The Commonwealth of Independent States' (CIS) billet export price declined on Friday November 5 amid limited buying interest; most producers continued to hold back from trading.Trading activity remained limited in the Black Sea basin this week amid bearish sentiment.Softening scrap and long steel prices in Turkey, one of the key buyers of CIS billet, has made buyers cautious."The steel market is s...Read More
Seaborne lithium prices continued to edge up in Asia on tight availability over the week to Thursday November 4, with momentum in China filtering through to the wider regional market.?EUR? Seaborne Asian battery-grade lithium hydroxide prices continued to make notable gains amid elevated offers.?EUR? Battery-grade lithium prices steady in China on strengthened optimism for LFP batteries.?EUR? Euro...Read More
Spot prices for imported ferrous scrap in Vietnam were lower week on week amid continued waves of Covid-19 in the country and a lull in demand for Vietnamese billet from China.Bulk heavy melting scrap 1&2 (80:20) from the United States was offered at $550-558 per tonne cfr Vietnam.Key market participants indicated that spot prices were at $545-550 per tonne cfr Vietnam this week.There was one sing...Read More
Spot prices for hot-rolled coil in China edged lower on Friday November 5, while futures prices set a new nine-month low.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,960-5,000 yuan ($775-781) per tonne, widening downward by 20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan) weekly assessment: 5,030-5,090 yuan per tonne, down by 260-270 yuan per tonne Spot HRC prices in eastern China ended the week down by 340-370...Read More
Turkish steel producers ended the week with a total of five deep-sea scrap cargoes, with prices increasing throughout the week, market sources told Fastmarkets on Friday November 5.A steel mill in the Izmir region booked a Baltic Sea cargo consisting of 11,000 tonnes of heavy melting scrap 1&2 (80:20) at $500 per tonne and 15,000 tonnes of shredded and 3,000 tonnes of bonus at $520 per tonne cfr l...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing sessions in China, Europe and the United States on Friday November 5.China The bearish sentiment triggered by decreasing ferro-silicon futures continued to weigh on the Chinese spot ferro-silicon price, leaving market participants with a strong wait-and-see attitude. The high cost of electricity fees, a postponed steel mill tender, along with thin deals and inqui...Read More
Prices for shredded steel scrap imported into Pakistan and India dipped on Friday November 5 after trading slowed for both markets, sources told Fastmarkets.PakistanFastmarkets calculated its weekly steel scrap, shredded, index, import, cfr Port Qasim, Pakistan, at $557.89 per tonne on Friday, compared with $563.74 per tonne one week previous.Deals were heard at $552-562 per tonne in the reported...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices dropped on Friday November 5 amid further steelmaking production cuts in northern China, market sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $93.14 per tonne, down $6.96 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $94.08 per tonne, down $7.62 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $65.78 per tonne, down $10.37 per tonne65% Fe Braz...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange mostly edged higher at the close on Friday November 5, after a week of volatility across the complex.The aluminium three-month price stabilized after falling 3.8% on Thursday. It closed at $2,556.50 per tonne, from $2,554 per tonne the previous day.The metal was once again the most traded with 21,689 lots traded on LMESelect by the 5pm close."Maybe [...Read More
Fastmarkets' copper concentrate treatment charge/refining charge (TC/RC) indices were largely stable this past week. More tonnages are available on tender for shipment next year, while smelters' buying has been relatively limited ahead of annual negotiations. For clean concentrate, a 90,000-tonne Cozamin tender for 2022 production was due to be awarded later on Friday November 5, with winning ter...Read More
Turkish steel mills have continued their deep-sea scrap imports with recovering prices on Thursday November 4, market participants told Fastmarkets.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a US cargo comprising 20,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $500 per tonne, 7,000 tonnes of shredded and 3,000 tonnes of bonus at $520 per tonne cfr. Another steel mill in the same region booked a cargo from the...Read More
The price of manganese flake has reached all-time highs in China and Europe, with most producers remaining bullish on the medium-and long-term outlook due to supply tightness. However, risk aversion continues in Europe; some cheaper offers are casting doubts about the immediate price direction of the metal, Fastmarkets heard.The manganese flake price has been on the rise in China since May, peakin...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday November 4 that are worth another look.The agreement reached between the United States and the European Union regarding the replacement of Section 232 tariffs will support domestic prices for flat steel in Europe but...Read More
Major companies in logistics and heavy industry have come together as part of an initiative launched by the World Economic Forum at the the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP26 - in Glasgow to create a critical mass of demand for low carbon technologies aimed at decarbonising heavily polluting sectors.The First Movers Coalition, announced on November 4, is a partnership between th...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday November 4 that are worth another look.The agreement reached between the United States and the European Union regarding the replacement of Section 232 tariffs will support domestic prices for flat steel in Europe but...Read More
Major companies in logistics and heavy industry have come together as part of an initiative launched by the World Economic Forum at the the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP26 - in Glasgow to create a critical mass of demand for low carbon technologies aimed at decarbonising heavily polluting sectors.The First Movers Coalition, announced on November 4, is a partnership between th...Read More
Peru's copper output increased 17.9% in September compared with the same month in 2020, but other metals, such as zinc and lead, declined compared with 2020 levels, according to the Ministry of Energy & Mines (Minem).Higher production from Antamina, Freeport-McMoRan's Cerro Verde and the Southern Per?? Copper Corp (owned by Minera Mexico), all contributed to the increased output of 202,681 tonnes...Read More
Sentiment was buoyed among most market participants at the annual Nickel & Cobalt conference held by Chinese information provider Antaike on November 1-3 in Ningbo, China, but the strong resurgence of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries has created uncertainty about consumption of the two metals.Fastmarkets summarizes below four key takeaways from the sidelines of the conference.LFP outperforms...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were down across the board at the 5pm close on Thursday November 4, with strength in the United States Dollar supporting price weakness across the complex.The US Dollar Index was most recently at $94.39 after hitting an intraday high of $94.47, the highest level since October 13, with base metals trading downward as a result. The three-month alu...Read More
Base metals prices on the LME and SHFE were mixed early on Thursday November 4, but neither the metals nor the broader markets have been rattled by the US Federal Reserve's announcement that it is to start tapering its monthly bond buying programme.The United States Federal Reserve to trim bond buying by $15 billion a month - it had been buying $120 billion a monthA pick-up in Covid-19 cases in Ch...Read More