Tungsten prices retreated in the week to Friday July 27 after ammonium paratungstate supply from China resumed following the end of environmental-related suspensions in Jiangxi.
Metal Bulletin assessed prices for ammonium paratungstate (APT) in the European free market at $323-330 per metric tonne unit, cif Rotterdam, on Friday, down from $333-341 per mtu the previous week. Prices had peaked this year at $350-354 per mtu on June 22. Environmental-related production halts at smelters in China's Jiangxi province began in May, leading to supply tightness. But prices are retreating now that the suspensions have ended. "Consumers are very reluctant to get back to the market and there are plenty of offers around with supply side not being an issue any more," a trader said. "There is excess of material in the market with Jiangxi...