Unites States steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs plans to increase its share of the US domestic prime scrap market amid increasing demand and the failure of the country's own manufacturing supply to keep up, the company's chairman, president and chief executive officer said.Lourenco Goncalves told a conference call for the Cleveland, Ohio-based company's third quarter earnings that the company didn't hav...Read More
Looming backwardations on London Metal Exchange spreads sparked a sell-off of P1020 aluminium in Europe on Thursday October 21, with participants concerned about carrying metal into 2022.Fastmarkets assessed the aluminium P1020A premium, in-whs dup Rotterdam at $250-270 per tonne on Thursday, down from $285-300 per tonne on Wednesday October 20. The decrease marks the assessment's lowest range sin...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves in the week to Friday October 22.Susan Zou, Yingchi Yang and...Read More
The price of nickel sulfate in China was unmoved in a cautious market during the week to Friday October 22, amid fears of an oversupply of material and despite volatile nickel prices, sources told Fastmarkets.Nickel prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange hit an all-time high on October 21, and closed at 155,880 yuan ($24,366) per tonne, on news of a possible export ban on raw materials from Indon...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 battery raw materials supply chain in China took a breather after a week-long holiday to mark the country's national day in early October, with the lifting - partially or otherwise - of extensive power cuts announced in late September in several production hubs. The supply chain is still vulnerable to power restrictions, however, which are likely to persist in winter. Similar to those for oth...Read More
Steel wire rod prices in Poland have remained broadly unchanged over the past seven days, but the market was expected to move up in November amid high costs for producers, source told Fastmarkets on Friday October 22.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel wire rod (drawing quality), domestic, delivered Poland, remained at 3,800-3,900 zloty ($962-987) per tonne on Friday, unchanged from the...Read More
A summary of Australia-listed lithium producer Orocobre's production results as of 30 September 2021, released on Friday October 22.In brief Average pricing for the fourth quarter of 2021 and January 2022 for shipments of spodumene, a precursor of lithium, is $1,650 per tonne on a cif basis for 6% Li2O, "almost double that of the September quarter," the company said. The average spodumen...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices corrected upward on Friday October 22 after a sharp decrease on Thursday amid continuous bearish outlook for iron ore demand.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $119.52 per tonne, up $2.59 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $120.89 per tonne, up $2.21 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $92.38 per tonne, up $3.40 per tonne...Read More
The price for grade 18/8 alloy steel scrap increased due to higher nickel costs, while underlying market fundamentals remained stable, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday October 22.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for stainless steel scrap 18/8 solids domestic, delivered merchants UK was ?1,340-1,440 ($1,850-1,988) per tonne on Friday, up by ?10-40 per tonne from ?1,330-1,400 per tonne the...Read More
Ferrous scrap prices in the global markets continued to strengthen in the week ended Friday October 22 amid firm demand and tight supply. Turkish steel mills continued to pay higher prices for deep-sea scrap cargoes, while buyers in Southeast Asia had to raise their bids because of limited supply.?EUR?Turkish steel mills end the week with five deep-sea cargo trades, prices up?EUR?Tight supply in t...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices fell sharply on Friday October 22 following a drop in the futures market, but the lower prices stimulated an increase in buying interest.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,300-5,350 yuan ($829-837) per tonne, down by 330 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing) weekly assessment: 5,240-5,270 yuan per tonne, down by 360-380 yuan per tonneThe January rebar futures contra...Read More
Unites States steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs plans to increase its share of the US domestic prime scrap market amid increasing demand and the failure of the country's own manufacturing supply to keep up, the company's chairman, president and chief executive officer said.Lourenco Goncalves told a conference call for the Cleveland, Ohio-based company's third quarter earnings that the company didn't hav...Read More
Indian domestic prices for steel hot-rolled coil have risen by about 1,500 rupees ($20) per tonne in the week to Friday October 22, with most mills announcing price rises.Mills raised their HRC prices with demand increasing on active restocking by traders and a sharp increase in spot prices.Mills had raised their domestic HRC prices by about 1,000 rupees per tonne in the second week of October.The...Read More
A sharp drop in domestic billet and rebar prices over the past few days in China resulted in a change of mood in the Commonwealth of Independent States' export billet market, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' price assessment of steel reinforcing bar (rebar) domestic, ex-whs Eastern China was 5,300-5,350 ($828.46-836.28) yuan per tonne on Friday October 22, down by 330 yuan per tonne day on da...Read More
Vale has restarted a conveyor belt at its Salobo copper mine in Brazil following an 18-day stoppage due to a fire, the multi-metal producer said on Friday October 22.Activities at the site's processing plant resumed on Friday, and the company will subsequently ramp up copper concentrate output on Monday October 25.An estimated 8,000 tonnes of copper production was lost because of that downtime, Va...Read More
Mexico's Altos Hornos de M?(C)xico (Ahmsa) is considering seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for its Minera del Norte thermal coal subsidiary, after a Mexican commission canceled state supply contracts, the company said on Thursday October 21.Minera del Norte - also known as Minosa - is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Mexican steelmaker and has the capacity to produce 6.6 million tonnes per...Read More
The spot copper concentrate processing charge continued to drop for the fourth consecutive week. Fastmarkets assessment of the copper concentrate treatment charge/ refining charge (TC/RC) stayed below $60/6 with a lack of liquidity and spot appetite. Smelters' purchase TC was assessed at mid-to-low $60s while traders' purchase TC was at low $50s for standard material. ...Read More
London Metal Exchange base metals prices were mostly lower at the 5pm close on October 22, with investors looking to book profits from peaks reached earlier in the week. Aluminium's three-month price rolled back most of the gains made so far this month, with its closing price on Friday at 5pm, at $2,868 per tonne, being the lowest since October 6, with more than 37,000 lots traded. The metal...Read More
Seaborne prices for low-volatility pulverized coal injection material (PCI) in both the fob and cfr markets in China have increased because of persistently tight supply, Fastmarkets heard on Friday October 22.A trade was finally heard in the fob spot market on Friday. And China's National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC) held a meeting during the morning to work out plans to tackle high coal...Read More