Aluminium billet premiums diverged on Friday June 4, with those in Germany and Thailand rising to all-time highs while those in Brazil and the United States slipped.Germany premium touches $1,000 per tonne for first timeThailand premium jumps to all-time highUS premium dips from all-time high levelBrazil premium softens in quieter marketEuropeEuropean billet premiums hit fresh all-time highs on Ju...Read More
Prices in Turkey for hot-dipped and pre-painted galvanized steel coil were forced downward during the week to Friday June 4 in order to remain competitive, sources have told Fastmarkets.Demand was strong to moderate in the export markets, but the prices offered by Vietnam to Europe were about $30-40 per tonne lower than offers from Turkish suppliers.As a result, Turkish coated coil producers decre...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Susan Zou, Yingchi Yang and...Read More
Battery-grade lithium hydroxide prices in Asia moved up over the week ended Thursday June 3 against the backdrop of continued tight supply and firm buying appetite.Battery-grade lithium hydroxide prices in both domestic Chinese and seaborne Asian markets were underpinned by robust demand. Battery-grade lithium carbonate price in China was flat, although concerns persisted over increased supply. Eu...Read More
Export prices for Brazil-origin steel slab rose in the week to Friday June 4 and touched $1,000 per tonne for the first time due to higher offers to the United States and overall expectations that the global uptrend will persist.Fastmarkets assessed the price for steel slab export, fob main port Brazil at a fresh all-time high of $980-1,000 per tonne on Friday, up by $10 per tonne from $970-990 pe...Read More
Prices of shredded steel scrap imported into India and Pakistan have rebounded over the past seven days on tight supply and improving appetite, following a dip the previous week, Fastmarkets heard on Friday June 4.Fastmarkets' steel scrap shredded, index, import, cfr Nhava Sheva, India, was $509.50 per tonne on June 4, up from $509.04 per tonne on June 1, and up week on week from $495.42 per tonne...Read More
Nornickel resumed operations at its Taimyrsky nickel and copper mine in Siberia on June 1, the world's second biggest nickel producer said on Friday June 4. Taimyrsky is now operating at about 40% of capacity, having been disabled by flooding since February 28, while a second affected mine, Oktyabrsky, resumed full production on May 13. "Water from the horizons of the Taimyrsky mine has been pumpe...Read More
Prices for inter-merchant light iron scrap in the United Kingdom were stable for the second consecutive week on Friday June 4, with suppliers maintaining their offer prices amid firm domestic demand despite some mixed signs in export markets, trade sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel scrap 5C, loose old light, domestic, delivered inter-merchant, UK was ?170-180 ($240-...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Susan Zou, Yingchi Yang and...Read More
London Metal Exchange base metals prices recovered swiftly at the close of Friday June 4 after lighter-than-expected US employment data kicked down the dollar index, following a Thursday session where decreases averaged 2.5%. Copper's three-month price rebounded to $9,955 per tonne on Friday at the close, a 1.7% rise from Thursday's $9,788.50 per tonne 5pm price. At the same time on Thursday, the...Read More
Fastmarkets has corrected its manganese 99.7% electrolytic manganese flake, in-whs Rotterdam price, which was published incorrectly on Friday June 4 due to an error. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for manganese 99.7% electrolytic manganese flake, in-whs Rotterdam (MB-MN-0001) was originally published at $3,350-3,475 per tonne on June 4. It should have been $3,350-3,550 per tonne. Fastma...Read More
Fastmarkets' copper concentrate treatment charge and refining charge (TC/RC) index gained further upward momentum on Friday June 4 amid limited spot buying interest from Chinese smelters who are undergoing maintenance work. The index is now at its highest level since late February when it was at $35.80 per tonne / 3.58 cents per lb. This week, a few spot parcels of standard concentrate w...Read More
The Cobalt sulfate 20.5% Co basis, exw China, yuan/tonne trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing sessions in China, Europe and the United States on Friday June 4.China The ferro-silicon market became bullish following news that a major Malaysian ferro-silicon producer has issued a two-week production suspension, with supply shifting to China and suppliers' offers broadly holding offers firm. The export ferro-silicon price went higher due to tight spot availa...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Ewa Manthey, Charlotte...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange have attracted dip-buying this morning, Friday June 4, after weakness on Thursday when prices fell across the board by an average of 2.2%. At the same time, prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were weaker this morning while they reacted to yesterday's weakness on the LME.Thursday's strong US data, including employment data, bodes well for today's...Read More
Tin operations at Malaysia Smelting Corp (MSC) will be shut until at least Wednesday June 9 amid a strict lockdown put in place in Malaysia following a surge in Covid-19 cases, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter.MSC has halted operations from June 3 until June 9 due to the lockdown measures imposed in the country until June 14. Multiple customers of the company confirmed...Read More
Dip-buying activity took most base metals prices higher on the morning of Friday June 4 on the London Metal Exchange, following an average fall of 2.5% on Thursday due to a strengthening dollar and positive employment data from the United States. The dollar index has risen over the past two days, coming to a high of 90.63 on Friday morning, amid concerns about the US Federal Reserve slowing down i...Read More
The pig iron import market in the United States was firm during the week to Friday June 4 because buyers needed to accomplish further restocking.Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US, was $665 per tonne on Friday, unchanged week on week.Sources had estimated the market level at $665 per tonne and one fresh booking of Russia-origin material was reported at this...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 transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets assessed Cobalt alloy...Read More