An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
Rio Tinto has concluded the sale of its entire 40% stake in the Grasberg mine in Indonesia for $3.5 billion, as part of a series of transactions involving state-owned PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (PT Inalum) and Freeport-McMoRan Inc. PT Inalum previously held a 9.35% stake in Grasberg, the world's second largest copper mine. Fastmarkets MB previously reported on the sale of Rio Tinto's stake earl...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
Global ferrous scrap prices continued to fall further during the week ending Friday December 21, after transactions were done at lower prices.Prices fell further in most scrap markets worldwide this week, with deals in Turkey and India concluded at lower levels, while Asian scrap prices slumped from limited demand and US prices remained flat for a second week.Turkey importsPrices co...Read More
Prices for light iron scrap in the United Kingdom were steady this week while the market processed a price reduction made last week to 5C and monthly prices due to ongoing market headwinds, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday December 21.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for UK grade-5C ferrous scrap on an inter-merchant basis was ?65-95 ($82-120) per tonne on December 21, flat week on week, bu...Read More
The price of shredded ferrous scrap imported into India fell further this week, with fresh deals bringing the index to a year-to-date low, market participants said on Friday December 21.Fastmarkets MB's weekly index for containerized imports of shredded scrap into India was $331.98 per tonne cfr Nhava Sheva on December 21, down from $337.50 per tonne cfr Nhava Sheva on December 14. Continued poor...Read More
Comex copper prices slipped on Friday morning in the US amid the continued trade war between the US and China and Federal Reserve worries, which are weighing on the equity and commodity markets.The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange dipped 1.45 cents to $2.6820 per lb.Yesterday, the Federal Reserve lifted interest rates once again and issued...Read More
The three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mainly firmer this morning, Friday December 21, the exception being nickel which was down by 0.5%. Copper, aluminium, zinc and tin were up by between 0.2% and 0.3%, with lead little changed. The three-month copper price was up by 0.2% at $6,032 per tonne.Volume across the complex has been below average with 4,508 lots traded as a...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
Chinese domestic spot battery-grade lithium carbonate prices held steady this week with most producers still negotiating next year's spodumene prices, prices in other regions were subdued in quiet end-of-year conditions. Battery-grade lithium carbonate prices were steady at year-end. Lithium hydroxide buyers cited sufficient spot supply as the reason for staying out of the market. Indust...Read More
Brazil's apparent steel consumption increased by 6.90% year on year in November, to 1.70 million tonnes, mostly due to an improved performance in the flat steel sector, according to the national steel association A??o Brasil.Apparent consumption of flat steel products grew by 11.70% in the same comparison, to 1.10 million tonnes, while long steel use declined by 0.80% year-on-year, to 606,000 tonn...Read More
Indian flat steel producers slashed domestic hot rolled coil prices by 1,000 rupees ($14)per tonne this week following a slump in demand across all sectors.Fastmarkets' price assessment for domestic HRC in India was 42,000-42,500 rupees per tonne ex-mill on Friday December 21, a reduction of 1,000 rupees per tonne compared with last week's 43,000-43,500 rupees per tonne ex-mill.An offici...Read More
Fastmarkets MB hosted the 22nd Middle East Iron & Steel conference in Dubai last week. Here are five things we learned...1 High-grade iron ore derivative will be an important tool for Middle East DRI industry A world-first 65% iron ore derivative launched by the Singapore Exchange in early December was hailed as an important hedging tool for the Middle East direct-reduced ironmaking (DRI) industry...Read More
Brazil's apparent steel consumption increased by 6.90% year on year in November, to 1.70 million tonnes, mostly due to an improved performance in the flat steel sector, according to the national steel association A??o Brasil.Apparent consumption of flat steel products grew by 11.70% in the same comparison, to 1.10 million tonnes, while long steel use declined by 0.80% year-on-year, to 606,000 tonn...Read More
Fastmarkets MB hosted the 22nd Middle East Iron & Steel conference in Dubai last week. Here are five things we learned...1 High-grade iron ore derivative will be an important tool for Middle East DRI industry A world-first 65% iron ore derivative launched by the Singapore Exchange in early December was hailed as an important hedging tool for the Middle East direct-reduced ironmaking (DRI) industry...Read More
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the second and third largest steel consuming countries in the Middle East, have suffered mostly indirectly from the impact of Section 232, executives said during a panel at the Middle East Iron & Steel Conference in Dubai on December 10-12."We have not seen much of a direct impact [from Section 232 on the UAE]... But there is an indirect impact - th...Read More
The pig iron market in the United States was silent this week because buyers are expecting to see price reductions in early 2019. Fastmarkets' import price assessment for pig iron in the US fell to $360-370 per tonne cfr on Friday December 21, down from $370-380 per tonne cfr a week earlier. "I have not heard any bids or [had any] inquiries from US buyers," one source from the Commonweal...Read More
Global ferrous scrap prices continued to fall further during the week ending Friday December 21, after transactions were done at lower prices.Prices fell further in most scrap markets worldwide this week, with deals in Turkey and India concluded at lower levels, while Asian scrap prices slumped from limited demand and US prices remained flat for a second week.Turkey importsPrices co...Read More
There was zero activity in Brazil's pig iron export market this week, with buyers declining to make any purchases ahead of the New Year.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for pig iron exports from the south-eastern Minas Gerais region was $335-340 per tonne fob on Friday December 21, down by $5 per tonne week on week. "The market is dead. Even if producers cut prices [again] no one will buy...Read More