The London Metal Exchange has unveiled a package of sustainability proposals including new aluminium and steel scrap contracts, a spot trading platform and LMEpassport - a new digital register for physical metals data. The spot trading platform is focusing initially on aluminium but is open to other metals. The first stage of LMEpassport is targeting electronic certificates of analysis (CoAs) for...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday August 10 that are worth another look.Production activity has come under threat at Belarus Steel Works (BMZ) with workers protesting against the result of the country's presidential election on Sunday August 9.Liberty House Group,...Read More
Steel market participants anticipate China's "dual circulation" policy will to boost steel demand for the remainder of 2020, with the more self-reliant economic model aiming to offset slowdowns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and US-China political tensions. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in late July that China will focus on a "dual circulation" development model, which ensures a more sel...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday August 13 that are worth another look.The Brazilian branch of car manufacturer General Motors (GM) was extending the furlough period for some employees at its plants, and opening a voluntary redundancy plan at its S??o Caetano do Sul unit, the company told Fastmarkets...Read More
Plans for a London Metal Exchange spot trading platform have sparked intense debate within the aluminium industry. But opponents and supporters don't necessarily fall into the camps that one might expect. For starters, a decision by the LME not to change its futures contract, establish a new green aluminium contract or set thresholds to define what constitutes low-carbon metal is proving key in st...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:US domestic prices for hot-rolled coil moved down in line with our expectations, averaging $461 per ton in July versus our forecast price of $460 per ton. Although domestic HRC prices slipped to less than $450 per ton in late July/early August, we maintain the view th...Read More
The lithium hydroxide monohydrate min 56.5% LiOH.H2O battery grade, spot prices cif China, Japan & Korea 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 the lithium hydroxide monohydrate min...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday August 13 that are worth another look.The Brazilian branch of car manufacturer General Motors (GM) was extending the furlough period for some employees at its plants, and opening a voluntary redundancy plan at its S??o Caetano do Sul unit, the company told Fastmarkets...Read More
Plans for a London Metal Exchange spot trading platform have sparked intense debate within the aluminium industry. But opponents and supporters don't necessarily fall into the camps that one might expect. For starters, a decision by the LME not to change its futures contract, establish a new green aluminium contract or set thresholds to define what constitutes low-carbon metal is proving key in st...Read More
Plans for a London Metal Exchange spot trading platform have sparked intense debate within the aluminium industry. But opponents and supporters don't necessarily fall into the camps that one might expect. For starters, a decision by the LME not to change its futures contract, establish a new green aluminium contract or set thresholds to define what constitutes low-carbon metal is proving key in st...Read More
London Metal Exchange copper futures fell toward the 5pm close on Thursday August 13, failing to stabilize above the level of $6,400 per tonne.The LME's 3-month copper price closed at $6,256 per tonne, down by $176 per tonne from Wednesday's close, to the lowest since last Friday.Tumbling three-month prices have exacerbated a backwardation in the nearby forward curve. The cash/three-month spread w...Read More
Prices for mid-grades of iron ore went down on Thursday August 13 with the expectation of an easing of the cargo congestion at ports in China, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $121.38 per tonne, down by $0.13 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $120.55 per tonne, down by $0.45 per tonne.58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:US domestic prices for hot-rolled coil moved down in line with our expectations, averaging $461 per ton in July versus our forecast price of $460 per ton. Although domestic HRC prices slipped to less than $450 per ton in late July/early August, we maintain the view th...Read More
London Metal Exchange copper futures fell toward the 5pm close on Thursday August 13, failing to stabilize above the level of $6,400 per tonne.The LME's 3-month copper price closed at $6,256 per tonne, down by $176 per tonne from Wednesday's close, to the lowest since last Friday.Tumbling three-month prices have exacerbated a backwardation in the nearby forward curve. The cash/three-month spread w...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market remained quiet on Thursday August 13, with mills preferring to wait for some movement in the domestic and export finished long steel sectors, sources told Fastmarkets. Steel mills in the country have booked a number of cargoes in recent weeks, with the latest transactions for HMS 1&2 (80:20) from the US and Baltic Sea done at $285 per tonne cfr.There were s...Read More
Sentiment in the copper scrap market in the United States has turned gloomy, with some saying that the typical summer doldrums have set in and with generally high exchange prices making discounting necessary."[It's] a combination of still-reduced manufacturing output in the US, soft demand from Europe and a strong market value near $3 [per lb]," one consumer said. "The market has typically slid in...Read More
Several mining companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will join a meeting with the government next week to lobby for their right to continue selling copper concentrate overseas, Fastmarkets has learned. The meeting would take place in the DRC capital city of Kinshasa on August 20. "At least now the DRC government is willing to listen," a copper miner source said. Miners in the biggest...Read More
Aluminium producer Alcoa has reached an agreement with the workers' representatives for the San Cipri??n aluminium smelter in Spain to extend the deadline of the formal consultation period for collective dismissals to September 28, 2020, the company announced on Thursday August 13.The extension will include a process intended to evaluate a potential sale of the aluminium smelter to GFG Alliance, w...Read More
Aluminium producer Rusal said global primary aluminium demand was down 6.6% to 30.3 million tonnes in the first half of 2020, with Covid-19 lockdowns halting most economies globally throughout the period. Although it estimates there was a decrease in demand in most regions of the world, the producer sees room for a rebound in the second half of 2020, it said in its first-half earnings report publi...Read More
The London Metal Exchange has unveiled a package of sustainability proposals including new aluminium and steel scrap contracts, a spot trading platform and LMEpassport - a new digital register for physical metals data. The spot trading platform is focusing initially on aluminium but is open to other metals. The first stage of LMEpassport is targeting electronic certificates of analysis (CoAs) for...Read More