Confusion and mixed sentiment about price trends in the Asian regional ferrous scrap markets have kept spot demand limited in the week ended Friday May 3.Vietnamese and Taiwanese buyers were betting on further falls in import prices and were not willing to purchase more cargoes. But South Korea was looking to purchase at least three bulk cargoes to guard against further price increases.VietnamFast...Read More
The seaborne coking coal spot market was largely unchanged on Friday May 3 amid thin trading in the absence of Chinese participants.A bid for a cargo of June-loading branded materials on Global Coal emerged at $205 per tonne fob Australia in the latter part of the day, compared with $203 per tonne fob earlier. The segment was generating bids of about $198 per tonne fob at the start of the week.Sep...Read More
Aluminium's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange consolidated during morning trading on Friday May 3, with fresh inflows of more than 26,000 tonnes doing little to pressure the light metal's stagnant price, while low liquidity conditions capped volumes traded. This week, more than 232,000 tonnes of aluminium have been delivered into LME-listed warehouses predominantly in Asia, taking tot...Read More
Canadian minor metals and speciality chemicals producer 5N Plus has reported revenue in the first quarter of 2019 of US$51.4 million, down by 12% compared with $58.5 million for the corresponding period in 2018.The reduced revenue came after three consecutive years of growth in earnings, and in large part reflected the effects of production challenges and to a lesser extent the consequences of red...Read More
The following Fastmarkets minor metals prices changed on Friday May 3:Minor metalsAntimony MMTA standard grade II, $/tonne: $7,000-7,200 per tonne from $7,000-7,300Chromium MB...Read More
Prices for grade-304 stainless steel cold-rolled (CR) sheets in Europe narrowed in the week ended Friday May 3 under the conflicting influences of higher alloy surcharges for May and lower nickel prices.The May surcharge for grade-304 CR sheets increased by ?,?20-23 per tonne to ?,?1,410-1,450 ($1,578-1,623) per tonne on April 26, despite falling nickel prices.Sources said earlier that, if nickel...Read More
UK long steel producer British Steel has been granted approval from a French court to take over troubled French special steelmaker Ascoval, the company said on Thursday May 2.Following the approval from the tribunal de grande instance (TGI) in Strasbourg, Ascoval, which is located in Saint-Saulve, Northern France, will officially become part of British Steel on Wednesday May 15 and will be renamed...Read More
The following Fastmarkets non-ferrous European free market scrap prices changed on Friday May 3:Aluminium scrapFloated Frag: ?,?1,025-1,060 per tonne from ?,?1,030-1,065Cast: ?,?925-945 per...Read More
While 2016 and 2017 each had a single, clear factor that drove up seaborne coking coal prices, this was a key feature that was missing last year, when the market continued to strengthen regardless.And if the first few months of 2019 are anything to go by, the seaborne coking coal market might have just reached a new level of complexity.When China decided to tackle overcapacity in its coal sector i...Read More
Fastmarkets MB proposes to launch a weekly price assessment of South America import aluminium-zinc alloy coated steel coil, reported on a dollar-per-tonne cfr South America basis.Market participants have been reporting significant liquidity in this market, with steady volumes being traded weekly.Based on the most widely traded product specification, the weekly price assessment for S...Read More
Aluminium's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange fell over 1% at the close of trading on Friday May 3, with downward pressure emerging amid more than 230,000 tonnes of inflows over the week, while continued US dollar strength deters investors. Aluminium registered just over 10,000 lots traded at the close this afternoon, the lowest count since April 25, with thin volumes persisting due t...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves.Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves.Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves.Read More
This recent drop in copper prices is not reflective of the current tight supply and demand fundamentals and a rebound could take place as soon as next week, Codelco's chief commercial officer Roberto Ecclefield told Fastmarkets on Friday May 3."Once China re-opens on Monday, we should see copper prices rebound," Ecclefield said in an interview. "The current price doesn't reflect fundamentals."Mark...Read More
Copper concentrates treatment charges (TCs) declined in early May after traders accepted recent tender tonnages at surprisingly low levels, which stretched the gap between acceptable purchase levels for traders and smelters to its widest in the past year.As of May 3, Fastmarkets' Asia-Pacific TC/RC index dropped to $60.8 per tonne/6.08 cents per lb, compared to $62.50 per tonne/6.25 cents per lb a...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
Key data from the Friday May 3 pricing session in London: Key drivers: - Rally pauses and spot activity slows; buyers in Europe and parts of Asia were out of the market for some of the week. Some buyers are believed to have covered their nearby requirements last month and are awaiting direction before stocking up any further after the rally plateaued over the past week. - Sellers have so far prove...Read More
Global ferrous scrap prices trended downward in the week ended Friday May 3 due to low demand and high inventories held by steel mills.There was mixed sentiment about spot price trends. While most market participants expected a continued softening of prices, others expected prices to become firmer once holidays in Europe, Turkey, Japan and China came to an end. Weak steel markets in Turkey damp de...Read More
Austenitic alloy steel scrap prices in Europe went down in the week ended Friday May 3 because of further losses in the nickel market, Fastmarkets has heard.Fundamentals in the market were unchanged and were not exerting pressure on prices. While some traders reported slow supply, this was matched by demand. All sources said that the fundamentals were balanced.In the UK, Fastmarkets' assessment...Read More