Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday October 13.Key drivers The European ferro-titanium price range widened higher in the week to Wednesday October 13 after new deals were reported, although overall trading activity was slow amid muted consumer buying interest. There was industry talk of some lower-priced deals, although sources said these were outliers to typical trad...Read More
A lack of vehicle-charging infrastructure, along with constraints on the supply of battery raw materials, were the major challenges to growth in the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), the chief executive officer of diversified mining company Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) has said.Lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese and graphite are critical raw materials for the production of battery cathodes an...Read More
Europe now has the world's most expensive silicon, with prices there and in the United States reaching new all-time highs just as prices have begun to trend down in China - where a silicon shortage started the global uptrend.The West and China moved in opposite directions in Fastmarkets assessments for the week to Friday October 8, with Europe's price for standard silicon at its highest level sinc...Read More
Steel wire rod prices in Northern Europe were broadly flat in the week to Wednesday October 13, with trading activity limited, but demand is expected to recover soon, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel wire rod (mesh quality), domestic, delivered Northern Europe was ?,?800-820 ($924-948) per tonne on Wednesday, same as seven days earlier.Daily demand for wire r...Read More
The United States Commerce Department has finalized anti-dumping duties on cut-to-length carbon-quality steel plate products from South Korea that it said was sold in the US at less than normal value from February 1, 2019, through January 31, 2020.In a Federal Register notice published on Wednesday October 13, Commerce affirmed its June 25...Read More
Major European zinc producers intend to significantly raise the annual contractual premiums in 2022, citing higher production costs and strong demand, Fastmarkets has learned during LME Week 2021.Offers were likely to be made close to or higher than $200 per tonne, nearly double the levels seen in 2021, which came in a range of $95-110 per tonne.The offer levels were also higher than the current s...Read More
A price gap between spot and tender prices developed in China's ferro-chrome market in early October after sellers in the spot market raised their prices because of supply tightness, while major stainless steel mills decided to keep their tender prices flat from the previous month.Offers heard in the spot market continued to rise after China's National Day holiday on October 1-7, due to limited av...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil fell in Northern Europe and Italy on Wednesday October 13 with both buyers and sellers preferring to adopt a wait-and-see strategy, sources told Fastmarkets.Trading activity was expected to recover in November, however, according to market participants. Although the majority of European distributors have sufficient stocks to last until the year-end, they will ne...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices in the cfr China market were broadly stable on Wednesday October 13, while fob prices inched lower amid limited buying interest due to high offers, market sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $608.85 per tonne, down $0.10 per tonne Hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $559.46 per tonne, up $1.16 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT:...Read More
London-listed Cadence Minerals has obtained the approval of its credit committee to put the Amapa iron ore project in Brazil back on track, according to local news reports earlier this week.The project produces iron ore beneficiated to 65% Fe pellet feed and 62% Fe concentrate. Based on available historical mining plans and an independent consultant review, Amapa is expected to have a full product...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-dipped galvanized coil decreased across Europe in the week ended Wednesday October 13 due to weaker demand from distributors and the automotive sector, sources told Fastmarkets.Sources expect distributors to return to the market in November. While the majority of European distributors have sufficient stocks to last until the year-end, they will need to restock for the first...Read More
Iron ore shipments from Australia's Port of Port Hedland rose by 3.1% in September from a year earlier, according to data released by the Pilbara Ports Authority on Tuesday October 12.The port on the northern coast of Western Australia exported 47 million tonnes of iron ore last month, compared with 45.6 million tonnes a year earlier. Last month's shipments were...Read More
Domestic hot-rolled coil prices in China moved within a wide range on Wednesday October 13, after futures took a rollercoaster ride amid an uncertain outlook for supply and demand. DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,700-5,880 yuan ($885-913) per tonne, widening by 50-120 yuan per tonneThe most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange extended its losses to an intraday low of 5,482 yua...Read More
An overview of the chrome ore and alloy markets in Asia, Europe and the United States on Tuesday October 12 and their latest price moves.United States The high-carbon ferro-chrome market jumped significantly, catching up with large gains in overseas markets. A re-opening of the spot market allowed suppliers to successfully elevate offers in line with the global market. Given the current tigh...Read More
Ecobat's Stolberg lead smelter will remain shut until spring 2022; regional tightness is pushing more consumers to look for spot units.The German lead plant, which declared force majeure due to floods in July, is still undergoing repair work, a company statement seen by Fastmarkets on Tuesday October 12 said. The smelter is in the process of procuring parts and equipment for the rebuild, the...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday October 12 that are worth another look.A sharp rise in electricity prices has forced Spanish stainless long steel producer Sidenor Aceros Especiales to suspend production, Fastmarkets has heard.The London Metal Exchange has...Read More
Tsingshan Group has set its tender price for October-delivery high-carbon ferro-chrome at 9,995 yuan ($1,550) per tonne, the Chinese stainless steelmaker said on Monday October 11.The tender price was unchanged from what the eastern Chinese mill - the country's largest ferro-chrome buyer - had sought for September-delivery material, suggesting that it chose not to acknowledge a recent price surge...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed at the 5pm close on Tuesday October 12 amid concerns over inflation, and rising energy costs and power outages in China.The three-month price of aluminium continued its upward momentum during Tuesday's trading, closing at $3,068 per tonne, up from $3,064 per tonne on Monday.The lightweight metal hit an intraday high of $3,114.50 per tonne...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday October 12 that are worth another look.A sharp rise in electricity prices has forced Spanish stainless long steel producer Sidenor Aceros Especiales to suspend production, Fastmarkets has heard.The London Metal Exchange has...Read More
Power cuts remained a prominent factor in China through the third quarter of 2021 as the world's second-largest economy grappled with soaring coal prices and its own strict limits on energy consumption - put in place to help the country achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.An increasing number of factories - especially those in energy intensive industries - have suffered from curbs to their power usa...Read More