The European charge and high carbon ferro-chrome benchmark has dropped to $1.24 per lb for the fourth quarter of 2018, down 14 cents from the prior quarter.
The quarterly benchmark is negotiated by a leading South African ferro-chrome producer and a major European mill; usually Glencore and Aperam.
The new settlement was announced on Wednesday October 3 to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange by Merafe Resources, a joint venture partner of Glencore in South Africa.
Fastmarkets MB reported in September that most chrome market sources were
expecting a reduction of about 15 cents.
"The fourth quarter benchmark is representative of the market and well within expectations," a market source told Fastmarkets MB.
"It is a slightly smaller reduction than expected, probably due to rising alloy prices in China and the fact that a revision in chrome ore stock estimates had made people more nervous about being able to secure chrome units," this source said.
Fastmarkets MB's
price quotation for spot high carbon ferro-chrome, delivered in Europe, stands at $1.18-1.28 per lb.