China's stainless steel prices were stable over the past week, but participants said they expect prices will drop soon.Fastmarkets MB's domestic price assessment for benchmark 304 stainless cold-rolled coil in the major market of Wuxi was 14,400-14,800 yuan ($2,144-2,204) per tonne including value-added tax for the week ended Wednesday April 10, unchanged from a week earlier.Buyers maintained a sl...Read More
The European Union Council of Ministers has accepted a proposal that steel, iron and non-ferrous metal producers should be allocated free carbon allowances under the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS) until 2030. The decision, backing a proposal from the European Commission, has been made because of concern that steel and other metal production could move outside the EU if the industry was force...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday April 11 that are worth another look.Growing demand for lithium compounds used in lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries such as lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide over the past three years has prompted lithium producers to expand total production while diversifying their investments in different lithium operations to ramp up...Read More
Helmut Gruber has been appointed as the new technical director of the steel division of Voestalpine, the Austrian company said late on Wednesday April 10.Gruber, 47, will begin his new role on July 3 and will remain in his current role in the technical management of steel-strip production until then.Gruber will replace...Read More
China's major mills cut their daily output rates for crude steel in late March and their inventories of finished steel also dropped.Members of the China Iron & Steel Association (Cisa) produced crude steel at an average rate of 1.83 million tonnes per day during the last 11 days of March, down 3.56% from 1.9 million tpd in mid-March, according to data released by...Read More
Prices for domestic rebar in Turkey increased over the past seven days because of the Turkish lira weakening, with demand remaining low, sources said on Thursday April 11.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Turkey was TRY3,320-3,335 ($583-586) per tonne ex-works on Thursday, rising from TRY3,200-3,250 per tonne ex-works previously, where the price had remained since March 28...Read More
An overview of the noble alloys markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
Expectations for steel slab prices remained weak in most regions of the world in the week ended Thursday April 11, despite low availability of material from producers in the CIS.Prices of slab have started to take a downward trend in many regions, such as Asia and the CIS, while Brazilian prices have been flat.High raw materials costs were affecting producers' ability to reduce prices further, but...Read More
Copper's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange drifted lower at the close of trading on Thursday April 11, capped by low-volume trading amid international trade tensions, while positive unemployment figures from the United States in the afternoon did little to boost investor confidence.Three-month copper futures traded around $6,400 per tonne over the afternoon, but have softened by aroun...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday April 11 that are worth another look.Growing demand for lithium compounds used in lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries such as lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide over the past three years has prompted lithium producers to expand total production while diversifying their investments in different lithium operations to ramp up...Read More
Low-grade manganese ore prices have held relatively steady since rebounding from this year's lows in January, when market participants toned down fears of oversupply in the alloy market. Normally volatile low-grade manganese ore prices have held relatively steady since rebounding from this year's lows in January, after which market participants toned down fears of oversupply in the alloy market. F...Read More
Helmut Gruber has been appointed as the new technical director of the steel division of Voestalpine, the Austrian company said late on Wednesday April 10.Gruber, 47, will begin his new role on July 3 and will remain in his current role in the technical management of steel-strip production until then.Gruber will replace...Read More
Copper's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange drifted lower at the close of trading on Thursday April 11, capped by low-volume trading amid international trade tensions, while positive unemployment figures from the United States in the afternoon did little to boost investor confidence.Three-month copper futures traded around $6,400 per tonne over the afternoon, but have softened by aroun...Read More
Comex copper prices tumbled in morning trading on Thursday April 11 in the United States amid weak trading volumes and a stronger dollar.The copper price for May settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange declined by 2.25 cents per lb to $2.9030 per lb.Trading volumes have been low this week with major market participants attending the Cesco Copper conference...Read More
Brazilian iron ore fines traded at higher prices on Thursday April 11, especially for the 65% Fe Iron Ore Carajas (IOCJ), amid a drop in shipments from the country and a rise in steelmaking margins in China.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $95.65 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $1.04 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $94.77 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $1.04 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low A...Read More
The Turkish billet import market was quiet this week, with demand for imported material still soft and the export and domestic markets remaining slow, sources said on Thursday April 11.Suppliers in the CIS region decreased their offers to $450-455 per tonne cfr because of the poor demand as well as lower prices for scrap feedstock.Fastmarkets's daily index for Northern Europe-origin HMS 1&2 (80:20...Read More
The halving of China's new energy vehicle (NEV) subsidies will have a positive impact on the production of lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) batteries in the short term, but nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) lithium-ion battery development will benefit in the long run, delegates heard at Fastmarkets' Battery Materials conference in Shanghai on Thursday April 11. "The values of subsidies have been cut signif...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday April 11 that are worth another look.Growing demand for lithium compounds used in lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries such as lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide over the past three years has prompted lithium producers to expand total production while diversifying their investments in different lithium operations to ramp up...Read More
Kyen Resources has hired accountancy firm PwC in a bid to help settle its obligations to creditors who are queuing up to sue the trading house in Singapore. Kyen, which currently is being sued for a combined $96 million by traders and banks for non-payment on...Read More
Central Asia Metals (CAML) is seeking to bolster acquisitions in 2019 and beyond, with copper as a primary focus, company executives told Fastmarkets, pledging a continuation of its low-cost operating model. The AIM-listed company's primary copper producing facility, Kounrad, located in central Kazakhstan, operates as a solvent extraction-electrowinning (SX-EW) recovery plant and was fully acquire...Read More