The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.There has been an increasing bullishness in Chinese steel market sentiment recently, with rising post-Covid-19 optimism about the country's economy for the second half of 2020, especially after the government announced an infrastructure spending boost. Although we believe that high prices are justified, they remain far from...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 3 points in pre-opening trade.Tesla starts trading today on a five for one stock split basis.Apple starts trading today on a four for one stock split basis.Changes in content of the Dow Jones Industrial Average become effective today. Added to the Average are Amgen, Salesforce.co and Honeywell. Deleted from the Average...Read More
Aluminium billet premiums inched higher in Germany, Spain and Brazil on Friday August 28 as demand in those countries improved, while premiums in the United States, Italy and Thailand were steady.Some European premiums rise ahead of Q4 talks Several billet premiums in Europe rose on Friday, with demand starting to increase and sentiment turning slightly more bullish as a result. The uptrend c...Read More
Three-month prices for all base metals on the London Metal Exchange except lead rose on Friday August 28, with nickel leading the rally.Fastmarkets analyst Andy Farida attributed Friday's rally to market reaction to a speech by US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell on Thursday August 27. Powell signaled to the market that the US Federal Reserve will relax its inflation target of 2% in a bid to...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Europe, Asia and the United States for the week ended Friday August 28.China The low end of domestic prices moved up by 50 yuan ($7) per tonne on higher offers and tight spot availability, amid buoyed sentiment...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Europe, Asia and the United States for the week ended Friday August 28.China The seaborne manganese ore low-grade index was only slightly changed amid low liquidity while market participants had underlying concerns about growing inventories in China. The seaborne price for high-grade ore rose with one producer successfully raising prices, indicating less conce...Read More
Fastmarkets copper concentrates treatment charges and refining charges (TC/RC) index stayed largely flat at its multi-year low level from a week ago.The spot market has been relatively quiet this week with smelters buying a handful of clean concentrates parcels in the high $40s, while some deals, with tonnages extending into the fourth quarter this year and first quarter next year, are said to be...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
The key global scrap markets improved in terms of both sentiment and prices in the week to Friday August 28, after Turkey resumed its deep-sea cargo purchases following a three-week hiatus.Turkey continues to book deep-sea cargoesUS sees liquid activity in spot export marketVietnamese buyers remain keen on bulk cargoes from US West CoastTaiwanese buyers see slowdown in price upswingIndia sentiment...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
The European and United States battery-grade lithium carbonate price fell by 2.9% week on week on Thursday August 27 amid continued poor demand conditions, while the Chinese and seaborne Asian markets held.European, US battery-grade lithium carbonate market dropped 2.9%, ending six weeks of stability. China's battery-grade lithium prices held, with participants waiting for clues on market directio...Read More
China's Ganfeng Lithium has finalized the acquisition of a majority stake in Minera Exar, the company jointly owned with Argentinian miner Lithium Americas, for the development of the Cauchari-Olaroz lithium project in Argentina, Lithium Americas said on Friday August 28.Minera Exar owns 100% of the Cauchari-Olaroz lithium project located in Jujuy province in northwest Argentina. Following the com...Read More
South American flat-rolled steel import prices ended the week on Friday August 28 showing no clear trend because deals for October-shipment cargoes were very scarce, and customers were still waiting to hear offers for November shipments.Demand was improving in the region from recent lows caused by Covid-19-related restrictions, but market participants believed that consumption had yet to return to...Read More
Indian steel mills were likely to increase their domestic hot-rolled coil prices by about 2,000-3,000 rupees ($27-41) per tonne in September, with local demand for the commodity continuing to grow, Fastmarkets heard on Friday August 28.Officials from two Indian private-sector mills have confirmed that they have already given guidance to their dealers to impose a 2,000-3,000 rupees per tonne price...Read More
Prices for steel hot-rolled coil in the Turkish market increased slightly over the week to Friday August 28, although demand was only moderate, sources have told Fastmarkets.Market participants were not expecting prices to fall because the holiday season was nearing its end and global prices were increasing.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil, export, fob Black Sea, CIS,...Read More
Prices for domestic steel beams in the United States were flat on Thursday August 27, while prices for imported products fell for a second month in a row on weakening demand, sources said.Fastmarkets' assessment for steel beams 8 x 8-inch, fob mill US held at $35.25 per hundredweight ($705 per short ton) on Thursday, unchanged for a fourth consecutive month.Most sources reported that demand was st...Read More
Domestic steel rebar prices in Poland were flat in the week to Friday August 28 in a quiet market, but buyers expected producers to offer higher prices starting from next week, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' latest price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, exw Poland, remained at 1,900-1,940 zloty ($509-520) per tonne on August 28, unchanged so far this month.Tradin...Read More