Key takeaways from Industrial Minerals tenth Lithium Supply & Markets Conference, which took place in Las Vegas on June 26-28.Battery makers and new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturers seek lower lithium prices, multi-year commitmentsThe world's largest consumers of lithium compounds, such as battery makers and NEV manufacturers, want lower and stable lithium prices. After the shortening of contrac...Read More
Panasonic is looking for consistent and lower lithium prices where all parties, producers as well as consumers, can enjoy adequate profits, according to the company's executive vice president for global procurement. Speaking at Industrial Minerals' 10th Lithium Supply & Markets conference in Las Vegas on Thursday June 28, Masaharu Nagata said Panasonic is willing to make multi-year commitments to...Read More
The export prices for hot rolled coil (HRC) from the Commonwealth of Independent States have stopped growing because trading activity has been slow, Metal Bulletin has heard.Metal Bulletin's weekly price assessment for CIS-origin HRC exports was $560-575 per tonne fob Black Sea on July 2, unchanged week on week.Ukraine's Metinvest was heard to have sold HRC at $580 per tonne cfr to Turkey. That wo...Read More
Domestic transaction prices for hot rolled coil (HRC) in the EU are expected to rise after the seasonal summer market slowdown, according to market sources.In addition, prices are expected to remain largely stable in July-August, despite a traditional downtrend in the EU flat steel market during the summer.The positive outlook is based on the likely effects of a preliminary decision in an EU safeg...Read More
Turkey imported 861,166 tonnes of flat steel in May 2018, up by 12.25% year on year from 696,242 tonnes in May 2016, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK).The reason for the increase is strong demand for flat steel in the country in January and February 2018, and most of the orders placed then arriving in the country in May. Turkey also reduced the import duty applied to incom...Read More
US domestic merchant bar prices have risen after early June mill hikes, while import merchant bar prices held steady due to a lack of market activity following the implementation of Section 232 tariffs on steel imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union.American Metal Market's latest price assessment for US domestic 2x2x 1/4 angle merchant bar rose to $38.05 per hundredweight ($761...Read More
Long steel prices in EU markets could rise with mills seeking to push offers upward before the announcement of a preliminary decision in Europe's current import safeguard investigation, market sources told Metal Bulletin on Monday July 2.The European Commission (EC) is expected to impose preliminary safeguard measures on steel imports early this month and, under World Trade Organization rules, it...Read More
The latest metal markets news and price moves for the start of the North American day on Monday July 2.Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange edged lower during morning trading with ongoing global trade tensions and subsequent dips in equity indexes continuing to deter market investment.Here's how base metals prices looked at 12:29pm London time:Read our live futures report here.Tata...Read More
Turkish steel producers extended their silence in the deep-sea scrap markets on Monday July 2, but are expected to resume buying soon for August deliveries.However, the producers are waiting to see the level of demand for finished steel products before buying more scrap, according to market participants."Turkish mills ended their July bookings and will probably wait for a while to see the...Read More
Pig iron export prices from Brazil remained unchanged last week, with most producers were already sold out amid rebounding domestic demand. Metal Bulletin's weekly price assessment for pig iron exports from Brazil was $390-395 per tonne fob for material from the northern Caraj??s region on Friday June 29, while the assessment for south-eastern Minas Gerais region was $375-380...Read More
Turkish domestic scrap prices have remained largely stable over the past week, with demand for material being moderate, sources said on Monday July 2.Only one steel mill changed its buy price for auto bundle scrap over the past week, while the rest kept their prices unchanged.Long steel producer ID??, in the Izmir region, increased its buy price for auto bundle scrap by TRY10 per tonne to TRY1,520...Read More
CIS export billet prices continued to fall gradually at the beginning of this week with trading activity in the major outlets remaining sluggish over the weekend.Metal Bulletin's CIS billet export index was $516 per tonne fob Black Sea on Monday July 2, compared with $519 per tonne fob Black Sea on June 29.Offers of the material varied within the range of $515-520 per tonne fob Black Sea. But such...Read More
Market activity was focused on downstream silico-manganese and ferro-manganese products in China last week after steel mills put out tenders at higher prices in anticipation of higher-priced trades in the weeks ahead. Semi-carbonate manganese ore cif Tianjin prices unmoved 44% manganese ore cif Tianjin ticks upward Ferro-manganese Chinese free market surges European manganese al...Read More
Key data from the pricing session in the week ended Friday June 29. China Chinese stainless steel mills released higher tender prices for July. Prolonged ferro-chrome smelter shutdowns have continued to tighten the market and boost prices. Imported UG2 chrome ore prices dropped due...Read More
The Chinese domestic ferro-silicon market has bounced in the past week due to a fall in production on a combination of government pollution controls and prohibitively expensive electricity costs; meanwhile, the European market has climbed after third-quarter deliver settlements were agreed above the previous bottom in spot prices. China domestic market bounces due to falling supply amid cuts ...Read More
New tariffs threatened by the United States on imports of cars from Europe could jeopardize as many as 1 million jobs in manufacturing and 3.3 million jobs in the retail sector, according to the European Union.The EU made its comments in documents submitted to the US Department of Commerce as part of that country's continuing Section 232 national security investigation into imports of cars, SUVs,...Read More
Turkey imported 861,166 tonnes of flat steel in May 2018, up by 12.25% year on year from 696,242 tonnes in May 2016, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK).The reason for the increase is strong demand for flat steel in the country in January and February 2018, and most of the orders placed then arriving in the country in May. Turkey also reduced the import duty applied to incom...Read More
Indian steel company Tata Steel and German steel conglomerate ThyssenKrupp have signed a much anticipated definitive agreement to create a 50:50 European joint-venture, the companies said on June 30."With the joint venture we create a highly competitive European steel player - based on a strong industrial logic and strategic rationale. This will help secure jobs and value chains in European c...Read More
Prices for both low-grade and high-grade cobalt tipped below $40 per lb in the week ended Friday June 29, with sellers facing continued weak demand and competition for business.Low-grade and high-grade cobalt prices were assessed on Friday at $39.70-41.00 per lb, in-warehouse, down from $40.35-41.25 per lb at the start of the week."[The market is] dead in terms of people actually booking [material...Read More
The export prices for hot rolled coil (HRC) from the Commonwealth of Independent States have stopped growing because trading activity has been slow, Metal Bulletin has heard.Metal Bulletin's weekly price assessment for CIS-origin HRC exports was $560-575 per tonne fob Black Sea on July 2, unchanged week on week.Ukraine's Metinvest was heard to have sold HRC at $580 per tonne cfr to Turkey. That wo...Read More