An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves.Read More
This recent drop in copper prices is not reflective of the current tight supply and demand fundamentals and a rebound could take place as soon as next week, Codelco's chief commercial officer Roberto Ecclefield told Fastmarkets on Friday May 3."Once China re-opens on Monday, we should see copper prices rebound," Ecclefield said in an interview. "The current price doesn't reflect fundamentals."Mark...Read More
The dip in tin prices over the past two months reflects technical factors and a drop in semiconductor sales but a rebound is hard to envision despite an largely solid fundamental backdrop.Weakness in the global semiconductor sector has contributed to an 11% drop in the LME three-month tin price since mid-April - the sharpest fall across the base metals.The three-month price fell just 2.9% in 2018...Read More
Copper concentrates treatment charges (TCs) declined in early May after traders accepted recent tender tonnages at surprisingly low levels, which stretched the gap between acceptable purchase levels for traders and smelters to its widest in the past year.As of May 3, Fastmarkets' Asia-Pacific TC/RC index dropped to $60.8 per tonne/6.08 cents per lb, compared to $62.50 per tonne/6.25 cents per lb a...Read More
Comex exchange copper prices recovered in morning trading in the United States on Friday May 3, after the April US jobs report showed strong data, raising spirits in the equity markets.The copper price for July settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose by 4.65 cents on Friday to $2.8260 per lb.Earlier in the morning, the jobs report showed that 263,000 Americans had...Read More
Benchmark alumina prices are now trading at their lowest in over a year due to lack of buying appetite and excess cargoes in the market for May and June. Fastmarkets' benchmark alumina fob Australia index was last assessed at $351.49 per tonne on May 2 - its lowest level since the index was published at $349.88 per tonne on March 1, 2018. "There are a lot of cargoes being offered in the market at...Read More
With competition in the global steel markets remaining fierce, Fastmarkets provides an update on the new, progressing and closed trade cases from around the world in April 2019.The case list below includes only updates. For other continuing...Read More
Domestic prices for rebar in Poland have been supported by strong demand in the construction industry, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday May 3."Demand is good, which is normal at this time of the year," a Polish trader said. "But there is some pressure coming from unexpected scrap price decreases, because mills are...Read More
The light iron market in the UK has dropped in the past week, with traders cutting their prices amid weaker European export markets, particularly into Turkey, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday May 3.Moreover, with European scrap export markets into Turkey set to get weaker in the near term, UK consumer monthly delivery settlements for May are likely to drop by a similar amount, they said.Fastmark...Read More
Russian steelmaker Industrial Metallurgical Holding (IMH) will start production of steel at its new Tula Steel subsidiary this month, with plans to enter the billet export market in the coming months, Fastmarkets has learnt."Tula Steel plans to sell billet," a company source told Fastmarkets. "The volumes of offers will depend on circumstances in the raw materials and finished steel markets. Howev...Read More
The European Commission (EC) has proposed measures that would prevent the effects of anti-dumping or anti-subsidy duties being combined with the safeguard measures that have been applied on imports of certain steel products."Cumulation of anti-dumping or anti-subsidy measures with safeguards may lead to a greater effect than desirable, and this issue should be examined in due course," the EC said...Read More
Russia has criticized Mexico at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for maintaining anti-dumping duties on Russian steel exports, which it claims are outdated, being based on pricing assessments using data from a different country.The Mexican government used this method for past dumping calculations on Russian steel because it is permitted under WTO rules where a government dominates an economy tha...Read More
Austenitic alloy steel scrap prices in Europe went down in the week ended Friday May 3 because of further losses in the nickel market, Fastmarkets has heard.Fundamentals in the market were unchanged and were not exerting pressure on prices. While some traders reported slow supply, this was matched by demand. All sources said that the fundamentals were balanced.In the UK, Fastmarkets' assessment...Read More
The Turkish steel mills extended their silence in the deep-sea scrap markets at the end of this week, wth no bookings made because they expected to achieve lower prices, sources said on Friday May 3.The most recent deep-sea transaction activity was heard on April 30, and sent prices down by more than $4 per tonne on the day.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a US cargo, comprising 22,000 to...Read More
The price of shredded ferrous scrap imported into India corrected downward this week on a quiet market, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday May 3.Fastmarkets' weekly index for containerized imports of shredded scrap into India moved down to $331.59 per tonne cfr Nhava Sheva on Friday, from $334.65 per tonne cfr one week previously.Deals heard on the market for shredded material were $330, $333 and...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices remained flat on Friday May 3, with the major Chinese market still muted due to the ongoing Labor Day public holiday.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $94.17 per tonne cfr Qingdao, unchanged. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $93.20 per tonne cfr Qingdao, unchanged. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $97.27 per tonne cfr Qingdao, unchanged. MB 58%...Read More
Confusion and mixed sentiment about price trends in the Asian regional ferrous scrap markets have kept spot demand limited in the week ended Friday May 3.Vietnamese and Taiwanese buyers were betting on further falls in import prices and were not willing to purchase more cargoes. But South Korea was looking to purchase at least three bulk cargoes to guard against further price increases.VietnamFast...Read More
The seaborne coking coal spot market was largely unchanged on Friday May 3 amid thin trading in the absence of Chinese participants.A bid for a cargo of June-loading branded materials on Global Coal emerged at $205 per tonne fob Australia in the latter part of the day, compared with $203 per tonne fob earlier. The segment was generating bids of about $198 per tonne fob at the start of the week.Sep...Read More
Aluminium's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange consolidated during morning trading on Friday May 3, with fresh inflows of more than 26,000 tonnes doing little to pressure the light metal's stagnant price, while low liquidity conditions capped volumes traded. This week, more than 232,000 tonnes of aluminium have been delivered into LME-listed warehouses predominantly in Asia, taking tot...Read More
Canadian minor metals and speciality chemicals producer 5N Plus has reported revenue in the first quarter of 2019 of US$51.4 million, down by 12% compared with $58.5 million for the corresponding period in 2018.The reduced revenue came after three consecutive years of growth in earnings, and in large part reflected the effects of production challenges and to a lesser extent the consequences of red...Read More