Base metals prices closed lower on the London Metal Exchange on Monday November 15, extending a downward consolidation amid an uncertain macroeconomic picture and a strong United States dollar index.Nickel's three-month price registered the largest fall on Monday, with a drop of $19 per tonne from $19,979 per tonne at the close on Friday. The metal traded as high as $20,030 per tonne - its highest...Read More
The Egyptian Ministry of Industry and Trade has suspended safeguard duties on imported billet and rebar, effective Monday November 15.The measure suspends import duties that had been in effect in the country since October 2019 to help local industry combat the significant rise in energy and shipping costs.There had been expectations that the duties would be removed in June this year, but the...Read More
Supply-side disruptions will likely continue well into 2022 with production cuts in China and capacity in other regions insufficient to meet demand amid persistent logistics constraints, panelists said on Sunday November 14 during Fastmarkets' International Ferro-alloys Conference.In a poll during the session titled "Macrotrends for the Ferro-alloys Industry" attendees also supported this forecast...Read More
Ball Beverage Packaging South America (BPSA), the South American branch of international packaging company Ball Corp, achieved dual Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) certifications for its 15 manufacturing facilities across South America, it announced on Monday November 15.BPSA has been successfully certified with both ASI Performance and Chain of Custody (CoC) standards for responsible produ...Read More
South Korea's copper smelter LS Nikko is diversifying its raw-materials portfolio by smelting circuit boards in mobile phones collected across the country, the company said on Monday November 15.The initiative is in collaboration with mobile phone distributor SK Networks to collect 50,000 used mobile phones via an artificial intelligence-based recyling platform, which could help manage and process...Read More
Sir Brian Bender, chairman of the London Metal Exchange for almost a decade, has died at age 72.Bender joined the LME in 2010, fresh from a lifelong career in the British civil service, and described himself in an interview with Metal Market Magazine on his retirement in 2019 as a "slightly leftfield candidate" for the role.He presided over a transformative period of change at the exchange, includ...Read More
Spot prices for hot-rolled coil in China declined on Monday November 15, with market sentiment subdued by the release of bleak property data.Fastmarkets assessed the price of steel hot-rolled coil domestic, ex-whs Eastern China at 4,700-4,750 yuan ($737-744) per tonne on Monday, down by 60 yuan per tonne from Friday.The most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange extended losses...Read More
The Egyptian Ministry of Industry and Trade has suspended safeguard duties on imported billet and rebar, effective Monday November 15.The measure suspends import duties that had been in effect in the country since October 2019 to help local industry combat the significant rise in energy and shipping costs.There had been expectations that the duties would be removed in June this year, but the...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Europe declined slightly in the week to Friday November 12 amid subdued trading activity in the spot market.HRC buyers across Europe were largely maintaining a wait-and-see attitude during the week.European mills were still able to offer fourth-quarter HRC to the spot market at lower prices due to slowed demand from the automotive industry. Notably, some volu...Read More
Sir Brian Bender, chairman of the London Metal Exchange for almost a decade, has died at age 72.Bender joined the LME in 2010, fresh from a lifelong career in the British civil service, and described himself in an interview with Metal Market Magazine on his retirement in 2019 as a "slightly leftfield candidate" for the role.He presided over a transformative period of change at the exchange, includ...Read More
Turkey's domestic auto bundle scrap prices have increased due to a weakening lira, while ship scrap prices have been largely stable, market participants told Fastmarkets on Monday November 15.The Turkish lira weakened further against the United States' dollar after the Turkish central bank cut the benchmark interest rate by 2% to 16% late in October.The central bank was expected to cut the interes...Read More
Turkey's domestic auto bundle scrap prices have increased due to a weakening lira, while ship scrap prices have been largely stable, market participants told Fastmarkets on Monday November 15.The Turkish lira weakened further against the United States' dollar after the Turkish central bank cut the benchmark interest rate by 2% to 16% late in October.The central bank was expected to cut the interes...Read More
The Cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lbtrade 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 alloy grade, in-whs...Read More
Base metals prices closed lower on the London Metal Exchange on Monday November 15, extending a downward consolidation amid an uncertain macroeconomic picture and a strong United States dollar index.Nickel's three-month price registered the largest fall on Monday, with a drop of $19 per tonne from $19,979 per tonne at the close on Friday. The metal traded as high as $20,030 per tonne - its highest...Read More
The Cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb 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...Read More
Key data from the Friday November 12 pricing session in China.Key drivers China's cobalt metal price rose amid gains in the local futures market and a rally in the international benchmark cobalt metal price. Chinese cobalt tetroxide suppliers pushed up offers despite thin buying amid...Read More
Trading in the European hot-rolled coil market remained slow on Monday November 15, with buyers in wait-and-see mode, sources told Fastmarkets.Distributors have been holding back from making deals until the price trend becomes clear.European producers have been offering first-quarter-rolling coil at high prices, insisting that the increase is necessary due to higher energy and emission costs. In a...Read More
The automotive industry's shift to electric vehicles (EVs) has put the sustainability efforts of its suppliers under scrutiny, Jean-Martin Van der Hoeven, chief marketing officer of ArcelorMittal's global automotive division, told Fastmarkets in an exclusive interview.One outcome of the so-called Dieselgate scandal - in which German automaker Volkswagen, among others, admitted to manipulating the...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday November 15 that are worth another look.Ferro-alloy supply-side disruptions will likely continue well into 2022 with production cuts in China and capacity in other regions insufficient to meet demand amid persistent logistics constraints, panelists said on Sunday November 14 during...Read More
Global ferro-alloy markets have been supercharged this year by robust demand and supply shortages that began when the world's major producing countries faced extensive electricity limitations. With many alloy prices near record highs, conversation at this year's International Ferro-alloys conference in Prague over November 14-16 will focus on the surge in electricity prices in China and Europe, th...Read More