Spot trading for hot-rolled coil in China stagnated in the afternoon of Thursday October 21 after the continued tumble in futures prices kept market participants cautious.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,710-5,750 yuan ($892-898) per tonne, narrowing by 10-30 yuan per tonneSpot HRC was traded at 5,710-5,750 yuan per tonne in Shanghai on Thursday morning, when the most-traded HRC contract on the...Read More
Domestic hot-rolled coil prices across Europe edged down on Thursday October 21 on reduced end-user demand, and trading activity remained limited, sources told Fastmarkets. The ongoing global shortage of semiconductors has caused automakers in Europe to reduce output and, consequently, to cut flat-steel purchases, market sources said.Moreover, market participants have suggested that some major aut...Read More
United States-listed lithium producer Albemarle has signed an investment agreement with the local government of Pengshan Economic Development Zone in Meishan city, Sichuan Province to invest in a new lithium-ion battery materials project, the local government said.Albemarle will invest $500 million in the new battery materials project.The project will have an annual capacity of 50,000 tonnes of li...Read More
Turkish reinforcing bar and wire rod export prices continued to increase over the past week due to strengthening scrap costs, market participants told Fastmarkets on Thursday October 21.Turkish steel mills continued their deep-sea ferrous scrap purchases this week, with prices exceeding $500 per tonne for an 80:20 mix of No1 and No2 heavy melting scrap.Fastmarkets' daily index for steel scrap HMS...Read More
Prices in the Commonwealth of Independent States' export market for steel billet moved up on Thursday October 21 amid rising scrap and domestic billet prices in Turkey, which added to the positive expectations among sellers.Fastmarkets' calculation of its daily index for steel scrap HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), north Europe origin, cfr Turkey, was $497.04 per tonne on Thursday, unchanged day on day but up...Read More
Buyers in Taiwan continued to purchase containerized scrap cargoes at higher prices on Thursday October 21 amid bullishness in the spot market, sources said. Taiwan continues to book containerized cargoes at higher prices Spot prices in China edge down amid losses in finished steel futures Tokyo Steel announces another rise in domestic scrap purchase priceTaiwanTaiwanese buyers continued to secur...Read More
Iron ore prices were largely down on Thursday October 21, following the bearish mood in terms of steel prices and demand, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $116.93 per tonne,down $7.14 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $118.68 per tonne,down $6.53 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $88.98 per tonne,down $5.99 per tonn...Read More
Reduced operations at steel rerolling mills in several key cities across China have hurt prices for steel billet in China's local and import markets, sources said on Thursday October 21.The northern Chinese steelmaking hub Tangshan ordered rerolling mills in its Fengrun district to suspend production from October 21 to 31 to improve air quality, market participants told Fastmarkets.The production...Read More
Rio Tinto will invest $7.5 billion to reduce emissions and meet its carbon targets earlier than planned, the company announced on Wednesday September 20.Following more ambitious climate targets by governments, Rio Tinto is revising its emissions reduction targets. Its new target is to reduce its Scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions of the greenhouse gas (GHG) Protocol by 50% by 2030, more than triple...Read More
Freeport-McMoRan's new Indonesian copper smelter will not be subject to export duties, the US copper producer said.The new greenfield smelter, currently delayed by Covid-19, is to be located in Gresik, Indonesia, and will have the capacity to process around 1.7 million tonnes of copper concentrate per year.The same applies to the company's precious metals refinery (PMR), which will process gold an...Read More
A top European pension fund has sold its interest in Swiss commodity trader and miner Glencore, citing sustainability risks, including cobalt production in Africa. A major global pension fund, ABP announced that it has sold its shares in mining/trading firm Glencore on Friday October 15. "ABP has sold its interest in Glencore. The mining company faces...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday October 21 that are worth another look.Rio Tinto will invest $7.5 billion to reduce emissions and meet its carbon targets earlier than planned, the company announced on Wednesday September 20.The government of the United...Read More
The government of the United Kingdom plans to set up an expert committee on critical minerals to provide independent advice on the scope and content of a critical minerals strategy to meet the country's net-zero carbon emissions targets, it said.In a move designed to guide investment decisions, the government also plans to update the country's critical minerals list, which details materials that a...Read More
Freeport-McMoRan's Indonesian unit plans to start long-term mine development activities at its Kucing Liar deposit, the company said.PT-Freeport Indonesia (PT-FI), in which Freeport holds a 48.76% stake and manages its mining operations, will develop the project over the next 10 years, the US copper producer said.At full operating rates, annual production from Kucing Liar is expected to exceed 500...Read More
Domestic alumina prices in China continued to climb in the week to Thursday October 21, with new transactions being made on an as-needed basis, Fastmarkets has heard.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for alumina, metallurgical grade, exw China, was 3,900-4,150 yuan ($610-649) per tonne on Thursday, up by 100-150 yuan per tonne from 3,800-4,000 yuan last week.Alumina prices have now reached a 13...Read More
Base metal prices on the London Metal Exchange were down across the board at the 5pm close of trading on Thursday October 21, with market participants beginning to sell off material following the recent price rally.The three-month aluminium price fell by 5.2% to $2,910 per tonne on Thursday, down from $3,069.50 per tonne at Wednesday's 5pm close after trading in large volumes and more than 34,180...Read More
Egypt's prices for imported billet and domestic reinforcing bar increased in the week to Thursday October 21, with demand also picking up from previous weeks, sources told Fastmarkets.Local rebar producers increased their prices effective October 20.Buying increased after the price hikes were announced because buyers believed prices could rise further, traders said.On the other hand, the Advanced...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday October 21 that are worth another look.Rio Tinto will invest $7.5 billion to reduce emissions and meet its carbon targets earlier than planned, the company announced on Wednesday September 20.The government of the United...Read More
Turkish steel mills have continued their deep-sea scrap bookings with two Venezuelan cargoes, market participants told Fastmarkets on Thursday October 21.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Venezuelan cargo consisting of 25,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $505 per tonne cfr late on Wednesday October 20. The cargo was scheduled to...Read More
The government of the United Kingdom plans to set up an expert committee on critical minerals to provide independent advice on the scope and content of a critical minerals strategy to meet the country's net-zero carbon emissions targets, it said.In a move designed to guide investment decisions, the government also plans to update the country's critical minerals list, which details materials that a...Read More