Customers should be given the choice to source aluminium on a spectrum of carbon levels and defining low-carbon aluminium by a numerical threshold could have unintended consequences, London Metal Exchange chief executive officer Matthew Chamberlain told Fastmarkets. Chamberlain noted the way of defining low-carbon aluminium by a number could be disruptive and counter-productive, during Fastmarkets...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
Copper concentrate treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) dropped marginally during the week to Friday February 5, with smelters continuing to stock up ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays.It is the second consecutive week that the Fastmarkets copper concentrates TC index, cif Asia Pacific has dipped below $40 per tonne / 4 cents per lb. It was calculated at $37 / 3.70 cents on Friday, compared...Read More
Brazil reported a 17.2% year-on-year decrease in alumina exports during January 2021, with the biggest reduction being in shipments from the port of Bel?(C)m, used by Norsk Hydro's Alunorte refinery, data from the ministry of economy showed on Thursday February 4.Alumina exports totaled 763,086 tonnes in January this year, down from 921,718 tonnes a year before.Export revenues reached $213.2 milli...Read More
Diversified miner South32 has declared force majeure on some shipments of South African manganese ore because of disruptions resulting from severe weather, Fastmarkets has heard.The Australia-based miner's announcement followed a similar announcement by South African state transportation provider Transnet.Transnet's force majeure notice...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
An overview of the aerospace materials markets and their latest price moves.Ewa Manthey and Michael Greenfield in...Read More
The price of shredded steel scrap imported into India and Pakistan moved down in the week to Friday February 5 as a result of poor trading conditions, sources have told Fastmarkets.IndiaFastmarkets calculated its steel scrap, shredded, index, import, cfr Nhava Sheva, India, at $408.73 per tonne on Friday, down from $415.83 per tonne one week earlier.A deal was heard at the start of the week at $41...Read More
Chinese steelmakers have been actively bidding for Japanese import scrap cargoes at prices above the China domestic market level in recent days, sources have told Fastmarkets.At least two major steelmakers were heard making inquiries for scrap with Japanese trading houses and suppliers on Friday February 5. The hive of activity comes just ahead of China's Lunar New Year holiday next week, with som...Read More
With the exception of tin, base metals prices on both the London Metal Exchange and the Shanghai Futures Exchange were firmer this morning, Friday February 5, suggesting there is little appetite for follow-through selling after recent bouts of weakness. Asian-Pacific equities were stronger this morning......as was the US Dollar IndexBase metalsThree-month tin prices were down by 0.4% at $22,880 pe...Read More
Junior miner Bacanora Lithium has signed a new joint venture agreement with offtake partner Ganfeng Lithium after the latter exercised the option to increase its stake in the Sonora lithium project to 50%, it said on February 1.Chinese lithium producer Ganfeng Lithium previously owned a 22.5% stake in Bacanora's Sonora lithium project in the Sonora state of Mexico. The completion of Ganfeng L...Read More
Lithium carbonate prices in Europe and the United States as well as the seaborne Asia market rose in the week to Thursday February 4, supported by the continued uptrend in China's domestic market.China's battery-grade lithium carbonate price increased further, driven by tight spot supply despite thin trade ahead of Lunar New Year. The Asian battery-grade lithium carbonate spot price climbed 3.3% d...Read More
Chinese battery raw material supplier Beijing Easpring Material Technology Co has inked a deal with Indonesia's Halmahera Persada Lygend (HPAL) for an eight-year supply of nickel and cobalt beginning in 2021."Nickel and cobalt [resources] have becoming more and more important amid robust demand following strong sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) globally... and the deal will help us secure a suff...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States have remained at an all-time high while mills have benefited from a tight market, Fastmarkets has learned.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $59.23 per hundredweight ($1,184.60 per short ton) on Friday February 5, flat day on day, but up by 4.83% from $56.50 per cwt one week ago and roughly double $29.67 per cwt...Read More
South American import prices for flat-rolled steel were mostly down week-on-week on Friday February 5 on a persistent Chinese downtrend.The price of hot-rolled coil, on the other hand, increased on the same basis of comparison, with material from other origins such as Japan and Brazil returning to the market with April-shipment offers.China-origin HRC was also more expensive, with market participa...Read More
Domestic steel rebar prices in Poland were likely to decrease on weaker scrap values, even though local producers had already closed their sales of February material, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday February 5.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, exw Poland, was 2,900-2,950 zloty ($773-787) per tonne on Friday, narrowing downward from 2,900-3,000 zlo...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices were unchanged on Friday February 5 with demand dropping to near zero, but market participants expect construction sites will resume work soon after the Chinese New Year holidays (February 11-17). DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,280-4,300 yuan ($662-665) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing) weekly assessment: 4,110-4,160 yuan per tonne, unchangedLosses ear...Read More
Sentiment in the pig iron import market in the United States remained negative during the week to Friday February 5 on bearish consumers, who are the only large pig iron buyers while China is out of the market ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday (February 11-17). Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US was $500-520 per tonne on Friday, widening up...Read More
Brazil's pig iron export market was calm in the week to Friday February 5 because suppliers wanted to wait and see where the market would turn after the Lunar New Year holiday in China.Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, export, fob port of Vitoria/Rio, Brazil, was $480 per tonne on Friday, unchanged week on week.No new sales were reported during the week,...Read More
The price of shredded steel scrap imported into India and Pakistan moved down in the week to Friday February 5 as a result of poor trading conditions, sources have told Fastmarkets.IndiaFastmarkets calculated its steel scrap, shredded, index, import, cfr Nhava Sheva, India, at $408.73 per tonne on Friday, down from $415.83 per tonne one week earlier.A deal was heard at the start of the week at $41...Read More