Zinc and lead premiums were mostly stable across the globe on Tuesday May 25, despite tight supply in various regions with activity gaining steam, and a milder loss of the import arbitrage in China.Zinc premium holds in northern Europe; market tightness boosts levels in ItalyUnited States Midwest premiums stable amid conflicting near-term viewsPremiums steady in Shanghai despite lower arbitrage lo...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
Fastmarkets reporters round up some of the key discussion points from the Cobalt Institute's annual conference, which ran virtually this year on May 18-19. EU regulation likely to have global impact The European Union's battery regulation policy has called for a minimum recycled content of cobalt in each electric vehicle (EV) and industrial battery cell. From 2030, 12% of the cobalt must be r...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
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.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 Rotterdam, $/lb at 20.00-20.50 on Wednesday May...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 inflati...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
Market participants expect long-term support for aluminium scrap prices in Europe following growing demand for low-carbon aluminium. According to the European Union's taxonomy for sustainable activities, which serves as a guide to direct investment for sustainable projects, there are fewer criteria to be met for the manufacturing of secondary aluminium to be considered a sustainable project. "All...Read More
Base metals prices on the LME and SHFE were mixed - albeit with a slight upward bias - this morning, Wednesday May 26. But the rebounds seem half-hearted, with some erring on the side of caution judging by the lower treasury yields and stronger gold price. While the United States Federal Reserve generally seems to be remaining dovish, the vice chair, Richard Clarida, spoke of a "soft landing"........Read More
Prices for steel hollow sections in Europe increased again on Wednesday May 26, with mills continuing to cite higher feedstock costs for raised prices, sources told Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe was ?,?1,250-1,320 ($1,530-1,616) per tonne on May 26, up from ?,?1,220-1,250 per tonne on May 19. Fastmarkets' weekly pri...Read More
Domestic prices for cold-rolled coil continued to increase across Europe in the week to Wednesday May 26 due to the persistent shortage of material, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel CRC, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was ?,?1,250-1,300 ($1,530-1,592) per tonne on May 26, compared with ?,?1,250-1,270 per tonne a week earlier.The assessment was based on achiev...Read More
Spot buying interest for copper in both China and the United States was limited over the week ended Tuesday May 25, with buyers wary of price fluctuations.Chinese buying interest remains lowChina's copper premiums were stable over the seven days after consecutive weeks of declines.Fastmarkets assessed the daily benchmark copper grade-A cathode premium, cif Shanghai, at $20-35 per tonne on Tuesday,...Read More
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, the company said on Wednesday May 26.With 19 million Reais ($3.6 million) in investments for a revamp, ArcelorMittal will resume activities with one of the two electric arc furnaces in the plant. The company first cut output at...Read More
The UK government has announced ?166 million funding to drive forward development of green technology and development as part of its Green Industrial Revolution, with UK steelmakers set to receive cash.The funding package will benefit energy-intensive businesses such as steelmaking and manufacturing and falls under the UK Prime Minister's 10 Point Plan for a green revolution, which includes remov...Read More
Prices for steel hollow sections in Europe increased again on Wednesday May 26, with mills continuing to cite higher feedstock costs for raised prices, sources told Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe was ?,?1,250-1,320 ($1,530-1,616) per tonne on May 26, up from ?,?1,220-1,250 per tonne on May 19. Fastmarkets' weekly pri...Read More
Base metals prices on the LME and SHFE were mixed - albeit with a slight upward bias - this morning, Wednesday May 26. But the rebounds seem half-hearted, with some erring on the side of caution judging by the lower treasury yields and stronger gold price. While the United States Federal Reserve generally seems to be remaining dovish, the vice chair, Richard Clarida, spoke of a "soft landing"........Read More
Nickel and aluminium were the stand-out metals during the afternoon session on Wednesday May 26 on the London Metal Exchange, with slight rises for the rest of the base metals - except for zinc - after a start of the week that saw lower prices across the complex. Nickel's price was up 1.5% to $17,288 per tonne on Wednesday, its highest in the past week following a bout of weakness triggered on the...Read More
Market participants expect long-term support for aluminium scrap prices in Europe following growing demand for low-carbon aluminium. According to the European Union's taxonomy for sustainable activities, which serves as a guide to direct investment for sustainable projects, there are fewer criteria to be met for the manufacturing of secondary aluminium to be considered a sustainable project. "All...Read More