Global battery-grade lithium hydroxide spot price fell on Thursday May 17, influenced by the recent softer lithium carbonate markets as well as consumer expectations for lower prices. Chinese lithium carbonate prices stable Chinese lithium hydroxide spot price down on a lack of buying activity and consumer expectation for lower prices Seaborne lithium hydroxide market softened on slow d...Read More
Good morning from Metal Bulletin's offices in Asia, bringing the latest news and pricing stories on Friday May 18. Good morning from Metal Bulletin's offices in Asia, bringing the latest news and pricing stories on Friday May 18. Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were largely higher during Asian morning trading on Friday May 18, with the exception of tin and aluminium - the latte...Read More
The UK inter-merchant price for austenitic alloy steel scrap has risen by ?20-40 per tonne over the past week, following an increase in nickel values, sources told Metal Bulletin on Friday May 18.Metal Bulletin's weekly price assessment for inter-merchant 18/8 scrap solids in the UK was ?1,000-1,040 ($1,352-1,406) per tonne delivered on Friday, compared with ?960-1,020 per tonne on May 11."UK m...Read More
Global ferrous scrap prices headed in differing directions during the working week ended Friday May 18, with prices in the bulk sector losing ground while prices for containerized material to Taiwan pushed upward.Turkish scrap import prices slid on lackluster finished steel demand with the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, while prices for exports from the United States fell in two deals...Read More
The UK light iron scrap market was unchanged in the past week, marking a stable level in prices since April 6 in the week to Friday May 18, with a weaker sterling against the dollar since mid-April increasing buying interest for British scrap exports and shoring up support for domestic prices, industry sources told Metal Bulletin.This week a steel mill in Turkey, a key destination for steel scrap...Read More
Turkish steel producers continued to book deep-sea scrap at the end of this week after being offered lower prices earlier in the week, sources said on Friday May 18.A steel producer in the Iskenderun region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $345 per tonne and bonus at $355 per tonne cfr, for a spot shipment. The composition of the cargo was not clear...Read More
Prices for containerized shredded scrap imports into India dropped again this week with buying activity remaining low, market sources told Metal Bulletin on Friday May 18.Metal Bulletin's weekly index for containerized imports of shredded scrap into India was $382.31 per tonne cfr Nhava Sheva on May 18, down $3.63 per tonne from $385.94 per tonne cfr Nhava Sheva last week, and averaged $384 per to...Read More
Export prices for Brazilian pig iron materials have shown differing trends in mid-May, with the local market maintaining strong demand levels.Metal Bulletin's weekly price assessment for Caraj??s-origin pig iron edged down to $395-400 per tonne fob on Friday May 18, from last week's $400-405 per tonne fob.At least one deal involving pig iron produced in the northern Caraj??s region was made with b...Read More
Physical iron ore prices weakened on Friday May 18 in line with drops in the rebar and futures markets.Metal Bulletin 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $66.92 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down by $0.57 per tonne Metal Bulletin 58% Fe Premium Index: $54.42 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down by $0.14 per tonne Metal Bulletin 65% Fe Iron Ore Index: $85.80 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down by $0.60 per tonne Metal Bulletin 62% Fe...Read More
A widening gap between bids and offers is keeping the seaborne coking coal market deadlocked. Market sources said on Friday May 18 that a miner was offering a cargo of premium low-vol hard coking coal with a late-July laycan via a tender that was to have been concluded at 6pm Singapore time, which is beyond the 5.30pm cut-off time for data collection for Metal Bulletin's daily coking coal indices....Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices stopped rising on Friday May 18 after trading activity declined amid weak futures. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,250-4,270 yuan ($667-671) per tonne, unchanged Northern China (Tianjin): 4,090-4,110 yuan per tonne, unchanged Buyers slowed down their procurement rates ahead of the weekend on seeing the weakness in the futures market. Sellers on the othe...Read More
The arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel imported into China on Friday May 18*Copper -$94.96 (-606.18 yuan) Aluminium -$494.57 (-3,157.08 yuan) Zinc -$34.20 (-218.35 yuan) Nickel -$638.98 (-4,078.95 yuan) *Metal Bulletin calculates the physical arbitrage for import into China...Read More
All base metal stocks at Shanghai Futures Exchange-approved warehouses were lower week on week on Friday May 18, with deliverable copper stocks slipping 3.9% or 11,021 tonnes over the week to 268,504 tonnes. This week, 830 Huangpu in Guangdong recorded the most copper stock withdrawals with 6,325 tonnes leaving its sheds. The decrease this week reverses two consecutive weeks of increases wh...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were diverging on the morning of Friday May 18.The main movers were nickel, which climbed 1%, and aluminium, which dropped 0.6%. Zinc prices are down 0.3% while the rest are little changed, with copper prices at $6,869 per tonne.Volume on the LME has been below average, with 3,276 lots traded as at 06.46 am London time. This follows a mixed performan...Read More
Strategic & Precious Metals Processing (SPMP) has named Steven Din, the head of a Vedanta Resources subsidiary, as its new chief executive with effect from August 1, SPMP's parent company, Tri-Star Resources, said on Friday May 18. Tri-Star has a 40% equity interest in SPMP, which is constructing an antimony and gold processing facility in Oman. Din is currently CEO of Konkola Copper Mines, which...Read More
The following Metal Bulletin minor metals prices changed on Friday May 18:Minor metals Antimony MB free market regulus, $/tonne: $8,100-8,400 per tonne from $8,050-8,350 Bismuth MB China domestic, yuan/tonne: 65,500-67,000 yuan per tonne from 65,500-68,000 yuan Cobalt MB free market high grade, $/lb: $42.85-44.00 per lb...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
An overview of China's minor metals markets in the week of May 14-18 and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt's clients in the automaking sector were satisfied with the due diligence of its supply chain during their recent visit to the Chinese cobalt producer's mining operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a company representative told delegates attending LME Week Asia on Thursday. "Some leading automakers went there to carry out their own assessments, and they told u...Read More
Flat stainless steel product prices in Europe fell this week amid high stock levels at warehouses and continued import pressure, sources told Metal Bulletin on Friday March 18.Metal Bulletin's weekly base price assessment for 2mm, grade-304 cold-rolled (CR) stainless steel sheet in Northern Europe fell by ?,?35-50 per tonne week on week to ?,?1,015-1,050 ($1,198-1,239) per tonne delivered on Frida...Read More