An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves.Read More
The price of spodumene made its first move since December in the latest assessment on Wednesday April 24, narrowing downward by $50 per tonne. This means that spodumene prices have fallen by 30.48% between May 2018 and April 2019, due to the decline in lithium prices in China.Fastmarkets' monthly assessment on April 24 this year showed the contract price of spodumene (min 5-6% Li2O) at $600-700 pe...Read More
The Chinese domestic technical & industrial grade lithium carbonate price edged up in the week to Thursday April 25 on increasing demand and squeezed supply due to maintenance work carried out by some producers in China; other spot lithium prices were steady to lower. Increasing demand alongside routine maintenance at production facilities supported higher Chinese technical and industrial grade li...Read More
Import prices for hot-rolled coil (HRC) in South America fell during the week ended Friday April 26 with the region starting to demand more material from Russia and Ukraine, according to sources.Fastmarkets assessed HRC import prices on the continent at $550-570 per tonne cfr on April 26, down from $570-580 per tonne a week before.Chinese material was still being offered at higher prices, followin...Read More
Indian mills were likely to reduce their domestic prices for hot-rolled coil HRC) by about 1,000 rupees ($14) per tonne to boost sales and remain competitive against cheaper imported coil products, Fastmarkets has heard."Our HRC sales are suffering because imported material is being offered at lower prices," an official from an Indian steel mill said.The Indian domestic HRC price assessed by Fastm...Read More
Coated flat steel prices in Turkey fell in the week to Friday April 26, with demand soft in both the domestic and export markets.Demand failed to improve because of the weak Turkish lira and ongoing economic uncertainty in the country.The lira was trading at TRY100 to $17.0279 on April 26, compared with TRY100 to $17.4791 on April 12 and TRY100 to $18.7654 on March 1, according to exchange ra...Read More
While the cost of steel beams in the United States has continued to hold steady, slow demand and weakening raw material costs could prompt an official mill price decrease next month, sources told Fastmarkets AMM.Fastmarkets' price assessment for domestic W8x8 beams has remained at $43.25 per cwt ($865 per short ton) fob mill since late February, after that month's mill increases were passed throug...Read More
Indian secondary billet prices remained flat for the second consecutive week on Friday April 26 even as finished long steel product prices continued to slide.The Indian domestic secondary billet price was assessed by Fastmarkets on Friday at 31,400-31,600 rupees ($446-449) per tonne ex-mill, unchanged since last week."Secondary billet prices are stable only because there is not enough supply," an...Read More
Steel production has stopped at the Algerian steel mill of Turkish steelmaker Tosyali after a workers' strike began on Wednesday April 24, according to local newspaper reports. Tosyali could not be reached for comment at the time of publication. "Production at Tosyali has stopped, and in the past two or three days, we have seen increased Algerian interest for wire rod imports from Italy and Spain,...Read More
Global ferrous scrap prices showed varying dynamics in the week ended Friday April 26 following price drops in Turkey and Vietnam, while prices moved up in Taiwan and India. Only deal done this week sends Turkish prices down US export market remains static Prices move down in Vietnam Taiwan prices begin recovery India prices inch up on tight supply.Turkey importsThe Turkish mills remained mostly s...Read More
Pig iron export offers from the south of Brazil went down during the week ended Friday April 26 on lower local demand and a pessimistic mood among buyers, Fastmarkets has heard.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for pig iron exports from the southeastern Minas Gerais region of the country was $330-340 per tonne fob on April 26, widening downward from $335-340 per tonne a week before.One cargo of...Read More
The price of shredded ferrous scrap imported into India moved up again this week on a lack of available material, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday April 26.Fastmarkets' weekly index for containerized imports of shredded scrap into India inched up to $334.65 per tonne cfr Nhava Sheva on Friday, from $332.25 per tonne cfr one week before.There were very few deals heard in the market for shredded s...Read More
Brazilian slab export prices remained unchanged in the week ended Friday April 26 with few deals being reported because producers have no available volumes to sell.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab exports from Brazil was stable week-on-week on Friday at $495-545 per tonne fob.Prices in the United States remained at $540-545 per tonne fob, while most volumes for June shipment and...Read More
Indian secondary billet prices remained flat for the second consecutive week on Friday April 26 even as finished long steel product prices continued to slide.The Indian domestic secondary billet price was assessed by Fastmarkets on Friday at 31,400-31,600 rupees ($446-449) per tonne ex-mill, unchanged since last week."Secondary billet prices are stable only because there is not enough supply," an...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices were stable on Friday April 26 asrestocking demand ahead of next week's four-day holiday offset weaker futures. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,050-4,100 yuan ($601-608) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing): 3,950-4,000 yuan per tonne, unchangedRebar futures were weaker today, with the settlement price of 3,733 yuan per tonne 11 yuan per tonne l...Read More
The price range of grade-304 stainless steel cold-rolled (CR) sheets in Europe widened upward on Friday April 26, with some mills in the region successfully seeking higher prices but others seeming to be content with the prices achieved earlier in the month, market participants told Fastmarkets.A distributor explained that it has bought from higher-priced mills as well as lower-priced ones partly...Read More
Monthly European alloy surcharges for stainless steel products have increased for May due to the euro's weak position against the dollar, Fastmarkets heard on Friday April 26.The May surcharge for grade-304 cold-rolled (CR) stainless sheet has increased to ?,?1,410-1,450 ($1,571-1,616) per tonne, a gain of ?,?20-23 per tonne from April levels, according to data released by Outokumpu, Acerinox and...Read More
China's leading stainless steel mills - Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Tisco), Tsingshan Group and Baosteel - have released their May tender prices for high-carbon ferro-chrome this week, which are 50 and 200 yuan ($7.40 and 29.70) per tonne lower month on month. Tisco announced its May tender price for high-carbon ferro-chrome at 6,900 yuan per tonne on Wednesday April 24, a drop of 50 yuan per tonne from...Read More
If the United States places import tariffs on cars produced in Germany it could trigger an economic slowdown in Germany, corporate audit director of Czech steel distributor Ferona, Jan Moravec, said at Eurometal's Regional Meeting in Central Europe held in Prague on April 25.One of the major risks to the German steel industry is the import tariffs in the United States, Moravec said.Tariffs on impo...Read More
Steel production has stopped at the Algerian steel mill of Turkish steelmaker Tosyali after a workers' strike began on Wednesday April 24, according to local newspaper reports. Tosyali could not be reached for comment at the time of publication. "Production at Tosyali has stopped, and in the past two or three days, we have seen increased Algerian interest for wire rod imports from Italy and Spain,...Read More