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
The export price for CIS-origin steel billet softened toward the end of the current week amid increased competition in the nearby markets in Turkey and Egypt, Fastmarkets heard on Thursday November 18.Weakness in finished steel prices added to the negative sentiment.The removal of a 10% safeguard duty on billet imports into Egypt early this week [LINK] at first added some optimism to the market, b...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
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
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
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
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
The European Commission (EC) has set definitive anti-dumping duties at rates of 10.2-35.3% on imports of stainless steel cold-rolled flat products originating in India and Indonesia.This decision, which was published in the Official Journal of the EU on Thursday November 18, follows the imposition of preliminary duties on May 27.The EC calculated preliminary anti-dumping duties on products from In...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
Domestic prices for cold-rolled coil in Southern Europe moved down in the week to Wednesday November 17 due to limited trading activity and competitive import offers, sources told Fastmarkets.In the meantime, domestic prices in the north of Europe have been fairly stable despite a similar lack of demand.Both Southern and Northern European spot buyers have been avoiding booking significant volumes...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
European hot-rolled coil prices remained broadly stable on Thursday November 18 on limited trading, but sentiment for the first quarter of 2022 has turned cautiously optimistic, sources told Fastmarkets. Limited tonnages of December-rolling HRC are still available at lower prices, but for January next year mills are targeting higher levels to cover surging c...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
European hot-rolled coil prices remained broadly stable on Thursday November 18 on limited trading, but sentiment for the first quarter of 2022 has turned cautiously optimistic, sources told Fastmarkets. Limited tonnages of December-rolling HRC are still available at lower prices, but for January next year mills are targeting higher levels to cover surging c...Read More
An overview of the consumer electronics markets and their latest price moves on Wednesday November 17.Ruby Liu and Zihao...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
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
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
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