Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in China on Friday April 23.Key drivers China's cobalt metal price slumps amid weakness in local futures; buyers sent more inquiries, but were still cautious in buying on expectations that prices could fall further. Chinese cobalt tetroxide price narrowed downward on subdued demand; buyers were unwilling to accept higher...Read More
United States-based lithium producer Albemarle has settled a dispute about its lithium reserves with the Chilean Nuclear Agency (CCHEN), the company said on Monday April 26.CCHEN licenses lithium exports by companies operating in Chile and had previously called on Albemarle to provide further details about its lithium reserves, because it considered the information submitted in 2019 to be insuffic...Read More
The European Commission will set definitive duties on hot-rolled coil from Turkey at marginally lower levels than for preliminary duties, sources told Fastmarkets. The EC imposed provisional anti-dumping duties of 4.80-7.60% in early January 2021. Both European and Turkish market sources said that the EC has sent letter to the interested parties with definitive duties that have been calculate...Read More
Renewed demand, sparked by lower offers in the past two weeks, shifted the seaborne manganese ore market to an uptrend this week, against the backdrop of support for portside prices and a strengthening performance in silico-manganese futures.Fastmarkets' manganese ore index 37% Mn, cif Tianjin, ticked up by 9 cents to $4.36 per dry metric tonne unit (dmtu) on Friday April 23, from $4.27 per dmtu a...Read More
The latest data for the global manganese ore market for the week ended April 26, 2021.Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday April 26 that are worth another look.Liberty Steel Dudelange-Liege has been cancelling orders and shipments to customers that had agreed deals for cold-rolled coil and hot-dipped galvanized coil, sources have told Fastmarkets.Metal...Read More
Copper led the London Metal Exchange base metals higher this morning, Monday April 26, and most of the base metals on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were up too, while the market continued to benefit from the strong purchasing managers' index (PMI) data that was out on Friday. US markets managed to shake-off concerns about US President Joe Biden's tax plans Base metalsLME three-month base metals pr...Read More
Copper's price reached $9,705 per tonne in the morning, while the rest of the London Metal Exchange base metals also started the week with higher prices on Monday April 26. Copper's price was up 1.6% on Monday morning to a new 2021 high - and its highest level since July 2011 - following a 1.9% rise over last week, when it closed at $9,551 per tonne on Friday. There were more than 11,000 lots...Read More
All base-metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were up by 1% or more at the 5pm close of trading on Monday April 26, with overarching bullish sentiment toward economic recoveries taking hold of the complex throughout the day.Copper and aluminium were the leaders of the rally on Monday, both reaching new 2021 highs during the day at $9,765 and $2,407 per tonne respectively.They closed at 5pm u...Read More
As the current surge in coronavirus cases in India takes hold, Fastmarkets looks at the possibility that the steel industry could lose its impressive growth.New cases of coronavirus in India have surpassed 350,000 per day and steel plants in the country have been supplying liquid medical oxygen (LMO) to hospitals because of the ongoing shortage of available oxygen. Diverting supplies of oxygen awa...Read More
Copper led the London Metal Exchange base metals higher this morning, Monday April 26, and most of the base metals on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were up too, while the market continued to benefit from the strong purchasing managers' index (PMI) data that was out on Friday. US markets managed to shake-off concerns about US President Joe Biden's tax plans Base metalsLME three-month base metals pr...Read More
A cargo of 62% Fe Brazilian Blend iron ore fines was traded on Monday April 26 at a price of $194.40 per tonne cfr China on a trading platform, a record high since Fastmarkets' index for 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao, was introduced in August 2018.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $193.58 per tonne, up by $7.33 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $194.40 pe...Read More
Metal companies transporting material in containers are facing fresh disruption to shipping following the blockage of the Suez Canal last month, sources told Fastmarkets. The main immediate legacy of March's Suez Canal obstruction has been worsening congestion at several global ports following major disruptions to vessel scheduling. These delays to shipping times have also exacerbated shortag...Read More
As the current surge in coronavirus cases in India takes hold, Fastmarkets looks at the possibility that the steel industry could lose its impressive growth.New cases of coronavirus in India have surpassed 350,000 per day and steel plants in the country have been supplying liquid medical oxygen (LMO) to hospitals because of the ongoing shortage of available oxygen. Diverting supplies of oxygen awa...Read More
Turkish domestic scrap prices have remained fairly stable over the past seven days, with most mills keeping their buy prices unchanged week on week, market participants said on Monday April 26.Long steel producers in the Izmir region continued to buy domestic auto bundle and ship scrap at stable prices over the past seven days.Only two mills in the Marmara region cut...Read More
Turkish domestic scrap prices have remained fairly stable over the past seven days, with most mills keeping their buy prices unchanged week on week, market participants said on Monday April 26.Long steel producers in the Izmir region continued to buy domestic auto bundle and ship scrap at stable prices over the past seven days.Only two mills in the Marmara region cut...Read More
China's magnesium prices increased by about 9% in both the domestic and export markets in the week to Friday April 23, with producers raising their offers amid low inventories, market sources told Fastmakets.In the domestic market, Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for magnesium 99.9%,exw China was 17,000-17,100 yuan ($2,617-2,632) per tonne on Friday April 23, an increase of 1,400 yuan per ton...Read More
China's leading stainless steel producers, Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Tisco) and Baosteel Group, have both slashed their ferro-chrome tender prices for May delivery by 1,050 yuan ($162) per tonne from the previous month.The latest high-carbon ferro-chrome tender prices released by Tisco and Baosteel on Sunday April 25 are 7,300 yuan per tonne and 7,495 yuan per tonne respectively. This marks a decrease...Read More
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) export rebar and wire rod prices increased over the week to Monday April 26 after customers accepted higher levels in recent sales, sources said.A strong domestic market in Russia rendered support to local producers, which, therefore, increased their asking prices for long steel products abroad, Fastmarkets heard.In the middle of last week, one Russia-b...Read More
The main union for metal workers in the Czech Republic has instigated industrial action at Liberty Steel's Ostrava steelworks, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday April 26.On Monday, the OS KOVO trade union called on workers at Liberty Ostrava to "work-to-rule", which means no additional shifts or overtime.The union also said employees should ignore work e-mails and phone calls outside working hour...Read More