An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
The Chinese domestic spot battery-grade lithium carbonate price fell by 1.1% on Thursday April 30 with buyers still reluctant to accept higher prices amid poor downstream consumption. China's battery-grade lithium carbonate price narrowed downward, reflecting buyers' reluctance to accept higher prices. Asian seaborne spot market quiet, keeping prices rangebound. Europe, US spot market st...Read More
Outright cobalt hydroxide prices came under pressure in April with limited demand from end-users in Asia outweighing the impact of delays and supply uncertainty stemming from South Africa's lockdown. Fastmarkets' cobalt hydroxide index, min 30% Co, cif China, was calculated at $9.98 per lb on Thursday April 30, down by 9.27% from $11 per lb at the end of March. The monthly index is a tonnage-weigh...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Europe were largely stable day on day on Friday Monday 1, but sentiment in the market remains negative, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, ex-works Northern Europe, was ?,?425.63 ($463.83) per tonne on Friday May 1, down by ?,?0.08 per tonne from ?,?425.71 per tonne on April 30.Friday's index was calculated base...Read More
With competition in the global steel markets remaining fierce, Fastmarkets provides an update on the new, progressing and closed trade cases from around the world in April 2020.The case list below includes only updates. For other continuing cases...Read More
The price of containerized ferrous scrap imports into India slumped further this week due to the continued lack of trading under the lockdown conditions in the country, as well as a drop in the global scrap markets, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday May 1.Fastmarkets calculated the steel scrap, shredded, index, import, cfr Nhava Sheva, India, at $259.38 per tonne on Friday, down from $269.13 per...Read More
The pig iron market in the United States strengthened in the week to Friday May 1, with several buyers restocking material, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US, was $295-300 per tonne on Friday, up by $5 from $290-295 per tonne last week.One purchase of Ukraine-origin pig iron was done...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market ended the week with a lower-priced deal coming to light on Friday May 1, in line with market expectations for the direction of prices, sources told Fastmarkets.News of the cargo came to light late on Thursday, with a steel mill in the Iskenderun region buying a European cargo comprising 17,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $236 per tonne cfr, and 7...Read More
Demand for CIS-origin billet mainly came from the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region this week, sources told Fastmarkets Friday May 1.By the end of the week, Fastmarkets had heard of three deals to the region, with the latest being a 50,000-tonne billet cargo sold to a customer in Saudi Arabia at around $360 per tonne cfr (or $335 per tonne fob Black Sea, excluding freight costs...Read More
The monthly alloy surcharges for stainless steel in Europe have decreased for May because of lower alloy component costs, Fastmarkets heard on Friday May 1.Transaction prices for finished stainless steel remained unchanged, meanwhile, following decreases last week that were made in anticipation of the lower May surcharges.Fastmarkets' calculation of the stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grad...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Shanghai, New York and Galway on Friday May 1.China China's domestic prices climbed on a more active spot market, with mills restocking ahead of the Labor Day holiday from May 1-5.Production costs for ferro-silicon will increase...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia, Europe and the United States for the week ended Friday May 1.China The rise in UG2 chrome ore prices slowed down after China's major stainless steel mills all raised their ferro-chrome tender prices by a lower-than-expected amount. The imported charge chrome price ticked upward by $0.01 per tonne on improving sentiment and with availability of material f...Read More
Brazil's Vale expects the price premium for high-grade iron ore fines to decrease in the second quarter compared with those in the first, with production in China resuming.Brazilian 65% Fe iron ore has been fetching around $20 per tonne more than reference prices for 62% Fe material. This difference is mainly due to supply issues, which reduced inventories in China, the mining major's executive di...Read More
A summary of Brazilian mining company Vale's financial results for the first quarter of 2020.In brief Pro forma adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) down by 26% year on year due to depreciation of Brazilian Real.Net income of $239 million, compared with a net loss of $1.6 billion in the first quarter of 2019. Investments totaled $1.12 billion, up by...Read More
A summary of Latin American steel group Ternium's financial results for the first quarter of 2020.In brief Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) down by a third year on year due to restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Net loss of $19.40 million, compared with a net profit of $224.90 million in the first quarter of 2019. Higher sales volumes in Mexico, Te...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
The monthly alloy surcharges for stainless steel in Europe have decreased for May because of lower alloy component costs, Fastmarkets heard on Friday May 1.Transaction prices for finished stainless steel remained unchanged, meanwhile, following decreases last week that were made in anticipation of the lower May surcharges.Fastmarkets' calculation of the stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grad...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month nickel price sank below$12,000 to close at $11,955 per tonne on Friday May 1, shedding 1.73% of its price after a low turnover of 3,207 lots traded.Base metals prices fell across the complex, with the LME three-month copper price falling 1.57% on Friday to close at $5,110 per tonne, despite a fresh cancellation of 6,600 tonnes across LME-registered wareho...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Shanghai, New York and Galway on Friday May 1.China China's domestic prices climbed on a more active spot market, with mills restocking ahead of the Labor Day holiday from May 1-5.Production costs for ferro-silicon will increase...Read More
The sharp decline in emerging market currencies combined with a collapse in oil prices are providing a twin saving grace for many metals and mining companies during the Covid-19 pandemic. For producers of energy-intensive metals like aluminium, and in particular the low-cost ones, the benefit is even greater. It's an emerging trend that is starting to be reflected in the earnings of corporates in...Read More