News that several major producers had withdrawn from spot trading due to supply shortages has further strengthened China's spot ferro-chrome market, sending spot prices in the week to Tuesday June 29 to their highest point since April."With continuing energy controls in Inner Mongolia in June, our production has been increasingly disrupted due to tightened power restrictions," Jietie Ferroalloy sa...Read More
Asian steel scrap imports fluctuated wildly from territory to territory in 2020, with South Korea and Bangladesh reporting decreases while Taiwan and Vietnam recorded increases.Japan, Asia's largest steel scrap supplier, exported 9.39 million tonnes of the steelmaking raw material last year - over a fifth more than in 2019.Vietnam became the single largest importer of Japanese scrap last year; at...Read More
With the Chinese government setting 2030 as the target for China's carbon emissions to peak and 2060 for it to achieve carbon neutrality, the country's steel sector will have to change the way it does business.Fastmarkets speaks to market participants for their views on what these changes might be, and what challenges lie ahead.1. Reduce hot metal productionReducing hot metal output - such as via...Read More
CANADA DAY Pre-opening Comments for Thursday July 1stU.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 5 points in pre-opening trade.Johnson & Johnson added $0.67 to $165.41 after the U.S. Surgeon General said that Johnson & Johnson's COVID 19 vaccine may protect against the Delta variant.Micron slipped $1.24 to $83.74 despite reporting highe...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday June 29 that are worth another look....Read More
All prices on the London Metal Exchange except for copper finished the day on June 29 at higher prices than Monday, with lead showing the biggest gains and setting a new year-to-date high, and aluminium up by 2.5%.Copper was the only price to close lower on Tuesday, falling 0.6% to $9,334.50 per tonne from Monday's $9,388 per tonne. The three-month price of lead rose by 3.2% to $2,305 per ton...Read More
Tin demand is likely to exceed 400,000 tonnes per year by 2025, while supplies from greenfield projects and recycled material are not expected to keep pace, leading to a deficit over the next decade, according to the International Tin Association (ITA).At an ITA seminar on Tuesday June 29, delegates heard that tin demand for 2020 was calculated at 355,200 tonnes, with more than 50% being used for...Read More
An overview of the chrome ore and alloy markets in Asia, Europe and the United States on Tuesday June 29 and their latest price moves.China Several major producers in Inner Mongolia stopped offering ferro-chrome in the spot market due to supply tightness amid power restrictions adding to bullish sentiment. Domestic spot ferro-chrome offer prices surged prior to an expected increase in upcoming Jul...Read More
Seven creditors have sued a Chinese warehousing and logistics firm to claim a loss of copper concentrate worth 1.073 billion yuan ($166 million), according to several court documents, the latest of which was released on June 23. Dalian Container Terminal Co Ltd (DCTL) allegedly delivered a total 925,000 tonnes of copper concentrates without the consent of the seven companies that had provided cred...Read More
The European ferro-titanium and titanium scrap markets may be set to push higher in the coming months after news that Russia will impose an export tax on ferro-alloys between August 1 and December 31 this year, according to industry sources.Europe imported around 1,500 tonnes of ferro-titanium per month on average from Russia in the past three years, including Scandinavia and Turkey, with 1,700-1,...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday June 29 that are worth another look....Read More
Ferrous scrap prices in Mexico's steelmaking regions of Monterrey and Baj?-o were mostly stable week on week while demand remained high, according to several sources.Few changes were reported during the past week, with prices appearing to stabilize at currently high levels. There were reports of some buyers adjusting their prices upward for some grades in the region near the northeastern Monterrey...Read More
Turkish steel mills picked up their activity in the deep-sea scrap markets with a fresh UK cargo sold at fairly stable prices, market participants said on Tuesday June 29.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked the UK cargo, comprising 25,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20), 10,000 tonnes of shredded and 10,000 tonnes of bonus at an average price of $505.50 per tonne cfr. The cargo is scheduled to be...Read More
Base metals prices on both the London Metal Exchange and the Shanghai Futures Exchange were weaker across the board this morning, Tuesday June 29, with the spread of the Covid-19 Delta variant a worrisome development.While lockdowns can hit demand, there is also a risk to supply from mine closures or further logistical delaysBase metalsLME three-month base metals prices were down across the board...Read More
UK-based mineral processing company Green Lithium has secured ?1.6 million ($2.22 million) in seed-round funding to advance its plans to build and operate the first large-scale lithium refinery in the country, it said on Monday June 28.The funds were sourced from a range of high-net-worth individual investors, and the total was more than five times the initial targeted amount, Green Lithium said....Read More
Lithium carbonate chemical prices must remain in excess of $10 per kg to stimulate the creation of new capacity to match the exponentially growing demand, Wei Xiong, vice president of China's General Lithium, has said.Wei was speaking during a lithium market webinar hosted by investment bank Morgan Stanley on Friday June 25."Demand [for lithium] is very solid," he said, "but supply is flexible and...Read More
Australia-listed Infinity Lithium Corp has entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the long-term supply of battery-grade lithium hydroxide with South Korean lithium-ion battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution, the Australian company said on Monday June 28. Under the agreement, the former will supply lithium hydroxide produced from its 75%-owned San Jos?(C) lithium project...Read More
Flat steel prices for imports into the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia decreased during the week ended Tuesday June 29, but demand was better because of low stock levels, Fastmarkets was told.Some market participants expected flat steel prices to increase because of Russia's recently proposed export duty.Russia will impose a base 15% export duty on 340 metal products, including hot-rolled co...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Europe remained stable on Tuesday June 29 with trading activity still limited, sources told Fastmarkets.Buyers have been more cautious about making new deals because they have sufficient stocks for the next few months and delivery times from the EU mills for HRC are reaching late 2021. For downstream coil, several producers said they were now sold out for the...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in China's domestic market inched lower on Tuesday June 29 while futures prices reversed earlier gains.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,390-5,450 yuan ($834-844) per tonne, widening downward by 10 yuan per tonne from 5,400-5,450 yuan. Spot prices edged lower after the most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell slightly from an earlier high of...Read More