With ferro-vanadium trading at a 13-year high in Europe, Metal Bulletin looks back at some of the key events that have set the scene for prices to more than double so far in 2018.
April 2015 Evraz Highveld Steel & Vanadium and its Mapochs Mine subsidiary enter business rescue proceedings, ultimately taking nearly 4,000 tonnes per year (tpy) of vanadium out of the market.November 2015 Ferro-vanadium trades as low as $12.75 per kilogram in Europe, according to Metal Bulletin data, the lowest level since December 2003, due to weak demand, oversupply and poor sentiment. At its lowest point, ferro-vanadium has lost nearly 46% of its value since the beginning of that year. October/November 2016 Chinese vanadium producers struggle to procure cheap slag, resulting in closures and upstream tightness. Domestic prices for vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) and ferro-vanadium start to rise. Sellers in Europe successfully increase their offers in response to low stocks and tight raw material supplies. Sentiment improves and ferro-vanadium prices recover to more than $20 per kg. November 8, 2016 Negotiations for 2017 supply contracts indicate discounts to Metal Bulletin's ferro-vanadium price will narrow, with...