iron ore prices by about 20pc so far in 2026. This is in line with a surge in finished steel prices, which hit multi-year highs at the start of April on safeguard duties, tighter supply and firmer input costs during the Iran war. But steel prices came under pressure from the second week of April as labour shortages and tighter financing conditions during elections crimped demand. Buyers also scaled back procurement as they anticipated a further price correction. The Argus weekly Indian domestic hot-rolled coil assessment for 2.5-4mm material fell from a near three-year high of Rs59,000/t ex-Mumbai excluding GST, at the start of April to Rs57,250/t on 30 April. NMDC lifted iron ore production by 16pc on the year to 4.64mn t in April, following a record high output of 53.15mn t in the April 2025-March 2026 financial year. Sales were 1pc higher year-on-year at 3.68mn t in April, according to provisional data from the company. By Amruta Khandekar Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

EU parliament committee opposes CBAM suspension clause

05/05/26
News
05/05/26

EU parliament committee opposes CBAM suspension clause

Brussels, 5 May (Argus) — The European Parliament's environment committee opposes amending the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) with a new article 27a that allows for temporary suspension for certain goods, notably fertilizers. During its first formal debate, committee members broadly backed deleting the proposed article 27a. "Keeping that article would effectively mean game over for low-carbon industry investments in Europe," parliament's draftsman Mohammed Chahim said. If the European Commission believes that CBAM's scope should be adjusted, it should use an urgent legislative procedure, he said. Dutch centre-left member of the parliament (MEP) Chahim has presented a legal report critical of CBAM suspension. Polish MEP Adam Jarubas, speaking for parliament's largest centre-right EPP group, said it also opposes article 27a. But he said that farmers' concerns must be addressed, adding that the EPP will make proposals to support the sector. Parliament's draftsman for CBAM's proposed export support scheme, Pascal Canfin, also said farmers should be protected. He supports covering agricultural products such as grain and wheat, rather than bringing farmers themselves under the EU emissions trading system (ETS). Canfin called for export reimbursement before 2029 and for compensation to be limited to the share of production that is exported. But the French liberal MEP also wants CBAM extended to downstream operators and transformed products, notably in steel. "We support the deletion of article 27a," Austrian Green MEP Lena Schilling said, adding that her group will also seek to remove references to international carbon credits from the CBAM revision. "EU companies cannot replace emissions allowances with such credits. CBAM has to mirror this logic," she said. Like other groups, the Greens will propose amendments to extend CBAM to downstream products. Schilling said that around 130 additional combined nomenclature (CN) codes could be added, including for iron and steel products. More than 100 associations and companies representing the steel and aluminium industries separately urged the parliament and European Council in a joint statement this week to extend CBAM to downstream steel and aluminium-intensive products, arguing that downstream sectors in these industries face increasing competition from imports that are not covered by CBAM, creating imbalances in the market. German EPP MEP Peter Liese also supports extending CBAM to more products, but said including the entire chemical sector would be too complex. He also questioned keeping hydrogen under CBAM given the lack of imports. Liese strongly opposes article 27a. Some far-right and conservative MEPs backed suspension for fertilizers via article 27a. Alternative for Germany's Anja Arndt called for both the EU ETS and CBAM to be abolished, criticising the expansion of EU climate policy. In its EU fertilizer plan expected on 19 May, the commission should at a minimum propose CBAM suspension and long-term measures to offset farmers' costs, farm lobby Copa-Cogeca said. The group also called for clarity on the redistribution of CBAM revenues. It estimates that CBAM could cost EU farmers €820mn in 2026, rising to €3.4bn by 2034, with around 30pc of nitrogen fertilizer imported. The environment committee is set to vote on the issue on 6 July, ahead of a plenary vote in September, enabling talks with EU states on a final legal text. EU member states agreed their position in March , allowing article 27a to apply for at least one full calendar year and no more than two. By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Al market has underestimated effects of Mideast war

