The following Metal Bulletin noble alloys, bulk alloys and ores prices changed on Friday December 14:Noble alloysMolybdenum Europe drummed molybdic oxide, $/lb: $12.10-12.20 per lb from $12.20-12.30Molybdenum US canned molybdic oxide, $/Ib $12.20-12.30 per Ib from $12.30-12.40Ferro-molybdenum basis 65% min, in-warehouse Rotterdam, $/kg Mo: $28.80-29.00 per kg from $29.20-29.40Ferro-vanadium basis...Read More
Manganese ore prices dropped by as much as 8% on Friday December 14 after miners slashed offer prices to entice cautious buyers before the end of the year. Fastmarkets MB's 37% manganese ore index, fob Port Elizabeth dropped by 53 cents to $5.50 per dry metric tonne unit (dmtu)Fastmarkets MB's 37% manganese ore index, cif Tianjin dropped 51 cents to $6.22 per dmtu.Fastmarkets MB's 44% ma...Read More
Chinese domestic spot battery-grade lithium carbonate prices moved up slightly on Thursday December 13 on reduced producer stocks near the end of the year whilst lithium hydroxide prices softened week on week on slow demand. Lithium carbonate prices moved slightly up due to lower availability near the end of the year. Lithium hydroxide prices dropped on slow demand and lower offers from prod...Read More
Tianqi's recent purchase of a stake in SQM is the latest in a series of deals showing how participants at different stages of the supply chain are opting to strengthen their position through vertical partnerships. Meanwhile, consumers are keen to lock in feedstock supply through offtake agreements. The global lithium industry is growing rapidly, but at the same time competition is consolidating, w...Read More
Major steel mills in China have concluded their ferro-silicon tenders for December at levels similar to those in November, Fastmarkets MB has learned. Both Hebei Steel, the country's largest mill, and Jiangsu Shagang last week released their tender purchase prices for ferro-silicon this month. Hebei Steel's latest tender price is 7,010 yuan ($1,013) per tonne for December, for 5,100 tonnes of ferr...Read More
There was little activity in the pig iron market in the United States this week because buyers were cautiously optimistic about the possibility of a price reduction.Fastmarkets' import price assessment for pig iron in the US was $370-380 per tonne cfr on Friday December 14, down from $375-385 per tonne cfr a week earlier. The most recent booking of CIS-origin material in the US was hear...Read More
Turkish steel producers have ended another week without making any deep-sea purchases because of the continued lack of demand for finished steel in the country's domestic and export markets, sources said on Friday December 14.Domestic mills have been holding back from scrap purchases for three weeks now, with only one cargo booked since November 23, which was a European cargo at an average price o...Read More
The price of shredded ferrous scrap imported into India fell this this week, reflecting lower offer prices to entice buyers, market participants said on Friday December 14.Fastmarkets MB's weekly index for containerized imports of shredded scrap into India was $337.50 per tonne cfr Nhava Sheva on December 14, down from $342.78 per tonne cfr Nhava Sheva on December 7.Offers ranged from $330 to $345...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices surged above the $70 per tonne cfr mark on Friday December 14 amid bullish trading in both physical and futures markets.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $70.74 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $3.09 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $70.54 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $3.62 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $72.17 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $1.29 per tonne.MB 58%...Read More
Interest in Singapore Exchange's (SGX) high-grade iron ore derivative was robust in the second week of trading, with 7,000 lots traded and cleared by 5.53pm Singapore time on Friday December 14.This accounts for 700,000 tonnes traded and cleared this week as of 5.53pm Singapore time, according to SGX data.Trading was done in each calendar month from January 2019 to June 2019 this week, in line wit...Read More
The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for iron ore, pig iron, direct-reduced iron and other steelmaking raw materials. Latest transactions: iron oreIron oreRio Tinto, Beijing Iron Ore Trading Center (Corex), 170,000 tonnes of 61% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, sold at $69.40 per tonne cfr China,...Read More
The divide between cfr China and fob Australia prices widened further on Friday December 14 amid persistent concerns over potential supply disruptions.A cargo of a top Australian brand was traded at $208.20 per tonne cfr China during the day, various sources told Fastmarkets. A cargo of a similar brand had changed hands at $230 per tonne fob Australia just a day earlier.The Abbot Point Coal Termin...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices continued to rise on Friday December 14, capping a week of gains that appears to have led to a drop in trading activity in the export market. DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,820-3,830 yuan ($555-557) per tonne, up 30-50 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,620-3,630 yuan per tonne, up 10-20 yuan per tonnePrices rose further due to buyers constantly...Read More
The following Fastmarkets minor metals prices changed on Friday December 14:Bismuth MB free market, $/lb: $3.40-3.80 per lb from $3.60-4.00Bismuth MB China domestic, yuan/tonne: 48,000-50,000 yuan per tonne from 48,500-51,000 yuanCobalt MB free market high grade, $/lb: $28.60-30.60 per lb from $29.90-31.40Cobalt...Read More
An overview of the Chinese minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves. Read More
Disappointing Chinese economic data has weighed on the three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange this morning, Friday December 14, with all the metals in negative territory and showing average losses of 0.4%.The three-month zinc price led the way with a drop of 1%, copper was off by 0.5% at $6,121 per tonne, while the rest were off by between 0.1% and 0.3%.Volume across the compl...Read More
Manganese ore exports from South Africa during 2018 will increase to almost 17 million tonnes by the end of December, according to data that also shows monthly export volumes soared in November. Shipping trends show the total exported volume of manganese ore from South Africa in 2018 will be up by about 14% compared with the 14.7 million tonnes it exported in 2017, when...Read More
Stainless steel prices in Europe fell in the week to Friday December 14, with slow trading increasing the competition between distributors, sources told Fastmarkets."Distributors still have high stocks, and destocking did not go as fast as planned for the majority of the buyers, so competition has been rather strong," a trader said.From the end of next week until the first week...Read More
The following Fastmarkets non-ferrous European free market scrap prices changed on Friday December 14:Aluminium scrapFloated Frag: ?,?1,055-1,105 per tonne from ?,?1,050-1,100Cast: ?,?960-1,010 per...Read More
Ferrous scrap prices in Asia maintained their downward trend this week amid soft end-user demand in the region.Offers were ample but buyers mostly either stayed on the sidelines or sought out limited volumes to import.Market participants are also not sure what to expect from the market over the next few weeks.Some of them said sellers in the United States were not willing to offer containerized sc...Read More