Zinc premiums narrowed in Southeast Asia but were stable elsewhere in the week ended Tuesday November 20 after zinc forward price spreads became the most widely backwardated since at least 2004. Lead premiums dropped in Taiwan, with lower offers moving levels down. Zinc cash/three-month price spread backwardation soars to $98 per tonne Taiwan lead premium falls pressed by increase in I...Read More
China continues to rely heavily on imported bauxite, with imports set to reach a five-year high of 70 million tonnes this year, Pi Jianqing, deputy manager of the non-ferrous department of Hanzhou Jinjiang Group, said last week. "China is expecting to import 70 million tonnes of bauxite in 2018. This [is the highest] since 2013, when the market stockpiled large quantities of bauxite on tightness c...Read More
Trafigura's rescue package for Nyrstar comes at a price, with the trader taking greater ownership of one of the world's largest zinc smelter's prized assets in return for helping it bridge a nine-day liquidity crunch. Nyrstar announced on Wednesday November 21 that its biggest shareholder, Trafigura, had granted it a committed working capital facility of $650 million, effective November 30. The Be...Read More
Comex copper prices bounced back during the midweek trading session with a softer dollar and technical support boosting the red metal.The copper price for December settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange gained 1.20 cents to $2.7785 per lb.Prices could be volatile today with market participants sidelined due to the upcoming...Read More
Daily PDFs will be downloadable until Thursday November 22. After that, because of a public holiday, the next daily PDF will be downloadable on Tuesday November 27, 2018. Read More
China's Belt and Road Initiative is expected to generate around 6.5 million tonnes of copper demand across more than 60 Asian and European countries over 2018-2027, according to new research from MarchWin Consulting as commissioned by the International Copper Association (ICA). The Belt and Road Initiative was first unveiled by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 and aims to strengthen infrastruc...Read More
The price for rebar produced and delivered in Southern Europe widened slightly on Wednesday November 21, although consumers remained unwilling to buy large volumes because questions persist about the European Commission's import quotas.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Southern Europe widened upward to ?,?530-540 ($605-616) per tonne delivered on Wednesday, from ?,?530-535...Read More
The price for rebar produced and delivered in Northern Europe stayed flat on Wednesday November 21, with consumers not willing to commit to purchases during a time of uncertainty in the markets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Northern Europe stayed at ?,?550-560 ($628-639) per tonne delivered on Wednesday, unchanged now for three weeks, after producers resisted lowering...Read More
Domestic prices for steel beams in Europe were stable this week, although feedstock costs have started to fall, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday November 21.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic S235-grade, 200x200mm, category-2 H-beam in Northern Europe was ?,?620-645 ($708-736) per tonne delivered on Wednesday, unchanged week on week.Fastmarkets' index for Northern European HMS...Read More
Prices for hollow steel sections in Northern Europe remained unchanged this week, even as feedstock prices continued to fall, Fastmarkets heard on Wednesday November 21. Fastmarkets' domestic price assessment for commodity-size, grade-S235 square hollow sections made in Northern Europe was ?,?640-660 ($731-753) per tonne delivered on November 21, unchanged week on week.Although feedstock prices co...Read More
Turkey produced 3.20 million tonnes of crude steel in October 2018, a 4.30% decrease compared with October 2017, according to the Turkish Steel Producers Association (T???oeD).In January-October 2018, crude steel production in the country was 31,289,000 tonnes, a 0.78% year-on-year rise compared with 31,048,000 tonnes produced in January-October 2017, T???oeD said this week.The country produced 10...Read More
Iranian suppliers of billet and slab continued to cut prices in the second half of November to attract customers.Although several bookings were heard done in the market, the majority of customers refrained from business with the Middle East supplier due to the difficulties stemming from sanctions imposed by the United States.On November 5 the US announced the second round of sanctions against Iran...Read More
Albemarle Corp has entered into an exclusive deal with Australian miner Mineral Resources (MRL) that may lead to the development of new battery-grade lithium hydroxide plant in Western Australia.The companies have agreed to consider the creation of a joint venture that would own and operate the Wodgina hard rock lithium mine and ultimately develop an integrated lithium hydroxide operation at the s...Read More
The following Fastmarkets noble alloys and ores prices changed on Wednesday November 21:Noble alloysFerro-molybdenum basis 65% min, in-warehouse Rotterdam, $ per kg Mo: $28.20-28.50 per...Read More
Key data from the Wednesday November 21 pricing session in Europe. Key drivers European suppliers resisted cutting prices or held off offering material altogether. The move follows a downward trend in alloy prices that started on September 12, when the market was assessed at $5.80-6.05 per kg, and stopped a couple of weeks ago.Alloy trading activity was generally quiet this week, with only deals...Read More
The London Metal Exchange is planning to launch a lithium contract in the second half of 2019 to meet growing demand from the electric vehicle industry, Fastmarkets learned during Asia Copper Week in Shanghai. The contract, announced as part of the exchange's Strategic Pathway in September 2017, will be settled against an index price, with Fastmarkets MB's lithium spot price index one of those bei...Read More
The Turkish steel producers have extended their absence from the deep-sea scrap markets due to sluggish demand for their finished steel products, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday November 21.In addition to their fears of renewed product outflows from China, the weakening local and export rebar prices have become another obstacle for the mills in Turkey.Rebar prices in China, in both the domes...Read More
Iron ore market participants took caution on Wednesday November 21 amid volatility in paper markets and continued drops in steel prices.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $74.06 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.59 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $73.25 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.59 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $78.06 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $1.16 per tonne.MB 58% Fe...Read More
The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for iron ore, pig iron, direct-reduced iron and other steelmaking raw materials.Latest transaction: iron oreIron oreRio Tinto, bilateral sale, 170,000 tonnes of 61% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, traded at $72.22 per...Read More
The lull in the seaborne coking coal market persisted on Wednesday November 21 with Chinese end users maintaining a bearish outlook amid a drop in domestic coke prices in China."Our coking coal inventories are still at a moderate level of around half a month, hence we don't intend to procure any imported materials for the time being. Our selling price for coke will fall by 100 yuan ($14.40) per to...Read More