German copper producer Aurubis has started tests for the use of hydrogen and nitrogen to replace natural gas in its copper anode production processes, advancing the company's goal of achieving carbon-neutrality by 2050, it announced on Thursday May 27.The tests started on Thursday and were intended to investigate hydrogen use in continuous operation until the late summer. The long-term goal was to...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Europe were broadly flat day on day, reflecting a lack of trading activity in the spot market while supply is tight, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday May 27.Fastmarkets calculated its steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe at ?,?1,138.33 ($1,391.57) per tonne on May 27, down by ?,?2.67 per tonne from ?,?1,141 per tonne on May 26. The i...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were mixed during the morning of Thursday May 27, as were broader markets - are these pauses, or early signs of a stall?More US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) members seem to be getting off the fence about talking about tapering Chinese yuan continues to strengthen, is China using the yuan to reduce inflationary pr...Read More
Battery manufacturers in China have aggressively cut their orders for lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) cathode materials in the second quarter, with the move weighing on lithium and cobalt prices, market sources told Fastmarkets.LCO batteries are widely used in consumer electronics, including smart phones, laptops, and tablets among others.A leading electronics battery manufacturer in China will cut its...Read More
Four key takeaways from the 6th China International LiCoNi Summit in Changsha, China, on May 20-21, 2021.1. Weak nickel market sentiment now but long-term positive Sentiment remained weak among domestic market participants at the conference because they think both the mild hawkish stance evident in the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes and the statement from China's State Council that...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday May 27 that are worth another look.Energy majors Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil and Chevron received landmark rebukes - in court or from investors - on Wednesday May 26 in attempts to force the companies into...Read More
A combination of strong demand and tight supplies in the global silico-manganese market has revived Chinese exports, which have been largely dormant over the past decade, sources told Fastmarkets this week.As the world's largest silico-manganese producer, China was a significant supplier to buyers in Asia and Europe until the removal of an export rebate in 2005. And a 20% tariff introduced 2007 fu...Read More
The Cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lbtrade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets assessed...Read More
The Cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets assessed Cobalt standard grade, in-whs...Read More
Four key takeaways from the 6th China International LiCoNi Summit in Changsha, China, on May 20-21, 2021.1. Weak nickel market sentiment now but long-term positive Sentiment remained weak among domestic market participants at the conference because they think both the mild hawkish stance evident in the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes and the statement from China's State Council that...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday May 27 that are worth another look.Energy majors Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil and Chevron received landmark rebukes - in court or from investors - on Wednesday May 26 in attempts to force the companies into...Read More
Copper's price is trading at all-time highs - and now the countries where it is mined the most want a piece of the action.The London Metal Exchange's three-month copper contract recently hit an all-time high of $10,747 per tonne - industrial commodities have broadly rallied on the expectation that government investments in green energy schemes and infrastructure projects after the Covid-19 pandemi...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday May 26 that are worth another look.The Brazilian branch of Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal has scheduled the restart of primary steel production at its Barra Mansa site for the second half of 2021,...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday May 26 that are worth another look.The Brazilian branch of Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal has scheduled the restart of primary steel production at its Barra Mansa site for the second half of 2021,...Read More
Robust demand continued to support the high- and low-carbon ferro-chrome markets in Europe in the week ended Tuesday May 25.Fastmarkets' price assessment for ferro-chrome, high carbon, 6-8.5% C, basis 65-70% Cr, max 1.5% Si, delivered Europe, narrowed upward by 3 cents (+1.1%) to $1.23-1.50 per lb Cr on Tuesday, from $1.20-1.50 per lb Cr a week earlier.The market was supported by strength in the s...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday May 26 that are worth another look.The Brazilian branch of Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal has scheduled the restart of primary steel production at its Barra Mansa site for the second half of 2021,...Read More
The Kamoa Kakula copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the latest greenfield copper project to come online, having started concentrate production on Tuesday May 25. Jointly owned by Zijin Mining and Ivanhoe Mines, the copper mine began concentrate production ahead of schedule when the first batch of copper ore containing 5-6% copper content was conveyed from the underground mine...Read More
Chinese market participants showed more buying interest in seaborne alumina cargoes this week, with a stronger yuan giving them more purchasing power in overseas markets, several sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday May 26. "We heard [the Chinese] have interest in [buying seaborne] alumina although we didn't hear too many offers at the index basis [in the market]," one alumina trader said. Severa...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
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