Deliverable stocks of base metals in Shanghai Futures Exchange-registered warehouses all declined in the week to Friday April 23, due to consumers trucking their cargoes out before the Labour Day holiday in China, sources said.SHFE nickel stocks totaled 8,560 tonnes this week, down by 994 tonnes or 10.4% from 9,554 tonnes last Friday, data shows.The largest outflow of nickel this week left Zhongch...Read More
Iron ore prices increased on Friday April 23 on support from better liquidity in the seaborne market, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $186.25 per tonne, up $2.63 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $187.51 per tonne, up $2.13 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $162.88 per tonne, up $3.50 per tonne65% Fe Brazil-origin fines, cfr Q...Read More
A lower United States dollar index propelled aluminium's price to new highs during morning trading on the London Metal Exchange on Friday April 23, while copper continued its climb higher and other metals remained within their recent ranges.Aluminium's three-month price reached $2,389 per tonne during early trading on Friday. The light metal opened at $2,386 per tonne, $23 per tonne higher than Th...Read More
The base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mixed this morning, Friday April 23, as were the wider markets while US President Joe Biden prepares to announce his plans on tax.Markets awaiting direction from purchasing managers' index (PMI) dataBase metalsLME three-month base metals prices were mixed, but on average were up by 0.4% this morning, with le...Read More
LME aluminium's three-month price surpassed its May 2018 high in intraday trading on Thursday April 22, with lead's price up by 1.3%, while nickel and copper retreated from their Wednesday prices at the close.Aluminium's price reached $2,375 per tonne on Thursday, taking out the May 2018 high of $2,374.50 per tonne to stand at a level last seen in April 2018, when the metal's highest intraday pric...Read More
Key data from pricing session in London on Friday April 23. Key data from pricing session in London on Friday April 23.Key drivers: Aggressive offers below $21 per lb seen in the market, although deals at higher levels are...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Charlotte Radford, Cristina Belda...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...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 hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China, % payable of Fastmarkets' standard-grade cobalt price (low-end) 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 hydroxide p...Read More
The Cobalt sulfate 20.5% Co basis, exw China, yuan/tonne 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 sulfate 20.5% Co...Read More
European ferro-titanium producers are increasingly looking for feedstock alternatives, such as vacuum scrap, to tackle weaker alloy bid prices from consumers in the steel sector. Some producers have been switching more of their intake of smelting feed to make alloy, using higher quality vacuum scrap, after turnings prices jumped by almost 65% since the start of the year. Turnings scrap has been in...Read More
Prices for imported ferrous scrap in China were unchanged on Friday April 23 amid stable demand-and-supply fundamentals.Bids for HRS101-grade heavy scrap were heard at $505 per tonne cfr northeast China. This was equivalent to around $495 per tonne cfr east China.Offers for imported ferrous scrap were heard at $510-515 per tonne cfr north China. This was equivalent to around $500-505 per tonne cfr...Read More
Import prices for ferrous scrap in Vietnam rose further during the week to Friday April 24, due to the profitable downstream semi-finished and long steel markets, industry sources told Fastmarkets.There was a wide range of offers for bulk cargoes of Japanese H2 scrap. Some cargoes were offered to Vietnam at $470 per tonne cfr Vietnam at the start of the week, while others were offered at $460-465...Read More
The Bangladeshi steel and shipbreaking sectors are facing huge difficulties in the face of mounting Covid-19 cases in the country amid reduced supplies of oxygen, sources told Fastmarkets.Daily deaths due to the virus in Bangladesh have soared in recent weeks, with a seven-day average of 100 fatalities due to Covid-19 recorded on Thursday April 22.Bangladesh is under a nationwide lockdown, but ste...Read More
LME aluminium's three-month price surpassed its 2018 high in intraday trading on Thursday April 22, with lead's price up by 1.3%, while nickel and copper retreated from their Wednesday prices at the close. Aluminium's price reached $2,375 per tonne on Thursday, taking out the May 2018 high of $2,374.50 per tonne to stand at a level last seen in October 2010. But the light metal closed at $2,3...Read More
A lack of automotive demand in the UK - and across the rest of the world - has driven secondary aluminium prices in the country to a two-month low, Fastmarkets heard on Thursday April 22.The global shortage of semiconductor chips, which has led to a temporary halt in automotive production across the UK and Europe, has weakened demand for secondary aluminium, putting downward pressure on ingot pric...Read More
Fastmarkets wishes to inform customers that it will change the way it publishes its downloadable weekly base metal premiums table PDF effective June 1 as part of the transition to the Dashboard, its dynamic, real-time data and news delivery platform.We will continue to publish our global base metal wraps on a weekly basis, providing the informative context and market detail that customers are accu...Read More
A summary of China's base metal imports for March 2021.Copper ore and concentrateMarch total: 2.17 million tonnes, up by 21.0% month on month, up by 22.2% year on yearRefined copperMarch total: 354,853 tonnes, up by 28.8% month on month, up by 20.3% year on yearCopper scrapMarch total: 171,996 tonnes, up by 114.0% month on month, up by 90.6% year...Read More
China's Guangxi and Ningxia provinces recently issued notices on dual control on the total amount and intensity of energy consumption, fueling concerns over possible supply disruptions in the ferro-silicon and silico-manganese markets, which translated into price gains for both products this week.The Development and Reform Commission in Guangxi announced on Tuesday April 13 that it pledges to lowe...Read More