The spot price for spodumene concentrates has been steady in the past two weeks, while the market is eyeing the next auction for lithium feedstock in late October.Fastmarkets' assessment for spodumene 6% Li2O min, cif China basis was $2,000-2,500 per tonne on Thursday October 15, unchanged from two weeks ago.Tightness in availability and persistent momentum of downstream lithium compounds pri...Read More
Metals and battery materials company Umicore has signed long-term lithium supply agreements with China's Ganfeng Lithium and Germany's Vulcan Energy Resources, the Belgian company announced on Friday October 15.Ganfeng Lithium, based in Jiangxi, southeast China, will provide Australian-origin lithium from 2022 for "a significant part of Umicore's future lithium requirements in Asia," a press relea...Read More
Most prices for flat-rolled steel products imported into South America were down during the week ended Friday October 15, with Brazilian mills lowering their offers, Russian sellers pressuring the market downward and Chinese material still scarce in the region.While some offers from China emerged at higher levels, following a week-long holiday in the Asian country, reduced export availability to S...Read More
Coated steel coil prices increased sharply in Turkey during the week ended Friday October 15 and some producers stopped accepting new orders, sources told Fastmarkets.Producers stopped accepting orders because prices for hot-rolled coil, the base material for coated coils, continued to increase and producers wanted to reflect cost increases in their end-product prices.Fastmarkets' weekly price ass...Read More
A lack of trading across Europe kept domestic prices for hot-rolled coil fairly stable on Friday October 15, sources told Fastmarkets.Bearish sentiment is prevailing in the market, supported by poor demand from the automotive sector and good domestic supplies. Buyers and sellers have mainly been holding back from making deals, with only limited volumes traded in Europe during the week, sources sai...Read More
Steel wire rod prices in Poland were broadly flat in the week to Friday October 15, while market sources expect producers to increase prices in November due to higher energy costs, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel wire rod (drawing quality), domestic, delivered Poland remained at 3,800-3,900 zloty ($964-989) per tonne on Friday, unchanged from the previous we...Read More
Poland's steel rebar market remained flat in the week to October 15, but sources expect producers to seek higher prices due to high energy costs, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday.Rebar offers from local mills were at 3,600-3,700 zloty ($913-938) per tonne ex-works, but some had already finished October sales and are yet to return with November offers."ArcelorMittal is expected to announce new pr...Read More
Eastern China rebar prices lost upward momentum on Friday October 15 due to sellers' need to reduce inventories.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,770-5,800 yuan ($896-901) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing) weekly assessment: 5,600-5,650 yuan per tonne, down by 200 yuan per tonneSellers expect prices will have little chance to rise in the remaining days of October, so...Read More
The market for pig iron exports from the south of Brazil went up during the week to Friday October 15 because of new sales, Fastmarkets has heard.Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, export, fob port of Vitoria/Rio, Brazil, was $500 per tonne on Friday, up from $480-485 per tonne a week earlier.Two sales were heard at...Read More
Prices in the United States' pig iron import market went up during the week to Friday October 15 amid an improved global market mood, sources told Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets' assessment of the price for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US was $545-550 per tonne on Friday, up from $540 per tonne a week earlier.Offers of Russia-origin...Read More
Higher demand in key consumer markets led to a jump in steel scrap prices across all major markets in the week to Friday October 15, sources have told Fastmarkets.?EUR?Turkey import prices spike amid limited supply, firm demand?EUR?Further price increases expected in US export market?EUR?High prices dissuade Vietnam buyers from more deals?EUR?China scrap demand recovers amid less stringent power r...Read More
Slab export prices from Brazil declined in the week to Friday October 15, with offers and bids consolidating at lower levels, but market participants expected prices to have reached a bottom with no further room to drop.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab export, fob main port Brazil was at $740-760 per tonne on Friday, down by $20 from $760-780 per tonne on October 8.Demand remain...Read More
Eastern China rebar prices lost upward momentum on Friday October 15 due to sellers' need to reduce inventories.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,770-5,800 yuan ($896-901) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing) weekly assessment: 5,600-5,650 yuan per tonne, down by 200 yuan per tonneSellers expect prices will have little chance to rise in the remaining days of October, so...Read More
The price of stainless steel in Europe was stable this week but mills were expected to try to push through increases because of higher energy costs, despite the fact that demand has slowed in recent weeks, Fastmarkets heard on Friday October 15.An Italian mill was said to be hoping to implement a ?,?20 ($23) per tonne energy surcharge in order to recoup some of its expenditure on rising energy cos...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Janie Davies, Cristina Belda,...Read More
The major car-manufacturing countries in Europe recorded double-digit percentage drops in sales volumes in September 2021 due to the continuing global semiconductor shortage, the European Automotive Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said on Friday October 15.EU passenger car registrations decreased by 23.07% year-on-year to 718,598 units in September, the lowest number of registrations for a Septem...Read More
Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel is suing compatriot automaker Toyota and Chinese mill Baosteel on claims that the two had infringed on its patent for non-oriented electrical steel sheet. In its suit filed at the Tokyo district court on Thursday October 14, Nippon Steel is also seeking an injunction to prohibit Toyota from manufacturing and selling motor-driven vehicles equipped with motors using...Read More
Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel is suing compatriot automaker Toyota and Chinese mill Baosteel on claims that the two had infringed on its patent for non-oriented electrical steel sheet. In its suit filed at the Tokyo district court on Thursday October 14, Nippon Steel is also seeking an injunction to prohibit Toyota from manufacturing and selling motor-driven vehicles equipped with motors using...Read More
The Port of Los Angeles plans to operate around the clock seven days a week to address a growing backlog of shipments waiting in cargo containers anchored offshore to be unloaded at the port.The port announced the move on Wednesday October 13, joining a similar effort that began at the nearby Port of Long Beach in September.The port is figuring out the details of how it will work with supply chain...Read More
The European Commission (EC) has extended anti-dumping duties on imports of wire rod from China until 2026, the Official Journal of the European Union said on October 13.The EC concluded that dumping would likely recur if the current measures were allowed to lapse. This followed an expiry review lodged by the European steel association, Eurofer, in July 2020 on behalf of...Read More