PT Freeport has said it will continue with building a new copper smelter in Indonesia on its own, the latest twist in a saga that has run for almost a decade.The company, which is a subsidiary of US mining company Freeport McMoRan, will begin constructing a new smelter able to process 1.7 million tonnes of copper concentrates per year, its spokesperson Riza Pratama told Reuters on July...Read More
First Cobalt has held preliminary discussions with Canadian government officials on the creation of a lithium-ion battery park on the same site as its battery materials hydrometallurgical refinery north of Toronto, the company said.The goal is to attract a precursor manufacturer to the site to recycle black mass from spent lithium-ion batteries, recovering nickel and cobalt in the process, it note...Read More
Benchmark futures were mostly higher on the London Metal Exchange at Thursday's 5pm close following positive economic data released from China and a sustained dovish stance from the US Federal Reserve on interest rates.The three-month copper contract continued to rally, reaching $9,486.50 per tonne at Thursday's 5pm close, up by 1.5% from $9,342.50 per tonne on Wednesday. Despite recent consolidat...Read More
Bill Gates has a theory about green premiums: He wants to eliminate them entirely. The American business magnate and philanthropist calls green premiums the additional cost of choosing a clean technology over one that emits a greater amount of greenhouse gases.In other words, the price that metals and mining companies are starting to charge their customers for producing low-carbon produc...Read More
Vietnam is proposing to impose a 5% export tax on steel billet, which could make offer prices from the country's mills uncompetitive in key Asian markets, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday July 15.The proposal has been drafted by the Vietnam Ministry of Finance, but is not yet official policy as it is awaiting final government approval, according to key billet trading sources.News of the propos...Read More
Zinc producers in China's southwestern province of Yunnan should be able to fully resume their operations by mid-June, sources said.Yunnan will remove its power restrictions by the end of June that have stunted local zinc output, the provincial energy bureau said.A few zinc smelters in Yunnan have already resumed production, however, sources that spoke to Fastmarkets said.Production capa...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of base metals analysts are ready to view.Aluminium: SHFE tailwind for LME pricesAs we are entering the traditional strong demand season, we expect Chinese aluminium demand to show further recovery, and we expect demand from existing end-user sectors, new infrastructure projects and the export sector to show some increases. As a result, we believe that S...Read More
Iron ore prices increased on Thursday July 15, supported by falling steel inventories in China, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $222.09 per tonne, up $3.43 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $223.75 per tonne, up $3.75 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $182.06 per tonne, up $3.65 per tonne65% Fe Brazil-origin fines,...Read More
Brazilian steel producers have accepted a reduction of 10% in import duties, and agreed to avoid raising domestic prices further, according to the country's economy minister, Paulo Guedes.The government has been in talks with representatives of steel producers, the country's construction industry and other end users. They are discussing options to normalize supply of rebar and other steel products...Read More
Benchmark futures were mostly higher on the London Metal Exchange at Thursday's 5pm close following positive economic data released from China and a sustained dovish stance from the US Federal Reserve on interest rates.The three-month copper contract continued to rally, reaching $9,486.50 per tonne at Thursday's 5pm close, up by 1.5% from $9,342.50 per tonne on Wednesday. Despite recent consolidat...Read More
Steel scrap import prices into China remained steady despite supplies of domestic scrap being tightened by the rainy season in the north and by high temperatures in the south, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday July 15.Fastmarkets' daily price assessment for steel scrap, heavy recycled steel materials, cfr China, which takes into account prices at ports in eastern China, was $530-540 per tonne o...Read More
Steel reinforcing bar prices in the United States increased on Wednesday July 14 for the first time since June 16. Fastmarkets' assessment for steel rebar, fob mill US was $49 per hundredweight ($980 per short ton) on Wednesday, up 2.08% from $48 per cwt the previous week and up 70.44% from $28.75 per cwt at the same time last year.US marketNucor Corp and Mid-Continent Steel and Wire each increase...Read More
The European Commission (EC) adopted on Wednesday July 14 a package of proposals under the EU Green deal that affect the metals industry, including a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).The CBAM will apply to imports into the EU of iron and steel, aluminium, cement, fertilizers and electricity.During a transition period from 2023 to 2025, importers will have to report the emissions embodied...Read More
Vietnam is proposing to impose a 5% export tax on steel billet, which could make offer prices from the country's mills uncompetitive in key Asian markets, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday July 15.The proposal has been drafted by the Vietnam Ministry of Finance, but is not yet official policy as it is awaiting final government approval, according to key billet trading sources.News of the propos...Read More
Brazilian steel producers have accepted a reduction of 10% in import duties, and agreed to avoid raising domestic prices further, according to the country's economy minister, Paulo Guedes.The government has been in talks with representatives of steel producers, the country's construction industry and other end users. They are discussing options to normalize supply of rebar and other steel products...Read More
The European Commission (EC) has proposed a revision of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) that would substantially reduce the overall cap on carbon dioxide emissions and increase the annual rate of reduction as part of the EU Green Deal, it said on Wednesday July 14.The EC has an ambitious target to achieve net reductions in emissions of at least 55% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. The pre...Read More
China's domestic stainless steel prices rose sharply over the week to Wednesday July 14 on concerns of tighter supply amid growing expectations for mills to cut production.Gains in the nickel market provided further support to stainless steel prices.The three-month nickel contract on the London Metal Exchange ended the official trading session on Wednesday at $18,698 per tonne, up by $381 per tonn...Read More
Glencore has described rioting in South Africa as a "force majeure event" in a letter to customers about a number of ores, alloys and metals exported from the country, although this is not a declaration of force majeure. In a notice to customers on July 14, seen by Fastmarkets, the trader-miner warned that ongoing violence in South Africa could potentially prevent them from fulfilling contracts wi...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices continued to rise on Thursday July 15, following a strong showing in the futures market in early trading.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,200-5,240 yuan ($805-811) per tonne, up by 20 yuan per tonneDeals were concluded at 5,200-5,240 yuan per tonne in early trading, with buyers expecting rebar prices to continue rise on seeing the futures...Read More
Rising South African manganese exports over the past month have been driven by semi-carbonate ore sales to traders, leading to a build-up of low-grade stocks in China even while high-grade inventories have been drawn down.Prices for low- and high-grade manganese prices in China have diverged in recent weeks, with market sources suggesting that this disparity has been maintained by trader...Read More