A shipment of 4,000 tonnes of imported scrap booked by major Chinese steelmaker Hebei Iron & Steel (HBIS) cleared customs checks at Jingtang port in Tangshan, Hebei in early June, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday June 30. This is their second cargo of Japanese heavy scrap (HS) since China officially eased restrictions on scrap imports in January 2021. Their first cargo of 2,092 tonnes cleared...Read More
Iron ore prices rose on Wednesday June 30 when concerns were raised about China's overall crude steel output for 2021, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $214.08 per tonne, up by $1.75 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $217.85 per tonne, up by $2.91 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $180.95 per tonne, up by $1.33 per t...Read More
Russia's Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) is to commission a new blast furnace (BF) to produce additional pig iron volumes to be used in its own steelmaking operations, the company told Fastmarkets this week.No pig iron sales are planned.The project, at MMK's steelmaking complex at Magnitogorsk in the Chelyabinsk region of Russia, is expected to start in July 2021, with the start-up of the fu...Read More
German steel maker Thyssenkrupp is to replace its four blast furnaces and switch to a system based on direct-reduction of raw material using hydrogen by 2025, the company announced on Tuesday June 29, following a visit by federal government ministers.The company confirmed that it will gradually replace the blast furnaces with direct-reduction plants fueled by green hydrogen, each able to melt soli...Read More
Turkish steel producers continued their deep-sea scrap purchases, but at a slow pace dictated by limited long steel demand, market sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday June 30.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a US cargo, comprising HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $501 per tonne, along with shredded and bonus scrap at $521 per tonne cfr late on Tuesday June 29, the seller told Fastmarkets.But some mar...Read More
A Turkish mill has secured ferrous scrap from the United States for $2 per tonne more than the last-reported US sale, but falling dock prices and a lack of significant upward momentum in US export prices has led some to question what direction domestic prices will take in July's ferrous scrap trade."It is an interesting turn of events. Somehow mills are getting comfortable. My agent told me export...Read More
European steel H-beam prices remained stable on Wednesday June 30, with mill-led price increases slowing ahead of the summer break, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel beams, domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?1,030-1,050 ($1,226-1,250) per tonne on June 30, unchanged week on week.This is the second week of price stability after a period of consistent w...Read More
Steel rebar prices in the north of Europe have remained firm at a high level over the past week, supported by strong demand, low stocks at buyers and limited imports, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday June 30.Producers in the region were reported to have no spare volumes for July, sources said.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, delivered Northern...Read More
An overview of the chrome ore and alloy markets in Asia, Europe and the United States on Tuesday June 29 and their latest price moves.China Several major producers in Inner Mongolia stopped offering ferro-chrome in the spot market due to supply tightness amid power restrictions adding to bullish sentiment. Domestic spot ferro-chrome offer prices surged prior to an expected increase in upcoming Jul...Read More
Tin demand is likely to exceed 400,000 tonnes per year by 2025, while supplies from greenfield projects and recycled material are not expected to keep pace, leading to a deficit over the next decade, according to the International Tin Association (ITA).At an ITA seminar on Tuesday June 29, delegates heard that tin demand for 2020 was calculated at 355,200 tonnes, with more than 50% being used for...Read More
All prices on the London Metal Exchange except for copper finished the day on June 29 at higher prices than Monday, with lead showing the biggest gains and setting a new year-to-date high, and aluminium up by 2.5%.Copper was the only price to close lower on Tuesday, falling 0.6% to $9,334.50 per tonne from Monday's $9,388 per tonne. The three-month price of lead rose by 3.2% to $2,305 per ton...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday June 29 that are worth another look....Read More
Australia-listed Infinity Lithium Corp has entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the long-term supply of battery-grade lithium hydroxide with South Korean lithium-ion battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution, the Australian company said on Monday June 28. Under the agreement, the former will supply lithium hydroxide produced from its 75%-owned San Jos?(C) lithium project...Read More
Lithium carbonate chemical prices must remain in excess of $10 per kg to stimulate the creation of new capacity to match the exponentially growing demand, Wei Xiong, vice president of China's General Lithium, has said.Wei was speaking during a lithium market webinar hosted by investment bank Morgan Stanley on Friday June 25."Demand [for lithium] is very solid," he said, "but supply is flexible and...Read More
UK-based mineral processing company Green Lithium has secured ?1.6 million ($2.22 million) in seed-round funding to advance its plans to build and operate the first large-scale lithium refinery in the country, it said on Monday June 28.The funds were sourced from a range of high-net-worth individual investors, and the total was more than five times the initial targeted amount, Green Lithium said....Read More
Base metals prices on both the London Metal Exchange and the Shanghai Futures Exchange were weaker across the board this morning, Tuesday June 29, with the spread of the Covid-19 Delta variant a worrisome development.While lockdowns can hit demand, there is also a risk to supply from mine closures or further logistical delaysBase metalsLME three-month base metals prices were down across the board...Read More
Turkish steel mills picked up their activity in the deep-sea scrap markets with a fresh UK cargo sold at fairly stable prices, market participants said on Tuesday June 29.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked the UK cargo, comprising 25,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20), 10,000 tonnes of shredded and 10,000 tonnes of bonus at an average price of $505.50 per tonne cfr. The cargo is scheduled to be...Read More
Ferrous scrap prices in Mexico's steelmaking regions of Monterrey and Baj?-o were mostly stable week on week while demand remained high, according to several sources.Few changes were reported during the past week, with prices appearing to stabilize at currently high levels. There were reports of some buyers adjusting their prices upward for some grades in the region near the northeastern Monterrey...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday June 29 that are worth another look....Read More
The European ferro-titanium and titanium scrap markets may be set to push higher in the coming months after news that Russia will impose an export tax on ferro-alloys between August 1 and December 31 this year, according to industry sources.Europe imported around 1,500 tonnes of ferro-titanium per month on average from Russia in the past three years, including Scandinavia and Turkey, with 1,700-1,...Read More