Prices of flat-rolled steel imported into South America were mostly up during the week ended Friday August 13, boosted by costly freight rates and higher offers, and despite uncertainty about a potential Chinese export tax.Most market participants expect the Chinese government soon will announce an export tax on steel, which has been heard from market chatter in the Asian country. There was no con...Read More
An overview of the aerospace materials markets and the latest price moves Jessica Long, Ruby Liu and Carrie...Read More
The Cobalt sulfate 20.5% Co basis, exw China, yuan/tonne trade 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.Fastmarkets assessed...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Janie Davies, Dalila Ouerghi...Read More
Treatment charges for zinc concentrates have widened in the first half of August, with the market seeing minimal spot business ahead of what was expected to be large-scale buying from Chinese smelters later in the year.Fastmarkets' assessment of the zinc spot concentrate TC, cif China, widened downward to $75-90 per tonne on Friday August 13, from $78-90 per tonne two weeks earlier. After years of...Read More
The Cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China, % payable of Fastmarkets' standard-grade cobalt price (low-end) trade 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.Fastmarkets assessed Cobalt hydroxide p...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Janie Davies, Dalila Ouerghi...Read More
The union at Escondida and BHP, the Chilean copper mine's majority shareholder and operator, have agreed to extend wage negotiations until Friday August 13, so a deal can be signed and a strike averted.The new labor contract has been accepted by the No1 Workers Union and ratified by its members and just needs to be signed, the miner said on Thursday.Members of the union, which represents workers a...Read More
The light iron scrap market in the United Kingdom dropped by ?5 ($7) per tonne at the top end of its price range over the week to Friday August 13 due to the seasonal summer slowdown and weaker monthly domestic delivery settlements, sources told Fastmarkets.A drop in prices at UK dockside markets, a major influence on domestic prices, has also weighed on the light iron market, sources said.Fastma...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices trended higher in the cfr China market following a strong domestic coking coal market and fell slightly in the fob market on Friday August 13 with market participants adopting a wait-and-see attitude.Prices for seaborne pulverized coal injection (PCI) increased in the cfr China market in the week to August 13 based on good restocking demand from end users and rose sligh...Read More
Copper concentrate treatment and refining Charges (TC/RCs) continued their surge in early August, with traders and smelters setting down strong bids at clear levels after weeks of inactivity.The Fastmarkets TC/RC index, which tracks the mid-point of the market, came in at $54.6 per tonne / 5.46 cents per pound on August 13, up from $51.8 / 5.18 cents last Friday to reach its highest point in fifte...Read More
Australia-listed lithium miners Orocobre and Galaxy have gained the shareholders' and court approvals that were necessary for their proposed merger, the companies announced on Friday August 13.On August 6, Galaxy's shareholders voted in favor of the deal, and on August 13 the Supreme Court of Western Australia made orders approving the proposed merger, the companies said.According to the merger sc...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday August 12 that are worth another look.German steelmaker Salzgitter plans to restart its 'C' blast furnace in November this year, a company spokesman told Fastmarkets on August 12.A strike at Codelco's Andina mine in Chile will start at 8am local...Read More
Zimbabwe has banned exports of raw chrome ore with immediate effect and will ban exports of chrome concentrates from July 2022 in order to secure its ferro-chrome industry, the country's cabinet announced on August 3, in a move which proponents of a South African chrome ore export tax believe has strengthened their case."A [total of] 22 smelters are now operating and are shared among nine foreign...Read More
All futures contracts on the London Metal Exchange were up on the morning of Thursday August 12, with most metals facing some form of supply headwinds - which bodes well for higher prices.Copper's three-month price was up to $9,601.50 per tonne on Thursday shortly after 9am, a 0.9% rise from $9,512 per tonne the previous day.The red metal was supported by the impending strike at Codelco's Andina m...Read More
The 2022 Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympic Games will test China's resolve on decarbonization, with new pollution control measures likely to be imposed for the major sporting event, sources told Fastmarkets.Beijing and the surrounding area of Hebei, including Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, will host 109 sporting events in 15 disciplines on February 4-20 in 2022 for Winter Olympic Games and March 4-1...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in China's domestic market pulled back on Thursday August 12, with market participants shifting their focus away from expectations of a drop in supplies after weak lending data sparked concerns over liquidity.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,790-5,810 yuan ($894-897) per tonne, down by 30-50 yuan per tonneThe most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange moved...Read More
Eight of the nine Category 1 members of the London Metal Exchange have indicated their support for continuing to trade official lunchtime prices in the open-outcry ring.Does this mean that one company does not support ring trading? And could one of the exchange's members be preparing to leave the trading floor?The exchange revealed on Monday August 9 that it had majority support for the ring, in a...Read More
Prices in the British market for steel scrap deliveries to domestic steelmakers have dropped for August 2021, snapping a run of gains in the past three months on lower demand and weaker export prices amid the seasonal summer slowdown, sources said on Thursday August 12.Prices for scrap supplied to British steelmakers were down in general by around ?5 ($7) per tonne in August, although some report...Read More
Battery supply chain participants have prioritized securing lithium in the second half of 2021, but nickel has also been a headache for sourcing directors, who are less concerned about cobalt supplies, a Fastmarkets survey has found.Fastmarkets conducted a survey of market participants in the battery supply chain - mainly battery materials producers -to assess which battery metals pose the biggest...Read More