Most base metals futures prices continued to rise in early trading on the London Metal Exchange on Friday November 19, following a strong performance at the close on Thursday."A weaker [United States] dollar and constructive US macro data provided some support [to base metal prices]," ED&F Man commodity research head Edward Meir said.The three-month aluminium price led the complex, increasing by 2...Read More
China's Ministry of Industry & Information Technology (MIIT) is conducting a public consultation on its proposed standards of the lithium-ion battery industry. The proposed standards - released on Thursday November 18 - detail the requirements for battery energy density and specific capacity.In the proposal, the energy density for consumer electronics batteries need to stay above 260 watt hour (Wh...Read More
The price of stainless steel in the European domestic market remained unchanged this week, but ongoing tightness could see prices move up before the end of the year, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday November 19.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for stainless steel cold-rolled sheet 2mm grade 304 base price domestic, delivered Northern Europe was unchanged week on week at ?,?1,850-1,900 ($2,09...Read More
Although sentiment in the US carbon steel plate market has grown less decidedly bullish in recent weeks, the price has held steady at its all-time high - surpassing hot-rolled coil for the first time in more than a year.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel cut-to-length plate carbon grade, fob mill US held at $90 per hundredweight ($1,800 per short ton) on Friday November 19, unchanged for two...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
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
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
An overview of the consumer electronics markets and their latest price moves on Wednesday November 17.Ruby Liu and Zihao...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
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States continued their recent downturn on Thursday November 18, hovering just above $90 per hundredweight ($1,800 per short ton), while market sentiment was mixed.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $90.06 per cwt ($1,801.20 per ton) on November 18, down by 0.67% from $90.67 per cwt on Wednesday November 17 and by 2.64%...Read More
Turkish steel producers have resumed their deep-sea scrap import bookings with a single cargo deal, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday November 18.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a United Kingdom cargo comprising 17,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $488 per tonne and 5,000 tonnes of shredded at $507 per tonne cfr.The previous...Read More
Iron ore prices fell in China on Thursday November 18 in response to a new round of controls imposed on blast furnace operation and emissions restrictions in the city of Handan in Hebei province, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $87.27 per tonne, down $3.81 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $88.26 per tonne, down $3.04 per tonne58% Fe fines high-gr...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
Canada-headquartered Lithium Americas has entered into a definitive arrangement agreement with Argentina-based producer Millennial Lithium to acquire all of the outstanding shares of the latter for approximately $400 million, the company said on Wednesday November 17. On November 1, Millennial Lithium announced that it had received a rival takeover bid from Lithium Americas. As such, Millennial Li...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
Handan city, a major steelmaking hub in northern China's Hebei province, has issued production curbs on key sectors for the rest of 2021 to fight against air pollution during the smog-prone winter heating season. From Thursday November 18 until the end of the year, steel mills in the city are required to cut their blast furnace (BF) production by up to 100%, depending on the grades assigned to the...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices in the cfr China market dropped further on Thursday November 18 after domestic cargoes plunged due to weak demand, while the fob Australia coking coal market continued to be quiet without firm buying interest, market sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $523.84 per tonne, down $26.35 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $348.75 per...Read More
The Cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lbtrade 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 assessed Cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb...Read More
Domestic steel reinforcing bar prices in the United States increased slightly to a 13-year high, with many market participants expecting it to go up again before long.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), fob mill US was $50.50 per hundredweight ($1,010 per short ton) on Wednesday November 18, up by 0.50% from the week before and at its highest point since the assessment...Read More
Key data from the Wednesday November 17 pricing session in China.Key drivers China's spot cobalt metal price fell amid a decline in local futures prices, while downstream demand was curbed by still high spot levels. Cobalt tetroxide prices in China were flat amid limited trading activity. Though most sellers would like...Read More