The spot price for spodumene concentrates has been steady in the past two weeks, while the market is eyeing the next auction for lithium feedstock in late October.Fastmarkets' assessment for spodumene 6% Li2O min, cif China basis was $2,000-2,500 per tonne on Thursday October 15, unchanged from two weeks ago.Tightness in availability and persistent momentum of downstream lithium compounds pri...Read More
The entirety of copper's London Metal Exchange forward curve ended the day in a backwardated state on October 15, with fears of supply tightness taking over metals across the board. Zinc reached its highest prices in over a decade while tin climbed to new all-time highs. Copper's benchmark cash/three-month spread on LMESelect - the Exchange's electronic platform - touched a $350-per-tonne b...Read More
Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel is suing compatriot automaker Toyota and Chinese mill Baosteel on claims that the two had infringed on its patent for non-oriented electrical steel sheet. In its suit filed at the Tokyo district court on Thursday October 14, Nippon Steel is also seeking an injunction to prohibit Toyota from manufacturing and selling motor-driven vehicles equipped with motors using...Read More
Metals and battery materials company Umicore has signed long-term lithium supply agreements with China's Ganfeng Lithium and Germany's Vulcan Energy Resources, the Belgian company announced on Friday October 15.Ganfeng Lithium, based in Jiangxi, southeast China, will provide Australian-origin lithium from 2022 for "a significant part of Umicore's future lithium requirements in Asia," a press relea...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing sessions in India, Europe, China and the United States on Friday October 15.China ?EUR?Silico-manganese prices continued to rally in portside ore markets while an improved demand outlook buoyed the seaborne manganese ore markets. ?EUR?Some South African miners raised their offer prices for November-shipment manganese ore, which was accepted by Chinese buyers fo...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices fell on Friday October 15 amid lower traded volumes at Chinese ports, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $125.22 per tonne, down $0.69 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $126.50 per tonne, down $1.10 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $94.29 per tonne, down $0.64 per tonne65% Fe Brazil-origin fin...Read More
Poland's steel rebar market remained flat in the week to October 15, but sources expect producers to seek higher prices due to high energy costs, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday.Rebar offers from local mills were at 3,600-3,700 zloty ($913-938) per tonne ex-works, but some had already finished October sales and are yet to return with November offers."ArcelorMittal is expected to announce new pr...Read More
Record-high coking coal prices have been pressuring steelmakers in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), mainly in Ukraine, because of a dependence on imports, sources told Fastmarkets.Global coking coal prices have been trending upward since October 2020, when the Chinese government imposed a ban on Australian materials.Fastmarkets' index for premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang -...Read More
Higher demand in key consumer markets led to a jump in steel scrap prices across all major markets in the week to Friday October 15, sources have told Fastmarkets.?EUR?Turkey import prices spike amid limited supply, firm demand?EUR?Further price increases expected in US export market?EUR?High prices dissuade Vietnam buyers from more deals?EUR?China scrap demand recovers amid less stringent power r...Read More
Fastmarkets copper concentrate treatment charge/refining charge (TC/RC) edged down this week, with few inquiries for spot tonnages, sources said on Friday October 15.TCs for smelters remain in the low-to-mid $60s, a level still well below the Chinese pricing floor of $70 per tonne/7 cents per lb.As for trader purchases, a tender for Escondida concentrate...Read More
The entirety of copper's London Metal Exchange forward curve ended the day in a backwardated state on October 15, with fears of supply tightness taking over metals across the board. Zinc reached its highest prices in over a decade while tin climbed to new all-time highs. Copper's benchmark cash/three-month spread on LMESelect - the Exchange's electronic platform - touched a $350-per-tonne b...Read More
A lack of trading across Europe kept domestic prices for hot-rolled coil fairly stable on Friday October 15, sources told Fastmarkets.Bearish sentiment is prevailing in the market, supported by poor demand from the automotive sector and good domestic supplies. Buyers and sellers have mainly been holding back from making deals, with only limited volumes traded in Europe during the week, sources sai...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves in the week to Friday October 15.Susan Zou, Yingchi Yang and...Read More
Most prices for flat-rolled steel products imported into South America were down during the week ended Friday October 15, with Brazilian mills lowering their offers, Russian sellers pressuring the market downward and Chinese material still scarce in the region.While some offers from China emerged at higher levels, following a week-long holiday in the Asian country, reduced export availability to S...Read More
Eastern China rebar prices lost upward momentum on Friday October 15 due to sellers' need to reduce inventories.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,770-5,800 yuan ($896-901) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing) weekly assessment: 5,600-5,650 yuan per tonne, down by 200 yuan per tonneSellers expect prices will have little chance to rise in the remaining days of October, so...Read More
The price of stainless steel in Europe was stable this week but mills were expected to try to push through increases because of higher energy costs, despite the fact that demand has slowed in recent weeks, Fastmarkets heard on Friday October 15.An Italian mill was said to be hoping to implement a ?,?20 ($23) per tonne energy surcharge in order to recoup some of its expenditure on rising energy cos...Read More
Coated steel coil prices increased sharply in Turkey during the week ended Friday October 15 and some producers stopped accepting new orders, sources told Fastmarkets.Producers stopped accepting orders because prices for hot-rolled coil, the base material for coated coils, continued to increase and producers wanted to reflect cost increases in their end-product prices.Fastmarkets' weekly price ass...Read More
The export pig iron market from the Commonwealth of Independent States improved in the week to Thursday October 14, with new sales to Italy and a bullish mood among suppliers.Fastmarkets' price assessment for high-manganese pig iron, export, fob main port Black Sea, CIS was $500-520 per tonne on Thursday, up by $10 from $490-510 per tonne the previous week.Several sales of Ukraine-origin pig iron...Read More
Prices in the United States' pig iron import market went up during the week to Friday October 15 amid an improved global market mood, sources told Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets' assessment of the price for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US was $545-550 per tonne on Friday, up from $540 per tonne a week earlier.Offers of Russia-origin...Read More
The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange reached a 14-year high of $3,750 per tonne on Friday October 15, with prices and premiums spiking amid concerns over supply in Europe and the United States.Friday's price represents its highest level since 2007 and a 16.4% increase from the start of the week, with the contract closing at $3,222 per tonne on Monday. "The threat of further prod...Read More