Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday October 11 that are worth another look.Global cobalt supply can't keep pace with surging cobalt consumption because its production is tied to copper and nickel mining rather than underlying demand, the chief executive officer of diversified mining company Eurasian Resources Group...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly trading higher at the close of business on Monday October 11, with LME Week beginning in London.Aluminium prices were the star performer, rising by 3.3% to more than $3,000 per tonne. The three-month price closed at $3,064 per tonne, up from $2,966 per tonne at the close on Friday.The price reached $3,072.50 per tonne on Monday - a 13-yea...Read More
Base metal prices on the London Metal Exchange remained robust during morning trading on Tuesday October 12, while power supply concerns in China and the rest of the world persist.China will allow its floating electricity prices to rise further from October 15 to stabilize supply amid a shortage in the country, according to a notice released by the country's National Development & Reform Commissio...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
Aurubis' increased annual premium for 2022 was partly a consequence of having kept the copper benchmark stable in 2021, chief executive officer Roland Harings told Fastmarkets during LME Week on Monday October 11.He also noted that the high energy prices that Europe was experiencing were a "big concern for the economy." Europe's biggest copper producer increased its premium offer to consumers for...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices were down on Tuesday October 12 amid limited trading at Chinese ports, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $129.00 per tonne, down $6.03 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $130.17 per tonne, down $8.93 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $98.51 per tonne, down $7.08 per tonne65% Fe Brazil-origin fi...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
The publication of Fastmarkets' Southeast Asia copper premium was delayed on October 5 because of a reporter error.Fastmarkets' pricing database has since been updated.The MB-CU-0399 - Copper grade A cathode premium, cif Southeast Asia, $/tonne has now been updated.For more information or to provide feedback on the delayed publication of these prices, or if you would like to provide pric...Read More
Interest in importing steel billet fell in China on Tuesday October 12 amid a fall in the country's domestic billet market on the same day, sources have told Fastmarkets.A sharp drop in ferrous futures markets in China on Tuesday due to market expectations of a rise in Chinese steel output over the short term was also accompanied by a weakening in physical markets.Local billet prices in Jiang...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.Read More
Canadian junior miner Rock Tech Lithium plans to develop a battery-grade lithium hydroxide conversion plant in the German region of Brandenburg, it announced on Monday October 11.The company is also developing a junior spodumene project in Ontario, Canada. The total investment required for the conversion plant in Germany would be ?,?470 million ($544 million), the company said. Once operational,...Read More
The export market for steel billet from the Commonwealth of Independent States improved on Tuesday October 12 on bullish sentiment among suppliers.Fastmarkets' calculation of its daily steel billet index, export, fob Black Sea, CIS, was up by $23 per tonne day on day to $625 per tonne on October 12.One supplier from Ukraine offered billet at prices no...Read More
The prices of imported steel rebar to the United Arab Emirates increased slightly in the week to Tuesday October 12, while sources expect other prices to increase because of rising energy costs globally, sources told Fastmarkets.Energy costs have been increasing in most markets, with steel mills adding the cost to their prices.Some of the rebar re-rollers in the UAE stopped accepting new orders du...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States remained under $97 per hundredweight ($1,940 per short ton) after market participants said restocking is not widely needed and that pricing may have peaked.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $96.89 per cwt ($1,937.80 per ton) on Tuesday October 12, little-changed from $96.83 per cwt on Monday October 11 but down...Read More
The collapse of the iron ore market and market turbulence over Chinese property developer Evergrande Group are adding to the economic woes caused by the Delta variant of Covid-19 for much of this year.It is hard to find bright sparks in the months ahead for the ferrous supply chain, which has been buffeted repeatedly in a short span of few months, starting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's comment...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices were down on Tuesday October 12 amid limited trading at Chinese ports, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $129.00 per tonne, down $6.03 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $130.17 per tonne, down $8.93 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $98.51 per tonne, down $7.08 per tonne65% Fe Brazil-origin fi...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:Bulk and noble alloys both moved largely in line with our price forecasts globally over the past month, though several markets surprised to the upside, exceeding our forecast gains. Stronger-than-forecast pricing momentum was primarily triggered by supply shortages in numerous...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:US prices for hot-rolled coil moved in line with our forecasts in August, averaging $1,910 per ton, within 1% accuracy of our forecast of $1,925 per ton. The market has achieved much-needed stability in recent weeks, with prices fluctuating in the range of $1,900-1,94...Read More
The United States' October ferrous scrap trade's stressful late start and private deals added confusion to a scenario that was already perplexing after one steel producer made an unexpected debut splash, leap-frogging into the market in late September at flat pricing for prime grades."The market was a mess, but that is due to prices hitting an inflection point and bottoming, which is strange becau...Read More
China will allow its floating electricity prices to rise further from October 15 to stabilize supply amid a shortage in the country, according to a notice released by the country's National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC), its top economic planner, on Tuesday October 12.Electricity supplied to the national grid is priced using a formula that comprises a base price and a floating price, acco...Read More