Fastmarkets examines these questions following Tsingshan's announcement - believed to be a game changer for the nickel market - mainly focusing on the EV demand outlook, raw materials and the implications on exchanged-traded nickel pricing in the future as well as some uncertainties.Nickel matte has suddenly gained a lot of market attention after Chinese stainless steel producer Tsingshan Holding...Read More

The London Metal Exchange copper price led a broad price recovery across the base metals complex in morning trading on Friday March 5. Trading at $8,843 per tonne, the LME three-month copper price was up by 3% against Thursday's 7pm close, but still down 0.72% against the 5pm close, reflecting how metal market prices sold off sharply throughout yesterday following bearish fundamental and macr...Read More

An overview of the aerospace materials markets and their latest price moves.Ewa Manthey and Michael Greenfield in...Read More

An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Charlotte Radford, Cristina Belda...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.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

The Cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China, % payable of Fastmarkets' standard-grade cobalt price (low-end) 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 hydroxide p...Read More

The Cobalt sulfate 20.5% Co basis, exw China, yuan/tonne 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.Read More

The spot cobalt market was treading water on Thursday March 4 while market sources mulled whether falls in copper, nickel and Chinese cobalt futures prices could spill over to hit benchmark cobalt metal prices, sources told Fastmarkets Fastmarkets' benchmark price assessment for cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam stood at $24.75-25.65 per lb on Thursday, unchanged from the previous day b...Read More

Key data from the March 5 pricing session in London.Key drivers Slow inquiries lead sellers to adjust their price expectations during the second half of the week, and the ferro-molybdenum market consolidates around $28.50 per kg. Market sources...Read More

China has turned the nickel market on its head after the world's biggest stainless-steel producer, Tsingshan Holding Group, this week agreed to supply about 100,000 tonnes of matte (containing approximately 65-75% nickel) to Huayou Cobalt and battery materials maker CNGR Advanced Material.The news signals that the mainly Chinese-funded nickel pig iron (NPI) producers in Indonesia are now looking a...Read More

On April 11th, Ecuadorians choose a new president with critical implications for the country's nascent mining industry.For many, the vote is a referendum on the legacy of former president Rafael Correa, who ran the country for a decade until 2017. Riding the oil boom, he spent heavily on infrastructure and welfare but left the country's finances in ruins.It has been up to his successor (and former...Read More

Electric car maker Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) will become a technical adviser at the conflict-ridden New Caledonia nickel mine, as part of the company's attempt to secure enough supply of the key battery metal, which CEO Elon Musk has singled out as his biggest concern.Political leaders in the French Pacific territory agreed on March 4 to sell a majority stake in Vale's (NYSE: VALE) nickel business to...Read More

Resource nationalism has spiked in more than 30 countries over the last year and more than half of those nations are key producers of minerals and hydrocarbons, a new study reveals.The growing trend, paired with the economic impacts of Covid-19, has heightened governments' rising appetite for greater control over mineral revenues, the latest research from risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft shows....Read More

Petra Diamonds (LSE: PDL) has sold a 299.3 carat diamond recovered in January at its iconic Cullinan mine, in South Africa, to Belgium-based Stargems DMCC for US$12.18 million.The exceptional Type 11a white gem-quality rock achieved a price of U$40,701 per carat, which exceeds the US$34,386 per carat received for the 424.89 carat "Legacy of the Cullinan Diamond Mine" in May 2019. The freshly so...Read More

Plunging steel futures and physical prices in China kept buyers away from the import markets on Friday March 5, industry sources told Fastmarkets.Overnight price falls in rebar, hot-rolled coil and iron ore futures have dampened buying interest, with bids at $500-502 per tonne cfr China for imports of HRS101-grade heavy scrap (HS).Offers from sellers were at $510 per tonne cfr China. Key market pa...Read More

Spot prices in the key Vietnamese scrap import market increased in the week to Friday March 5, with key buyers setting eyes on bulk deep-sea HMS 1&2 (80:20) cargoes over Japanese H2 cargoes due to the thin premium the former is commanding. Two transactions for bulk HMS 1&2 (80:20) cargoes were concluded on Thursday at $474 per tonne and $477 per tonne cfr Vietnam. One cargo was from Australia, whi...Read More

Strong demand for containerized ferrous scrap into the key import market of Taiwan has continued to push prices higher, sources told Fastmarkets during the week to Friday March 5.Fastmarkets' daily price assessment for containerized steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20), United States material import, cfr main port Taiwan was $433-440 per tonne on Friday, unchanged from Thursday, but up by $8-10 per tonne...Read More

Key data from the pricing sessions in Europe, Asia and the United States for the week ending Friday March 5. China  High-grade seaborne ore prices rose after miners raised their offers for April shipment. Some buyers accepted the elevated offers, while others showed resistance given the current portside prices and persistently high port inventories. Low-grade prices continued upwards aft...Read More

Key data from the pricing sessions in Europe, Asia and the United States for the week ending Friday March 5. United States  Limited availability continued to provide the fuel for price gains this week.  Mills are reportedly hard pressed to find uncommitted prompt material amid major domestic production cutbacks and slowed imports.  Vessels continue to be difficult to obtain for US s...Read More