05/05/26
News
05/05/26

Al market has underestimated effects of Mideast war

London, 5 May (Argus) — Analysts are calling it a black swan event that could lead to a multimillion tonne deficit in a market where even a mild shortage of available material was almost unheard of until recently. But a lack of information regarding the extent of production curtailments at aluminium smelters in the region has caused exchange prices and premiums to flatten in recent weeks, and many market participants are likely underestimating the magnitude of the long-term effects on global aluminium supply. The sheer numbers attached to aluminium production in the region ensure this disruption dwarfs the previous major supply shock in the aluminium market, which occurred following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Around 6mn t of aluminium is produced by smelters located on the coast of the Mideast Gulf. Around 85pc of this material is exported through the strait of Hormuz, with half of that volume sent to Europe and the US, and up to 40pc dispatched to Asian importers. All of that has now stopped because of the closure of the strait. Only Saudi Arabia's Ma'aden smelter is fully integrated with domestic bauxite and alumina production, which means every other producer in the region must import raw material through the same closed strait to maintain production. While the strait remains closed, smelters are running down alumina stocks and face inevitable curtailments. It is likely that significantly more capacity has already shut than has been announced by the region's producers. Qatar's Qatalum is running at around 60pc capacity after a cut in gas supply following a drone attack on the Ras Laffan LNG export terminal on 2 March, it announced at the end of April. Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) announced the shutdown of three reduction lines totalling about 300,000 t/yr, or 19pc of its total output capacity, on 16 March in response to supply constraints caused by shipping delays through the strait of Hormuz. Alba's facilities then sustained damage from a missile strike on 28 March, while Emirates Global Aluminium was also hit by missiles on the same day, sustaining significant damage that caused production to halt at its 1.6mn t/yr Al Taweelah smelter. All told, around 2.2mn t/yr of capacity has been lost in the region, according to various company announcements, amounting to more than a third of the region's output. But there are indications that the real figure is higher. Companies that use satellite data to track vessels and thermal imagery to assess smelter utilisation rates have noted a wider slowdown in production among Middle East smelters. London-based DBX Commodities estimates that an additional 480,000-950,000t of annual aluminium output has already been curtailed in the region. India-based Tathya Earth agrees with that assessment. DBX's vessel tracking has also confirmed that alumina deliveries to smelters in the Mideast Gulf have dwindled to practically nothing since shipping ceased through the strait of Hormuz. The longer this lasts, the greater the likelihood of further curtailments. The aluminium market has already repriced much of the war disruption, UK broker Sucden Financial said. The London Metal Exchange (LME) price briefly surged toward the top of its recent range as the conflict escalated, but repeatedly failed to hold above $3,650/t, indicating that the market struggled to justify another major step higher without a further supply deterioration. The immediate "shock repricing" has happened and aluminium is now trading at a tighter balance, rather than a pure panic premium, Sucden said. But official LME aluminium prices remain some way below their record high of just below $4,000/t, recorded in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine. Those highs were reached amid a post-Covid rebound in aluminium demand and were swiftly followed by a sharp price fall as global trade flows adjusted around western restrictions on dealing with Russian material. A much more depressed demand picture today may limit price increases to some extent. But given that the disruption represents a far bigger threat to global supply levels than in 2022, and the nature of aluminium smelters mean that any lost output could take a year or more to recover, even if the US-Iran war is resolved swiftly and the strait of Hormuz fully reopens to commercial shipping, the real effect on global aluminium availability and on prices from production already lost in the region may end up being significantly bigger than what has been acknowledged so far. By Jethro Wookey Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

US manufacturing grew in April amid war concerns

01/05/26
News
01/05/26

US manufacturing grew in April amid war concerns

Houston, 1 May (Argus) — US manufacturing activity grew in April for a fourth consecutive month, as order growth outpaced production and the Mideast Gulf war boosted prices. The Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) purchasing managers index (PMI) came in at 52.7 in April, unchanged from March and growing for a fourth month following 10 months of contraction. The new orders index rose to 54.1 in April from 53.5 in March, while the production index eased to 53.4 in April from 55.1 the prior month, reflecting slowing growth. Readings above 50 signal growth while readings below that level signal contraction. The prices index surged to 84.6 in April, the highest reading since April 2022, from 78.3 the prior month and is up 25.6 percentage points in the last three months. The gains were driven by increases in steel and aluminum prices, tariffs, and "now increases in petroleum-based products as a result of Middle East conflict," ISM said. The new export orders index fell to 47.9 in April from 49.9 the prior month, showing deepening contraction. The imports index eased to 50.3 in April from 52.6, showing slowing growth. "Demand for manufactured goods is trending higher versus last year; however geopolitical uncertainty and rising oil and diesel prices continue to weigh on demand," a transportation equipment manufacturer wrote in a response to the ISM's monthly survey of purchasing managers and supply executives from 18 manufacturing industries. A machinery executive cited "general uncertainty" over the impact of the war but awareness that the impacts of fuel increases "are coming." Others cited the effects of "US tariffs." The employment index fell to 46.4 in April, showing deepening contraction, from 48.7 the prior month. "In this second month of the Iran war ..., 31 percent of the comments were positive and 69 percent negative," ISM said. "Among comments, the war was mentioned in 47 percent and tariffs in 18 percent." The supplier delivery index rose to 60.6 in April from 58.9, showing slower deliveries for a fifth month, while the inventory index rose to 49, showing slowing contraction, from 47.1 the prior month. By Bob Willis Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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