Fastmarkets' copper concentrate treatment charge/refining charge (TC/RC) indices edged down slightly in the week to Friday November 19. Spot activity was thin, with the market still focusing on 2022 contract negotiations; no number for benchmark charges has...Read More
An overview of the aerospace materials markets and the latest price moves.Jessica Long, Zihao Li and...Read More
Crude steel output in Germany increased by 7% year on year in October, the German steel federation, WV Stahl, said on Friday November 19.German crude steel production totaled 3.66 million tonnes in October, up from 3.42 million tonnes in October last year.Steel output from Germany's basic oxygen furnaces - mainly used in the production of flat steel - rose by 13.2% year on year to...Read More
Aluminium billet premiums were steady across the globe on Friday November 19, remaining close to all-time highs.EuropeEuropean billet premiums are unchanged this week at record highs but liquidity is low, with most buyers covered until the end of the year.Fastmarkets assessed the aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, ddp North Germany (Ruhr region) at $1,450-1,500 per tonne on November 19, unch...Read More
No trading activity was reported in the export pig iron market from the Commonwealth of Independent States in the week ended Thursday November 18, although the market was firm amid bullish suppliers.Fastmarkets' price assessment for high-manganese pig iron, export, fob main port Black Sea, CIS was $530-540 per tonne on November 18, narrowing upward from $520-540 per tonne a week before."Suppl...Read More
Mining and metals companies say they're serious about transitioning to a sustainable economy, but whether they can afford to is another matter.Achieving decarbonization throughout the supply chain is going to require a huge amount of investment in technology to reimagine production processes and redesign existing sites.Last week, the International Aluminium Institute estimated that to decarbonize...Read More
The three-month copper contract is trading near record highs on the London Metal Exchange, cash prices are rising even faster, and inventories are descending toward zero. Try running a hedge book in those conditions.It's been a very real quandary facing the physical trade and industry, which awoke on Tuesday October 19 to find copper's cash to November spread had flared to a backwardation of more...Read More
The Cobalt sulfate 20.5% Co basis, exw China, yuan/tonne trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday November 18 that are worth another look.Swedish steelmaker SSAB has announced a further two partnerships involving its fossil-fuel-free steel, to commence in 2026, the company said in separate announcements this week.Production of key battery raw materials cobalt...Read More
Bangladeshi import steel scrap prices have fallen over the past week despite a continued rise in offer prices for rebar and domestic shipbreaking scrap in the country, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday November 18.?EUR?Bangladeshi import prices ease downward?EUR?Taiwanese buyers secure containerized scrap at $445-452 per tonne cfr?EUR?Lack of demand for scrap in China due to hot metal being mor...Read More
Japanese steel scrap export prices fell again in the week to Thursday November 18, after lower-priced deals to South Korea emerged, sources told Fastmarkets.A major South Korean mill purchased about 30,000 tonnes of Japanese steel scrap at bid prices that it had lodged earlier this week, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday.On Wednesday, the mill bid at ?49,500 ($432) per tonne fob for H2 scrap,...Read More
Chinese exporters of ammonium paratungstate (APT) kept their spot offers unchanged in the week to Wednesday November 17 amid slow conditions after foreign buyers took to the sidelines upon noticing weakness in China's domestic market.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for tungsten APT 88.5% WO3 min, fob main ports China was $313-319 per metric tonne unit (mtu) on Wednesday, unchanged from a week...Read More
Chinese nickel sulfate producers face difficult annual contract negotiations for 2022, with upstream miners taking an aggressive stance while downstream battery precursor material producers are hinting at lower demand amid plans to implement integrated operations.The Chinese nickel sulfate price has undergone considerable volatility in 2021, climbing in August to its highest since Fastmarkets bega...Read More
Production of key battery raw materials cobalt and nickel will remain tight and will pose challenges to the electrification of transport, panelists said on Monday November 15 during Fastmarkets' International Ferro-alloys Conference in Prague."This year was really the first year that we saw a step change in nickel demand caused by demand from the electric vehicles (EV) sector and we saw nickel con...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday November 18 that are worth another look.Swedish steelmaker SSAB has announced a further two partnerships involving its fossil-fuel-free steel, to commence in 2026, the company said in separate announcements this week.Production of key battery raw materials cobalt...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday November 18 that are worth another look.Swedish steelmaker SSAB has announced a further two partnerships involving its fossil-fuel-free steel, to commence in 2026, the company said in separate announcements this week.Production of key battery raw materials cobalt...Read More
Italian domestic steel scrap prices increased in the month to Tuesday November 16, supported by a combination of reduced supply and strong demand, sources have told Fastmarkets.Month-on-month comparison prices have recovered by about ?,?10 ($11) per tonne. But market sources said that, taking into account that scrap prices dropped in the second half of October, the recovery since the start of Nove...Read More
Base metal futures prices on the London Metal Exchange were largely up at the 5pm close on Thursday November 18, with tin reaching a new all-time high.The three-month tin price closed at $38,453 per tonne, a rise of 1.2% from $37,975 per tonne at the 5pm close on Wednesday. This marks a new all-time high for the soldering metals three-month price, with the previous record being $38,330 on October...Read More
Chinese nickel sulfate producers face difficult annual contract negotiations for 2022, with upstream miners taking an aggressive stance while downstream battery precursor material producers are hinting at lower demand amid plans to implement integrated operations.The Chinese nickel sulfate price has undergone considerable volatility in 2021, climbing in August to its highest since Fastmarkets bega...Read More
Production of key battery raw materials cobalt and nickel will remain tight and will pose challenges to the electrification of transport, panelists said on Monday November 15 during Fastmarkets' International Ferro-alloys Conference in Prague."This year was really the first year that we saw a step change in nickel demand caused by demand from the electric vehicles (EV) sector and we saw nickel con...Read More