Key data from the Friday September 4 pricing session in London.Key drivers Cobalt metal inquiries showed a modest pick-up during the first few days of September, although some buyers were returning from the summer break and still adopting a cautious approach to restocking due...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and their latest price moves.Read More
Silicon metal prices rose in the United States for the second week in a row, reaching a year-to-date high, primarily driven by revived spot trade and an improving automotive industry. Rising prices for secondary aluminium alloys, themain end market for the 5-5-3 grade silicon metal that Fastmarkets prices in the United States, again drew the raw material up in their wake. Fastmarkets assessed the...Read More
The Cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies. Fastmarkets assessed...Read More
The Cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lbtrade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies. Fastmarkets assessed Cobalt alloy...Read More
The European Commission unveiled an updated list of critical raw materials on Thursday September 3 that it aims to secure the supply of while avoiding over-dependence on third countries, alongside an action plan to create domestic supply chains for raw materials.Lithium, a material that is critical for the shift to a greener economy, has been added to this list for the first time. Lithium is a key...Read More
An overview of the Chinese minor metals markets and the reasons for their latest price moves. Read More
Europe's monthly alloy steel surcharges for September have increased moderately from the levels in August because of higher nickel costs, Fastmarkets heard on Friday September 4.Fastmarkets' stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grade 304, alloy surcharge, domestic, Europe, was calculated at ?,?1,367-1,377 ($1,617-1,629) per tonne for September, up by ?,?10-22 per tonne from the August range.The...Read More
Light vehicle production in Mexico decreased 13.2% year on year in August, according to figures from the country's statistics agency, Inegi.Mexican automakers produced 293,463 vehicles last month, a decrease of 44,435 units from the 337,898 vehicles produced in August 2019, according to the figures released on Friday September 4.Output also declined by 0.5% from 294,946 units in July.Sales...Read More
Taiwanese buyers of ferrous scrap imports who held out for cheaper cargoes in the past week ended up being faced with higher prices."Many buyers felt that prices had peaked previously and were waiting for them to fall. But it later turned out that prices in Turkey increased further," a Taiwanese buyer source told Fastmarkets on Thursday September 3.Fastmarkets' daily price assessment for container...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday September 3 that are worth another look.A month ago, Eric, a steel importer based in eastern China, was pricing hot-rolled coil imports 20-30 yuan ($3-4) per tonne below the market average to secure orders. Now, he...Read More
Three-month prices for base metals on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close of trading on Thursday September 3, with positive unemployment data and services data from the United States doing little to stop an equities-led decline across the complex.A 4% downturn in LME nickel futures led that decline, and nickel's outright price on the LME was the laggard over Thursday afternoon...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of base metals analysts are ready to view, including an upgrade to our aluminium price forecasts.Aluminium: Price forecasts raisedWe correctly expected the macro reflationary theme to raise the prices for all base metals but, with it being the base metal with by far the weakest fundamentals, we had expected the price of aluminium to underperform relative...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday September 3 that are worth another look.A month ago, Eric, a steel importer based in eastern China, was pricing hot-rolled coil imports 20-30 yuan ($3-4) per tonne below the market average to secure orders. Now, he...Read More
Chile produced 462,000 tonnes of copper in July 2020, a 5.1% year-on-year drop from 486,800 tonnes with several operations halted, notably Codelco's, national copper commission Cochilco said on Wednesday September 2.Despite the lower production in July, the year-to-date output for the country was still up year on year after seven months. Chile produced 3.29 million tonnes in January-July 2020, up...Read More
China's domestic stainless steel prices have risen for a tenth week amid a strengthening nickel market and good downstream demand.The three-month nickel contract on the London Metal Exchange ended Wednesday September 2's official trading session at $15,671 per tonne, up by $594 per tonne (3.9%) from $15,077 per tonne a week earlier.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for nickel pig iron, high-gra...Read More
After a consultation period, Fastmarkets has amended the frequency of its cobalt hydroxide index, min 30% Co, cif China to weekly. The cobalt hydroxide index, min 30% Co, cif China was published on the last working day of the month until the end of July, and has been published fortnightly since August 7. Fastmarkets has seen a sustained increase in spot activity for fixed-price, prompt cobalt hydr...Read More
Turkish steel mills have continued their deep-sea scrap purchases for September-October shipments at higher prices, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday September 3.A steel mill in Northern Turkey booked a Baltic Sea cargo comprising 10,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $300 per tonne, 13,000 tonnes of shredded at $305 per tonne and 4,000 tonnes of bonus at $310 per tonne cfr late on Wednesday.Anot...Read More
China's latest amendment to its solid waste law took effect on Tuesday September 1 and its stricter enforcement of solid waste import rules could push up downstream aluminium alloy prices, market participants told Fastmarkets. The new law, aiming to have zero waste imports, not only set legal requirements for solid waste importers but also claims carriers will hold joint liability for smuggling so...Read More
Markets were mixed this morning, Thursday September 3, with the base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange generally firmer, albeit in fairly light volumes.Markets are still underpinned by the prospect of more stimulus from the United States, once Congress can agree on a figure, but some of the metals are starting to look a bit tiredChina's Caixin services purchasing managers' index (PMI) at...Read More