The Raw Steels Monthly Metals Index (MMI) remained sideways with a slight downside bias, falling 1.49% from December to January. Meanwhile, the blocked sale of U.S. Steel could significantly affect steel prices in 2025. Biden Blocks Nippon-U.S. Steel Sale After the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) came to a split decision, the […]
Category: Manufacturing
Indonesian Firms Rush to Capitalize on Nickel
According to a Forbes report, the nickel business has become so lucrative that billionaire Kiki Barki, who built his fortune in coal mining, is now steering his Harum Energy toward nickel. Harum accelerated its nickel expansion this year through a series of strategic deals. Meanwhile, nickel prices ended 2024 below their 2023 close. Harum Makes […]
EU Steel Crisis: Will Safeguards Save the Day?
In response to an ongoing crisis threatening the EU steel industry, the European Commission recently initiated a review of steel safeguards on imports. The move followed a request by 13 member states within the European Union. “The request is based on the challenging situation facing the EU steel sector, which has been exacerbated by an […]
Hot Rolled Coil Prices in Europe Increase: Mills Push for Revenue Recovery
Prices for hot rolled coil in Western Europe have risen further in the past month as mills seek to regain lost revenue from the declines of 2024. As the steel industry looks to 2025, this could have significant implications for prices and partnerships. “People are buying before year’s end. I’ve got several bids,” one market […]
Nickel Nightmare: Is Indonesia’s Dominance Hurting Global Markets?
When the story of global nickel prices is written for 2024, Indonesia and China will undoubtedly be the main characters. This is not only due to the former country’s high production output but also alleged violations of environmental rules and poor labor practices, which Indonesia has consistently denied. Indonesia is numero uno in global nickel […]
ArcelorMittal Hunedoara Halts Steel Production Amid Economic Downturn
Difficult market conditions have prompted Romanian steel industry leader ArcelorMittal Hunedoara to reduce production until year’s end. According to a notice provided to the Bucharest Stock Exchange, the longs producer’s board of directors decided to reduce production from December 9-31 and pay 75% of salaries to employees impacted by the steps. The December 6 notice also […]
Raw Steels MMI: Steel Prices Hold Steady Ahead of 2025
The Raw Steels Monthly Metals Index (MMI) steel prices for the month remained consolidated, with a modest 1.78% decline from November to December. Mills Keep a Lid on Production, Steel Prices After a disappointing Q3 for U.S. flat rolled steel prices, mills appeared to take capacity discipline seriously in the final months of 2024. The […]
Saudi Arabia: The Kingdom of Oil. However, is It Now the Kingdom of Metals?
With the growing imperative of a global clean energy transition, many nations face deficits in reserves of mineral resources. In response to this, a significant number of them are turning their focus to the African continent, but that’s old news. For the last year or so, Saudi Arabia has taken major steps beyond its traditional […]
Coking Coal’s Rollercoaster Ride: What 2024 Taught Us About Steelmaking’s Essential Ingredient
The story of coking coal in 2024, especially its price in global markets, has mainly been “one step forward and one step back.” A raw material essential for steel production, coking coal prices have been under pressure in the last half of 2024 due to sluggish growth in global steel output. Like other raw materials, […]
British Steel’s £10M Rail Facility: British Steel’s Corrosion-Protected Rails
British Steel has opened a rail stocking facility at its main works in Scunthorpe, in Lincolnshire, where the company produces rails. The £10 million ($12.6 million) facility will be able to hold up 25,000 metric tons of finished rails in 108-metre lengths, the Jingye-owned company stated on November 20. “All rails stocked will have undergone […]
