Alumina prices are at a two year low and market participants at Fastmarkets' International Aluminium conference in Athens, Greece, are downbeat for the rest of the year, adding that the price floor had been lowered for alumina. Market sources gathering at the annual event on September 23-25 have reported continued offers for significant volumes of alumina they "just don't need" and expect demand b...Read More
Norwegian aluminium producer Norsk Hydro expects capacity usage at its bauxite and alumina division in Brazil to average 75-85% through the rest of 2019, and full capacity to be reached in 2021, while Minera????o Paragominas and Alunorte resume normal operations.Capacity usage is expected to be around 85-95% in 2020, the company said during its annual investor day in the Norwegian capital of Oslo...Read More
Europe's battery production capacity will have more than doubled by 2025 from the level in 2015, according to Eurobat, the Association of European Automotive & Industrial Battery Manufacturers.Battery production capacity in Europe will increase to at least 1,000GWh by 2025 from 440GWh in 2015, according to Gert Meylemans, the group's senior communications manager, speaking at Fastmarkets' Battery...Read More
The Turkish steel mills have continued to book deep-sea scrap for November shipments, keeping prices fairly stable, sources said on Thursday September 26.A steel mill in the Izmir region booked a Baltic Sea cargo on Thursday, comprising 30,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $223.50 per tonne and 5,000 tonnes of bonus at $233 per tonne cfr.Another steel mill in the Marmara region also booked a Baltic...Read More
Fastmarkets is extending until October 15 the consultation period for its proposal to discontinue five of its precious metals prices.Fastmarkets made this decision because the responses received to date have identified a need to conduct more in-depth consultation into the usage of and need for these prices.The prices being proposed for discontinuation are as follows:Platinum min 99.9% Europe Free...Read More
The acquisition of processed graphite represents a potential reputational risk for participants in the battery sector, according to Adam Panayi, managing director of battery analyst RHO Motion."There are reputational issues surrounding graphite processing, as well as cobalt," Panayi said at Fastmarkets' Battery Materials Europe 2019 conference in Amsterdam, September 26-27. "The leaching process o...Read More
Europe's battery production capacity will have more than doubled by 2025 from the level in 2015, according to Eurobat, the Association of European Automotive & Industrial Battery Manufacturers.Battery production capacity in Europe will increase to at least 1,000GWh by 2025 from 440GWh in 2015, according to Gert Meylemans, the group's senior communications manager, speaking at Fastmarkets' Battery...Read More
Domestic price sentiment in Europe for hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG) has fallen over the past week due to slow market activity, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday September 26.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel HDG, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was ?,?520-550 ($571-604) per tonne ex-works on September 25, down from ?,?550-570 per tonne ex-works. The assessment reflected deals an...Read More
European domestic prices for heavy steel plate have moved down across the region over the past week due to low buying activity, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday September 26."The market is slow and buyers expect prices to decline further," a representative of a European mill said. "Generally, the outlook is gloomy, because the situation in coil products across Europe is also pessimistic."Price...Read More
China's hot-rolled coil prices fell further on Thursday September 26 amid weak demand despite mills in some parts of the country being subjected to steelmaking curbs.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,600-3,630 yuan ($505-509) per tonne, down 20-40 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,550 yuan per tonne, down 50 yuan per tonneA Shanghai-based trader said trading thinned in comparison with W...Read More
Turkish rebar and wire rod export prices have gone down further over the past week amid falling imported scrap values and limited demand, sources said on Thursday September 26.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar) export, fob main port Turkey was $395-402 per tonne on Thursday, down from $400-410 per tonne fob on actual weight basis last week.The steel producers in...Read More
Import prices for steel billet in Egypt fell in the week ended Thursday September 26, amid lower offer and deal prices from the Commonwealth of Independent States.Buyers were reluctant to book material because of uncertainty about the possible imposition of safeguard duties.The Supreme Administrative Court of Egypt has repeatedly postponed its decision on the possible re-imposition of safeguard du...Read More
The United Arab Emirates' biggest producer Emirates Steel and second biggest producer Conares Steel have both decreased their rebar prices, effective from Thursday September 26, Fastmarkets has learned.Emirates Steel is now offering rebar at 1,737 dirhams ($472) per tonne ex-works, down from 1,953 dirhams...Read More
The Turkish steel mills have continued to book deep-sea scrap for November shipments, keeping prices fairly stable, sources said on Thursday September 26.A steel mill in the Izmir region booked a Baltic Sea cargo on Thursday, comprising 30,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $223.50 per tonne and 5,000 tonnes of bonus at $233 per tonne cfr.Another steel mill in the Marmara region also booked a Baltic...Read More
Physical iron ore prices strengthened on Thursday September 26 following gains in the futures market.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $90.91 per tonne, up by $0.57 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $91.30 per tonne, up by $0.57 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $89.45 per tonne, up by $1.79 per tonne.58% Fe fines high-premium, cfr Qingdao: $80....Read More
Mining major Rio Tinto is stepping into China's port market for iron ore, with sales in the segment gaining significance amid changes in the raw material procurement strategies of steelmakers in the country.It will begin a trial sale of its products at the Port of Rizhao in eastern China and the Port of Caofeidian in northern China, its vice president for iron ore sales and marketing, Simon Farry,...Read More
Steel billet prices in the CIS region decreased slightly in the week ended Thursday September 26 after last week's rebound, because of the resumed softening of scrap prices in Turkey.Several billet cargoes were reported sold to Asia and Egypt at prices of less than $360 per tonne fob Black Sea, Fastmarkets learnt.Fastmarkets' daily steel billet index, export, fob Black Sea, CIS, was $357 per tonne...Read More
Import prices for steel billet in Egypt fell in the week ended Thursday September 26, amid lower offer and deal prices from the Commonwealth of Independent States.Buyers were reluctant to book material because of uncertainty about the possible imposition of safeguard duties.The Supreme Administrative Court of Egypt has repeatedly postponed its decision on the possible re-imposition of safeguard du...Read More
The price of billet produced in Turkey has gone down over the past week in line with falling seaborne scrap costs, while import billet prices remain stable, sources said on Thursday September 26.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel billet export, fob main port Turkey was $355-360 per tonne on Thursday, down from $370-380 per tonne fob last week.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region was h...Read More
Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Tisco) has raised its ferro-chrome tender price for October above that of Tsingshan Group in a rare move, signaling differing procurement strategies and feedstock needs for the remainder of 2019. Tisco took the lead on Friday September 20 by announcing a monthly tender price for high-carbon ferro-chrome at 6,500 yuan ($911) per tonne on a duty-paid basis including delivery fo...Read More