While copper and tin prices are showing some hesitancy on the London Metal Exchange, most of the other base metals are looking robust this morning, Friday June 25, and all the base metals in Shanghai are upbeat too.United States President Joe Biden agrees a $1 trillion infrastructure deal......which should be good for metals because it focuses on upgrading roads, bridges and broadband networksBase...Read More
The United States' pig iron import market fell in the latest bookings during the week to Friday June 25, although a rebound may come on the threat of reduced supply from Russia if a proposed export tax is implemented.Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US, was $645-655 per tonne on Friday, down from $650-665 per tonne a week earlier.One booking of Russia-origin...Read More
The pig iron export market in Brazil remained muted in the week to Friday June 25 due to continuing long lead times, but demand is expected to pick up if Russia implements a pig iron export tax in the coming weeks, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, export, fob port of Vitoria/Rio, Brazil was $620 per tonne on Friday, unchanged week on week.The market remained ina...Read More
Prices in the European titanium alloy and scrap market could fall in the near term amid signs of weaker scrap costs and little renewed consumer demand for third quarter deliveries, according to trade sources.While most industry ferro-titanium suppliers reported fairly stable prices this week, they also said trading activity has been quiet, much like the rest of the current quarter. Steelmakers tol...Read More
Much greater investment is needed to expand supply chains to secure critical minerals and expand manufacturing in key materials needed for the energy transition, according to the Acting Undersecretary for Science and Energy at the United States Department of Energy.These investments must ensure sustainable production, refining, and recycling capacity domestically, while ensuring strong environment...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday June 24 that are worth another look.The Brazilian capital goods association, Abimaq, will meet with China-based Baosteel and local trading house Comexport to pave the way for its members to import more steel amid rising prices and tight supply in the domestic market, the association said...Read More
China's domestic stainless steel prices rose to their highest in four-and-a-half years over the past week after producers made upward adjustments to their list prices.DomesticStainless steel cold-rolled coil 2mm grade 304 domestic (Wuxi): 16,900-17,500 ($2,609-2,701) per tonne, up by 300 yuan per tonne Prices were last at these levels in December 2016, according to Fastmarkets' data.High productio...Read More
All base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange, except for copper, finished slightly higher on Thursday June 24, with the recovery continuing after last week's decline while the US Dollar Index consolidated on low ground to lend support to the complex.Nickel led the way on the LME, rising by 1.9% at the close of trading on Thursday to $18,407 per tonne, up from its Wednesday closing price of...Read More
Much greater investment is needed to expand supply chains to secure critical minerals and expand manufacturing in key materials needed for the energy transition, according to the Acting Undersecretary for Science and Energy at the United States Department of Energy.These investments must ensure sustainable production, refining, and recycling capacity domestically, while ensuring strong environment...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday June 24 that are worth another look.The Brazilian capital goods association, Abimaq, will meet with China-based Baosteel and local trading house Comexport to pave the way for its members to import more steel amid rising prices and tight supply in the domestic market, the association said...Read More
European hot-rolled coil prices pushed up on Thursday June 24, despite limited trading, supported by ongoing shortages and with ArcelorMittal again raising its offer prices just a month after its previous increases.Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, at ?,?1,190.87 ($1,421.20) per tonne on Thursday, up by ?,?5.83 from ?,?1,185.04 per tonne o...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-dipped galvanized coil in Europe increased in the week to Wednesday June 23, supported by tight supplies and good demand, sources told Fastmarkets.European producers have full order books, with those in Northern Europe said to be sold out of 2021 rolling HDG, while Italian and Central European mills were still able to offer limited volumes for shipment in the fourth quarter...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday June 24 that are worth another look.The Brazilian capital goods association, Abimaq, will meet with China-based Baosteel and local trading house Comexport to pave the way for its members to import more steel amid rising prices and tight supply in the domestic market, the association said...Read More
With leading car makers eyeing extra silicon in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, a Canadian company claims to be getting close to making that commercially viable with its breakthrough process.HPQ Silicon Resources Inc, of Montreal said on Tuesday June 22 it had solidified its position with a C$4.4 million ($3.58 million) equity increase, while it nears the testing phase of its patent-pending proce...Read More
The continuing upward trend in global standard-grade cobalt benchmark prices is inspiring optimistic sentiment across the market and supporting domestic cobalt sulfate and tetroxide prices in China, sources told Fastmarkets this week.Renewed demand in Europe since the middle of June led to an increases in international cobalt benchmark prices and has revived bullish sentiment, leading to a new rou...Read More
Much greater investment is needed to expand supply chains to secure critical minerals and expand manufacturing in key materials needed for the energy transition, according to the Acting Undersecretary for Science and Energy at the United States Department of Energy.These investments must ensure sustainable production, refining, and recycling capacity domestically, while ensuring strong environment...Read More
Consolidation has set in across the base metals on the London Metal Exchange this morning, Thursday June 24, while in Shanghai, moves were mixed in response to the combination of yesterday's strength and this morning's weakness on the LME.Broader markets also mixed this morning, suggesting that markets are waiting for directionBase metalsLME three-month base metals prices were down across the boar...Read More
Ferro-molybdenum prices dropped on Wednesday after a number of market participants took profits following a six-week rally in which prices jumped as much as 78% and hit a series of 10-year highs, sources said.Fastmarkets assessed the price for ferro-molybdenum 65% Mo min, in-whs Rotterdam at $47-48.50 per kg on Wednesday June 23, down by 3.6% from $49-50 per kg on June 16.This represented a steepe...Read More
Prices in the European titanium alloy and scrap market could fall in the near term amid signs of weaker scrap costs and little renewed consumer demand for third quarter deliveries, according to trade sources.While most industry ferro-titanium suppliers reported fairly stable prices this week, they also said trading activity has been quiet, much like the rest of the current quarter. Steelmakers tol...Read More
Hot-briquetted iron and ferrous scrap will become increasingly important as key steelmaking raw materials in Japan, according to SMBC Nikko Securities' senior analyst Atsushi Yamaguchi.Speaking at the Asia panel session at Steel Success Strategies 2021 on Wednesday June 23, Yamaguchi said the move will happen because of increasing concerns over carbon emissions in Japan, where major steel producer...Read More