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Chinese bauxite prices were unchanged over the fortnight to Thursday May 26, with sources citing conflicting market factors, while prices for refractory-grade fused alumina dropped further amid bearish market conditions and a weaker yuan.
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By Janie Davies, Sybil Pan
Prices for brown fused alumina (BFA) dropped sharply over the fortnight to Thursday April 28 on a weakening of the Chinese yuan, while the price for white fused alumina (WFA) was stable on a cif Europe basis, and bauxite prices were mostly steady with tight supply offsetting the lower yuan.
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Refractory-grade bauxite prices mostly ticked upward in the fortnight to Thursday April 14 due to rising land transport costs resulting from China’s Covid-19 control measures. The price of white fused alumina (WFA) went up because of exchange-rate moves while brown fused alumina (BFA) was steady.
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Prices for white fused alumina (WFA) showed a second consecutive drop in the two weeks to Thursday March 31, brown fused alumina (BFA) prices fell for a third consecutive fortnight, while bauxite prices were stable. And cross-provincial logistics in China were facing rigid Covid-19-related controls.
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Prices for refractory-grade brown fused alumina (BFA) stabilized after five consecutive drops over the fortnight to Thursday January 20, while the price for abrasive-grade BFA ticked down slightly on the low end. White fused alumina (WFA) prices fell despite upward adjustment in the feedstock price, while bauxite prices remained firm on a looming supply crisis.
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China’s brown fused alumina (BFA) prices continued to fall in the fortnight to Thursday January 6 due to slow spot liquidity at home and abroad. White fused alumina (WFA) also dipped after holding stable in the previous session, and bauxite held firm on limited availability projections.
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China’s brown fused alumina (BFA) fell for a fourth consecutive fortnight on Thursday December 23 amid low liquidity in the run up to the year end. Meanwhile, bauxite prices dropped slightly after holding steady for the past month.
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Fastmarkets opened a consultation on Monday November 8, inviting feedback on its pricing methodology for industrial minerals, in line with our annual methodology review process.
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Chinese fused alumina declined for a third consecutive pricing session in the two weeks ended Thursday December 9 amid slow spot transactions and improved operating rates against the height of a power crunch. This was despite concerns over the anti-pollution related halt for winter.
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Andalusite prices for 2022 supplies pushed upward with demand expected to exceed available output, while logistics costs and issues affecting alternative materials weighed on delivered prices into Europe, market sources told Fastmarkets in the week ended Thursday December 2.
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Fused alumina prices continued to adjust downward in the two weeks to Thursday November 25, with slow buying activity and relatively improved production following earlier record surges. Meanwhile, bauxite prices were steady on prevailing supply risks but market participants warned of possible further upward moves.
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Fastmarkets is inviting feedback from the industry on its pricing methodology for industrial minerals, as part of its announced annual methodology review process.
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Intensifying production suspensions across China have sent prices for both refractory and abrasive grades of brown fused alumina (BFA) to their highest levels since Fastmarkets began tracking these markets. At the same time, bullish fundamentals have combined with logistical bottlenecks to propel white fused alumina (WFA) prices upward.
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German calcined alumina supplier Nabaltec AG will increase prices by “up to 20%” across all of its products starting next year, the company announced.
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Market prices in China for brown fused alumina (BFA) and white fused alumina (WFA) continued to surge over the past fortnight on escalating power shortage-related operations closures in production hubs, while bauxite prices remained stable despite supply risks.
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By Yiwen Ju and Sybil Pan
Market participants in the bauxite industry in China, both metallurgical and non-metallurgical grades, have downplayed the effect of heavy rainfall in Shanxi earlier this month despite a temporary closure of alumina operation lines. But sources expressed concerns over operations in the coming winter because of the traditional environmental regulations and energy shortages.
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Market prices for fused alumina mineral products surged over the past two weeks to Thursday September 30 because of severe power shortages in Chinese production areas that hit availability, while bauxite prices held firm again.
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Prices for brown and white fused alumina increased further in the two weeks to Thursday September 16, with power availability issues in central China worsening, adding to ongoing logistics issues and limiting availability and sellers’ capacity to ship material.
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Prices for white fused alumina (WFA) hit new highs in the fortnight to Thursday September 2, on surging feedstock costs, while brown fused alumina (BFA) followed, with tighter supply and power scarcity affecting output, but the price of bauxite was stable on strong fundamentals.
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Chinese prices for brown fused alumina (BFA) rose for a second consecutive fortnight on Thursday August 19 amid continuing supply problems and solid demand in overseas markets, while high freight costs continued to support white fused alumina (WFA), and bauxite held firm on strong fundamentals.
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China’s prices for brown fused alumina (BFA) ticked upward over the fortnight to Thursday August 5 on supply problems created by factors including the Henan floods, Covid-19-related logistics issues and electricity shortages, while white fused alumina (WFA) was supported by “exploding” freight costs, and bauxite held firm because of closures affecting mining and calcination.
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White fused alumina (WFA) prices increased for a third consecutive fortnight to Thursday July 23 amid high freight costs, while brown fused alumina (BFA) and bauxite held stable despite severe supply disruptions brought about by heavy rainfalls in Henan and environmental regulations in Shanxi province.
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Prices for brown and white fused alumina (BFA and WFA) jumped during the fortnight to Thursday June 24 on supply issues and spiking freight rates from China to Europe, but bauxite held firm with some mining activities in Shanxi province reported to be halted.
