LME zinc's three-month price was just $2 away from setting a new year-to-date high, while aluminium's three-month price was the only one to close lower in the afternoon session on Friday September 24. The intraday high for zinc's futures contract was of $3,138 per tonne, just a couple of dollars short of its previous 2021 high of $3,140 per tonne from September 17. The metal was spurred on by news...Read More
LME zinc's three-month price was just $2 away from setting a new year-to-date high, while aluminium's three-month price was the only one to close lower in the afternoon session on Friday September 24. The intraday high for zinc's futures contract was of $3,138 per tonne, just a couple of dollars short of its previous 2021 high of $3,140 per tonne from September 17. The metal was spurred on by news...Read More
September has been a very eventful month so far for the Chinese silico-manganese and ferro-silicon markets. In the first three weeks, the futures prices for both products kept rising to new heights against market expectations.Market participants have grown antsy in the absence of any indication of a slowdown in this upward momentum. They believe the unprecedented price rally has gone far beyond ma...Read More
Indian steel mills kept their prices for domestic cold-rolled coil and galvanized coil steady in the week to Friday September 24, even with traders selling such downstream flat steel products at significant discounts in the local markets, Fastmarkets has learnt.The price of steel hot-dipped galvanized coil, domestic, ex-whse India, was assessed at 80,500-81,500 rupees ($1,091-1,104) per tonne on F...Read More
Spot prices for hot-rolled coil in China dropped on Friday September 24 after futures prices fell for a second day on growing demand concerns, sources told Fastmarkets.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,680-5,720 yuan ($879-885) per tonne, down by 40-60 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan) weekly assessment: 5,670-5,740 yuan per tonne, widening downward by 30 yuan per tonneThe most-t...Read More
Demand for steel, especially for flat products, in China could be hit by power supply constraints caused by the drive to reduce energy consumption and sustained coal shortages.Concerns among steel market participants have increased after reports by a major local information provider suggesting that some pipe mills in Hebei province's Tangshan and Tianjin have been required to suspend operations fo...Read More
Prices for slab exports from Brazil decreased sharply in the week ended Friday September 24 after a quiet few weeks, with buyers resisting offers and prices for material from other regions dropping.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment for steel slab, export, fob main port Brazil was $780-800 per tonne on Friday, down by $80-90 from $870-880 per tonne the previous week. Producers had been insisting on $8...Read More
Limited availability of light-iron scrap in the UK has cemented the market in its current range in the week to Friday September 24, with major processors holding their offer prices to ensure a steady stream of supply into their yards, trade sources said.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap 5C loose old light domestic, delivered inter-merchant UK, was ?170-190 ($233-260) per tonneo...Read More
Base metals mostly registered declines in inventories at Shanghai Futures Exchange-registered warehouses during the week to Friday September 24, with nickel and copper falling the most, by 18.7% and 17.9% respectively; zinc stocks were up by 15.9%.Traders reported a more active nickel spot market; the uptrend in SHFE prices eased right prior to the Chinese public holidays. This provided buying opp...Read More
Nyrstar, one of Europe's main zinc producers, will cut production at one of its European smelters due to rising energy costs at a time when premiums in the region are at six-year highs."Nyrstar's fully electrified zinc smelter in Budel-Dorplein, the Netherlands, is curtailing production during peak times of day when power prices exceed the break-even cost of production. This is in response to the...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Janie Davies, Cristina Belda,...Read More
The impact of China's new "Two High" energy and emissions policy is likely to continue in the iron ore market into the first quarter of 2022, sources told Fastmarkets this week.Sentiment for the coming six months has turned increasingly bearish since the guidelines, coupled with winter production restrictions, were announced in September. New guidance on 'Two-High' projectsThe "Two-High" poli...Read More
LME zinc's three-month price was just $2 away from setting a new year-to-date high, while aluminium's three-month price was the only one to close lower in the afternoon session on Friday September 24. The intraday high for zinc's futures contract was of $3,138 per tonne, just a couple of dollars short of its previous 2021 high of $3,140 per tonne from September 17. The metal was spurred on by news...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves in the week to Friday September 24. Susan Zou, Yingchi Yang and Sybil...Read More
The processing charge on spot copper concentrates increased in the week to Friday September 24, reflecting the return of smelters to market activity after the traditionally slow summer months.Clean tonnages were sold to Chinese smelters in the low-to-mid $60s per tonne, with interest being shown for material to be available in the first quarter of next year.A new round...Read More
Aluminium scrap prices in the United States nudged higher week on week amid healthy domestic and overseas demand and a continued upward trend in futures prices on the London Metal Exchange. Solid demand in the non-automotive side of the sector, such as consumer products, has helped to mitigate some of the impact from sluggish volumes into automotive suppliers, who continue to face disruptions driv...Read More
Aluminium billet premiums mostly rose on Friday September 24, setting new record highs or being supported at such levels, as more expensive offers for 2022 negotiations advanced.EuropeFastmarkets assessed the aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, ddp North Germany (Ruhr region) at $1,350-1,400 per tonne on Friday, up from $1,320-1,370 per tonne a week prior and from $1,220-1,270 per tonne a mon...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices increased on Friday September 24 amid more speculative buying activity for low- and mid-grade iron ore fines, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $111.33 per tonne, up by $2.66 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $113.78 per tonne, up by $4.40 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $83.08 per tonne, up by $3.54 pe...Read More
Ford Motor Co is working in partnership with Redwood Materials to create a closed loop for recycling lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles (EVs) and a domestic supply chain for critical battery materials.Nevada, United States-based Redwood, founded by former Tesla chief technology officer Jeffrey Brian Straubel, said the US automotive manufacturer has invested $50 million in Redwood to help...Read More
China's Chengxin Lithium International, a subsidiary of the Chengxin Lithium Group, is planning to enter into a joint venture lithium project in Indonesia with Singapore's Stellar Investment.It plans to invest $350 million in the joint venture whose proposed name is PT ChengTok Lithium Indonesia, it said on Friday September 24.Chengxin Lithium International will hold a 65% stake in the joint ventu...Read More