The uncertainties surrounding cobalt supply and demand in the near term amid the continuing Covid-19 pandemic has led more Chinese salts smelters to take on tolling business to mitigate risk.The virus has had an unprecedented effect on the global economy with manufacturing sectors around the world forced to slow in attempts to halt its spread, a dynamic which eventually dented buying interest for...Read More
Stainless steel prices in the United States fell in April while surcharges declined and market participants reported sharply lower demand. Fastmarkets' monthly assessment for stainless steel 304 cold-rolled sheet, fob mill US fell by 2.5% to $117 per hundredweight on Monday April 13 from $120 per cwt previously, while that for 304L cold-rolled sheet fell by 2.5% to $119 per cwt from...Read More
Metals and wider markets are mixed this morning, Wednesday April 15, while traders brace for more economic and corporate data that will start to show the economic hit that the global economy has suffered. Banks in the United States started to report dismal earnings and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the global economy faces the biggest slowdown since the Great Depression of the...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 71 points in pre-opening trade.Equity index futures moved slightly lower following release of economic news at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for March Retail Sales was a drop of 8.0% versus a decline of 0.5% in February. Actual was a drop of 8.5%. Excluding auto sales consensus for March Retail Sales was a drop of 5.0% versu...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday April 13 that are worth another look.Argentinian crude steel production fell by 26.7% year on year in March due to the closure of most plants during a mandatory quarantine enforced by the federal government to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus, national steel chamber Acero Argentino said.A total of 222,020 tonnes of copper sc...Read More
All but one of Fastmarkets' aluminium scrap price assessments fell on Thursday April 9 while the Covid-19 pandemic-driven market slowdown continued to affect the US scrap business."[This] certainly is an unusual time. I've never seen anything like this in my lifetime," one US scrap consumer source said. "Hopefully the May 4 start-up for many automakers will happen."Fastmarkets assessed the mixed l...Read More
Operations at the Antamina zinc and copper mine in Peru have been suspended as part of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to one of its joint venture partners, Teck Resources Ltd.The Vancouver, Canada-based company said Antamina - in which it has a 22.5% stake - has been allowed by the Peruvian government to change out its previously reduced workforce, which has been in place at the...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday April 13 that are worth another look.Argentinian crude steel production fell by 26.7% year on year in March due to the closure of most plants during a mandatory quarantine enforced by the federal government to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus, national steel chamber Acero Argentino said.A total of 222,020 tonnes of copper sc...Read More
Operations at the Antamina zinc and copper mine in Peru have been suspended as part of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to one of its joint venture partners, Teck Resources Ltd.The Vancouver, Canada-based company said Antamina - in which it has a 22.5% stake - has been allowed by the Peruvian government to change out its previously reduced workforce, which has been in place at the...Read More
Chinese-Australian miner MMG has withdrawn its copper production guidance for the La Bambas copper mine in Peru as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic but is maintaining guidance for its Dugald River, Rosebery and Kinsevere operations. Las Bambas - one of the world's biggest copper mining facilities - had been expected to produce 350,000-370,000 tonnes of copper in 2020. In 2019, Las Bambas pro...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday April 13 that are worth another look.Argentinian crude steel production fell by 26.7% year on year in March due to the closure of most plants during a mandatory quarantine enforced by the federal government to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus, national steel chamber Acero Argentino said.A total of 222,020 tonnes of copper sc...Read More
Operations at the Antamina zinc and copper mine in Peru have been suspended as part of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to one of its joint venture partners, Teck Resources Ltd.The Vancouver, Canada-based company said Antamina - in which it has a 22.5% stake - has been allowed by the Peruvian government to change out its previously reduced workforce, which has been in place at the...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday April 13 that are worth another look.Argentinian crude steel production fell by 26.7% year on year in March due to the closure of most plants during a mandatory quarantine enforced by the federal government to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus, national steel chamber Acero Argentino said.A total of 222,020 tonnes of copper sc...Read More
All but one of Fastmarkets' aluminium scrap price assessments fell on Thursday April 9 while the Covid-19 pandemic-driven market slowdown continued to affect the US scrap business."[This] certainly is an unusual time. I've never seen anything like this in my lifetime," one US scrap consumer source said. "Hopefully the May 4 start-up for many automakers will happen."Fastmarkets assessed the mixed l...Read More
A total of 222,020 tonnes of copper scrap has been approved for import into China in a fifth round of metal scrap import quotas, according to an April 10 release from the China Solid Waste & Chemicals Management Bureau.The latest quota is significantly larger than the 3,520 tonnes approved in the fourth round and brings the total amount of copper scrap approved by the bureau since July 2019 up to...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday April 13 that are worth another look.Argentinian crude steel production fell by 26.7% year on year in March due to the closure of most plants during a mandatory quarantine enforced by the federal government to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus, national steel chamber Acero Argentino said.A total of 222,020 tonnes of copper sc...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Despite these unprecedented times, US sheet prices moved in line with our expectations over the past month. While we maintain our view on the direction of pricing during 2020 and the length of the pricing downturn, as the Covid-19 crisis deepens we have increased the magnitude of the price declines through the second quarter...Read More
China's hot-rolled coil prices continued to rise on Monday April 13, with sentiment lifted by strengthening futures, although some buyers decided to hold back amid mills' rising output.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,320-3,350 yuan ($472-476) per tonne, up 50-70 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,230 yuan per tonne, up 30 yuan per tonneA Shanghai-based trader said that spot prices in t...Read More