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China’s heightened efforts to tackle pollution and safety controls in 2021 are set to widen supply tightness in refractory-grade bauxite and fused alumina, sources told Fastmarkets.
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Andalusite market participants said availability is tightening and prices have risen owing to a combination of supply hiccups in some origins and increasing costs of shipping.
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Prices for brown fused alumina (BFA) moved up in the fortnight to Thursday June 10 amid increasing supply tightness following temporary closures in China’s Henan province. The price of white fused alumina (WFA) imports into Europe was supported by soaring freight costs, while bauxite also held firm.
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Rising production costs, a more expensive Chinese yuan and the continuing global logistics issues continued to support prices for both brown and white fused alumina (BFA and WFA) and for bauxite in the fortnight to Thursday May 27.
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Prices of brown fused alumina (BFA) moved up during the past fortnight after holding firm for the past three months amid increasing electricity costs and tightened supply of calcined bauxite.
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Prices for brown fused alumina (BFA) held firm during the fortnight to Thursday April 29, driven by complex logistics arrangements from China to major overseas markets in addition to supply interruption and good demand while white fused alumina (WFA) edged up amid similar conditions.
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China’s bauxite markets ticked down in the two weeks to Thursday April 15 on a mixed picture of improved land transport while demand continues to be strong, whereas white fused alumina (WFA) into Europe continued to be supported by high shipping costs and brown fused alumina (BFA) held unchanged amid increasing production costs.
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Freight rate differentials between materials shipped in containers and in bulk from China to Europe continued to be a major driver of white fused alumina (WFA) prices in the two weeks ended Thursday April 1.
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Bauxite calcination kilns in the city of Xiaoyi, in China’s Shanxi province, remained at a standstill following the normal autumn-winter shutdown because of the local government’s continuing anti-pollution drive, according to market sources.
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Higher availability in Europe of white fused alumina (WFA) shipped in break bulk vessels put pressure on some cif Europe port prices in the past fortnight, while bauxite and brown fused alumina (BFA) prices were steady.
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Prices of brown fused alumina (BFA) were firm during the two weeks to Thursday March 4, with market participants' views differing on the market's performance. White fused alumina (WFA), meanwhile, slipped and bauxite was stable.
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Higher logistics costs and a steadier flow of inquiries have supported the andalusite market in the three months to Thursday February 25.
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Refractory-grade bauxite prices showed a reduction this week from previously wider spreads, with China gradually returning to the market after the Lunar New Year holiday, while white fused alumina (WFA) ticked upward on higher operational costs and brown fused alumina (BFA) held firm.
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Prices spread for certain grades of bauxite widened in the fortnight to Thursday February 4 on differing availability options from suppliers, while the price of white fused alumina (WFA) moved up on higher costs and brown fused alumina (BFA) held firm on bullish sentiment.
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Seaborne prices for bauxite and fused alumina in China moved up in the fortnight ended Thursday January 21 on rising land transport costs and long lead times, compounded by persistently tight supply.
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Refractory raw material consumers are likely to face shortages in bauxite, with the continued supply and logistics bottlenecks from China coming against a low-stock situation in destination markets.
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Andalusite buyers are seeking flexibility for 2021 supply volumes due to uncertain conditions in refractories' end market, as negotiations for new contracts proceed slowly.
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Chinese prices of both brown (BFA) and white fused alumina (WFA) as well as refractory grade bauxite rose in the two weeks to Thursday December 10 due to tightened pollution controls in major producing regions in line with winter environmental regulations.
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A new round of winter environmental regulations in China’s Henan province complicates further the picture for brown fused alumina (BFA) amid slow refractories demand, surging freight rates and currency volatility.
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Brown fused alumina (BFA) and refractory-grade bauxite prices climbed in the latest fortnightly pricing session on Thursday November 26 due to support from environmental regulations in China for the winter months, while the Chinese white fused alumina (WFA) assessment rose by 5% on the low end amid fast-rising container freight rates.
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China produced 17.45 million tonnes of refractory materials in China in the first nine months of 2020, down by 7.3% year on year, although performance improved in the third quarter compared with earlier in the year.
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China’s price for white fused alumina (WFA) moved up during the fortnight to Thursday November 12 amid surging container freight rates, while the markets for brown fused alumina (BFA) and refractory-grade bauxite edged higher on the rising value of the Chinese yuan and the threat of environmental controls on operations in major production hubs.
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Contracts for the supply of several mineral raw materials for 2021 are expected to be shorter in their duration and cover smaller volumes compared with previous years, while market participants claim negotiations are progressing slowly and with no clear market references.
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The Chinese brown fused (BFA) and white fused alumina (WFA) markets held firm in the two weeks to Thursday October 29 after previous gains on a stronger Chinese yuan.
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The market for refractory grade bauxite and brown fused alumina (BFA) ticked up in the past fortnight to Thursday October 15 on a rising yuan after China's Golden Week holiday in early October, while white fused alumina (WFA) held firm after previous upward adjustments.
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Fastmarkets opened a consultation on September 1, 2020, inviting feedback on its industrial minerals methodology in line with our annual methodology review process.
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Prices of bauxite, white fused alumina (WFA) and abrasive-grade brown fused alumina (BFA) all ticked upward on exchange-rate fluctuations and rising freight rates during the two weeks to Thursday September 17, the first positive pricing moves in all three commodities for several months.
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