Production of key battery raw materials cobalt and nickel will remain tight and will pose challenges to the electrification of transport, panelists said on Monday November 15 during Fastmarkets' International Ferro-alloys Conference in Prague."This year was really the first year that we saw a step change in nickel demand caused by demand from the electric vehicles (EV) sector and we saw nickel con...Read More
Iron ore prices fell in China on Thursday November 18 in response to a new round of controls imposed on blast furnace operation and emissions restrictions in the city of Handan in Hebei province, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $87.27 per tonne, down $3.81 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $88.26 per tonne, down $3.04 per tonne58% Fe fines high-gr...Read More
Key data from the Wednesday November 17 pricing session in China.Key drivers China's spot cobalt metal price fell amid a decline in local futures prices, while downstream demand was curbed by still high spot levels. Cobalt tetroxide prices in China were flat amid limited trading activity. Though most sellers would like...Read More
Production of key battery raw materials cobalt and nickel will remain tight and will pose challenges to the electrification of transport, panelists said on Monday November 15 during Fastmarkets' International Ferro-alloys Conference in Prague."This year was really the first year that we saw a step change in nickel demand caused by demand from the electric vehicles (EV) sector and we saw nickel con...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 12 points in pre-opening trade. Equity indices are responding to a surge in COVID 19 cases in Europe.The Canadian Dollar was virtually unchanged at US 79.12 cents after release of Canadian September Retail Sales at 8:30 AM EST. Consensus was an drop of 1.7% versus a gain of 2.1% in August. Actual was a drop of 0.6%. E...Read More
The export price for CIS-origin steel billet softened toward the end of the current week amid increased competition in the nearby markets in Turkey and Egypt, Fastmarkets heard on Thursday November 18.Weakness in finished steel prices added to the negative sentiment.The removal of a 10% safeguard duty on billet imports into Egypt early this week [LINK] at first added some optimism to the market, b...Read More
Base metals futures on the London Metal Exchange were largely lower at the 5pm close on Wednesday November 17, succumbing to a strong US dollar index and other headwinds.The US dollar index remained at its highest since July 2020, touching 96.27 during early trading before stepping back to 95.83 at the close."It seems that the upside momentum has stalled in several markets over the last 24 ho...Read More
Fastmarkets' Ferrous Analytics report helps subscribers keep track of hot metal costs and steel production spreads in China, along with key pricing components of the steelmaking raw materials supply chain in Asia.Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil were fairly stable in Northern Europe and Italy on Wednesday November 17; buyers and sellers both remained in "wait-and-see" mode, sources told Fastmarkets.Spot buyers preferred to hold back from booking any significant volumes for next year before the steelmakers settled their long-term contracts with end consumers. Some sources said that negotiations are likel...Read More
Tight supply and steep backwardation on London Metals Exchange continued to support European premiums while China premiums retreated slightly amid increased arbitrage loss, and US premiums were stable in the week to November 16, Fastmarkets learned.European premiums strong while long term contact negotiations for 2022 ongoingChina premiums slid amid increased arbitrage lossUS premiums unchanged wi...Read More
Fastmarkets' Ferrous Analytics report helps subscribers keep track of hot metal costs and steel production spreads in China, along with key pricing components of the steelmaking raw materials supply chain in Asia.Read More
Prices in the United States for domestic and imported low-carbon, high-carbon and cold-heading quality wire rod reached new highs in November, toppling records set last month.Fastmarkets' monthly assessment for steel wire rod (low carbon) industrial quality, fob mill US was at $63-67 per hundredweight ($1,260-1,340 per short ton) on Tuesday November 16, up by 6.56% from $59.50-62.50 per cwt o...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Alex Cook in...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday November 17.Key drivers European ferro-titanium spot prices were unchanged for the fifth week in a row after a tender for annual delivery in 2022 from Korean steel major Posco was settled in the current spot price range, according to sources. There were no reported spot trades over the week to Wednesday November 17. Ferro-titanium s...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday November 17 that are worth another look.Regional cooperation, public planning and funding capacity for new technologies will be key for the Latin American steel industry to deliver reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the long term, top executives and experts...Read More
European domestic prices for heavy steel plate moved upward slightly in the week to Wednesday November 17, supported by healthy demand, sources have told Fastmarkets.Some Italian re-rollers said that prices would continue to increase due to an expected steel slab price rise. Buyers, however, questioned the validity of such claims.At the beginning of November, domestic plate prices had already jump...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday November 17 that are worth another look.Regional cooperation, public planning and funding capacity for new technologies will be key for the Latin American steel industry to deliver reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the long term, top executives and experts...Read More
A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums for the week to Wednesday November 17.Please click...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday November 17 that are worth another look.Regional cooperation, public planning and funding capacity for new technologies will be key for the Latin American steel industry to deliver reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the long term, top executives and experts...Read More
Chinese metals production and processing group Daye Nonferrous will postpone the start of operations at its new double-flash copper smelter for six months because of a lack of essential buiding components that have been sourced from overseas, Fastmarkets has learnt.The 400,000 tonnes per year project in Huangshi, close to Wuhan, was scheduled to come online by the end of this year, but commissioni...Read More