The infrastructure to recycle electric vehicle (EV) batteries is currently not optimized either to handle end-of-life battery capacity or to meet critical materials demands placed on the market with the ramping-up of electrification, according to US-based consultancy Lux Research.In a report issued on Thursday November 18, the consultancy said that, despite a flurry of activity in the past few yea...Read More
Italian domestic steel scrap prices increased in the month to Tuesday November 16, supported by a combination of reduced supply and strong demand, sources have told Fastmarkets.Month-on-month comparison prices have recovered by about ?,?10 ($11) per tonne. But market sources said that, taking into account that scrap prices dropped in the second half of October, the recovery since the start of Nove...Read More
Japanese steel scrap export prices fell again in the week to Thursday November 18, after lower-priced deals to South Korea emerged, sources told Fastmarkets.A major South Korean mill purchased about 30,000 tonnes of Japanese steel scrap at bid prices that it had lodged earlier this week, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday.On Wednesday, the mill bid at ?49,500 ($432) per tonne fob for H2 scrap,...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday November 18 that are worth another look.Swedish steelmaker SSAB has announced a further two partnerships involving its fossil-fuel-free steel, to commence in 2026, the company said in separate announcements this week.Production of key battery raw materials cobalt...Read More
European hot-rolled coil prices remained broadly stable on Thursday November 18 on limited trading, but sentiment for the first quarter of 2022 has turned cautiously optimistic, sources told Fastmarkets. Limited tonnages of December-rolling HRC are still available at lower prices, but for January next year mills are targeting higher levels to cover surging c...Read More
Spot prices for hot-rolled coil in China continued to move lower on Thursday November 18, while futures prices resumed their decline amid increasing demand concerns.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,650-4,700 yuan ($729-736) per tonne, down by 30-40 yuan per tonneThe most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange resumed its decline on Thursday, reversing gains from the previous day's...Read More
Base metal futures prices on the London Metal Exchange were largely up at the 5pm close on Thursday November 18, with tin reaching a new all-time high.The three-month tin price closed at $38,453 per tonne, a rise of 1.2% from $37,975 per tonne at the 5pm close on Wednesday. This marks a new all-time high for the soldering metals three-month price, with the previous record being $38,330 on October...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices in the cfr China market dropped further on Thursday November 18 after domestic cargoes plunged due to weak demand, while the fob Australia coking coal market continued to be quiet without firm buying interest, market sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $523.84 per tonne, down $26.35 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $348.75 per...Read More
The logistics of a cluster of copper mines in western Canada have been disrupted by extreme weather conditions in the province of British Columbia (BC) this week, Fastmarkets has learnt."All transportation routes, rails and highways, to the interior of the province are closed due to washouts and [land]slides," one Canadian miner source said on Thursday November 18.The province declared a state of...Read More
Domestic prices for cold-rolled coil in Southern Europe moved down in the week to Wednesday November 17 due to limited trading activity and competitive import offers, sources told Fastmarkets.In the meantime, domestic prices in the north of Europe have been fairly stable despite a similar lack of demand.Both Southern and Northern European spot buyers have been avoiding booking significant volumes...Read More
Base metal futures prices on the London Metal Exchange were largely up at the 5pm close on Thursday November 18, with tin reaching a new all-time high.The three-month tin price closed at $38,453 per tonne, a rise of 1.2% from $37,975 per tonne at the 5pm close on Wednesday. This marks a new all-time high for the soldering metals three-month price, with the previous record being $38,330 on October...Read More
Turkish long steel export prices have gone down over the past week amid poor demand from the country's major overseas destinations, market participants told Fastmarkets on Thursday November 18.Turkish steelmakers have lowered their export offers for rebar to $730-735 per tonne, down from last week's $740-745 per tonne fob on an actual-weight basis.However, the workable price...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday November 18 that are worth another look.Swedish steelmaker SSAB has announced a further two partnerships involving its fossil-fuel-free steel, to commence in 2026, the company said in separate announcements this week.Production of key battery raw materials cobalt...Read More
Chinese nickel sulfate producers face difficult annual contract negotiations for 2022, with upstream miners taking an aggressive stance while downstream battery precursor material producers are hinting at lower demand amid plans to implement integrated operations.The Chinese nickel sulfate price has undergone considerable volatility in 2021, climbing in August to its highest since Fastmarkets bega...Read More
Key data from the Wednesday November 17 pricing session in China.Key drivers China's spot cobalt metal price fell amid a decline in local futures prices, while downstream demand was curbed by still high spot levels. Cobalt tetroxide prices in China were flat amid limited trading activity. Though most sellers would like...Read More
The logistics of a cluster of copper mines in western Canada have been disrupted by extreme weather conditions in the province of British Columbia (BC) this week, Fastmarkets has learnt."All transportation routes, rails and highways, to the interior of the province are closed due to washouts and [land]slides," one Canadian miner source said on Thursday November 18.The province declared a state of...Read More
Base metals futures on the London Metal Exchange were largely lower at the 5pm close on Wednesday November 17, succumbing to a strong US dollar index and other headwinds.The US dollar index remained at its highest since July 2020, touching 96.27 during early trading before stepping back to 95.83 at the close."It seems that the upside momentum has stalled in several markets over the last 24 ho...Read More
A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums for the week to Wednesday November 17.Please click...Read More
Chinese metals production and processing group Daye Nonferrous will postpone the start of operations at its new double-flash copper smelter for six months because of a lack of essential buiding components that have been sourced from overseas, Fastmarkets has learnt.The 400,000 tonnes per year project in Huangshi, close to Wuhan, was scheduled to come online by the end of this year, but commissioni...Read More
The spot ferro-chrome market in China continued to weaken on Tuesday November 16 amid suppliers' efforts to destock, with prices now back to a level last seen in mid-July.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment of ferro-chrome spot 6-8% C, basis 50% Cr, ddp China was 9,600-10,200 yuan ($1,503-1,597) per tonne on Tuesday, down by 400-700 yuan per tonne from 10,300-10,600 yuan per tonne a week earlier. The l...Read More