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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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Refractory-grade bauxite prices have held firm due to tightening supply despite the uncertainties caused the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Prices of brown fused alumina (BFA), white fused alumina (WFA) and refractory-grade bauxite remained stable on limited trading during the two weeks ended Thursday September 3, pausing a sharply bearish trend that had affected both commodities in recent months.
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Fastmarkets is inviting feedback from the industry on its pricing methodology for its industrial minerals, as part of its annual methodology review process and compliance with the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) principles for PRAs.
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Refractory grade bauxite prices in China dropped in the two weeks to Thursday, August 20 amid “extremely slow” demand, while both brown fused alumina (BFA) and white fused alumina (WFA) prices remained under pressure.
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The price of white fused alumina (WFA) made a further downward move during the past fortnight despite participants’ expectations the market had bottomed out owing to changes in feedstock prices during previous weeks.
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The price for brown fused alumina (BFA) fell for a second consecutive assessment because of soft demand during a slow summer that was also affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, while the price of white fused alumina (WFA) ticked upward slightly and bauxite stayed mostly flat.
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Sluggish fundamentals for refractories continue to put pressure on speciality calcined alumina raw materials, with prices showing further bearish movement.
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The price of white fused alumina (WFA) fell further in the fortnight to Thursday June 25, on continued weakness in consumer end markets and limited orders from users.
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Bearish market conditions for refractory raw materials amid the Covid-19 pandemic continued to weigh on prices, with all grades of calcined bauxite falling while the fused alumina price fell and is reportedly below cost of production, sources said.
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Refractories production in China fell to 1.65 million tonnes in April, down by 4.1% year on year, according to data from the China Association of Refractories.
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China’s export shipments of refractory-grade bauxite unexpectedly rose in April by 34% despite the global consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, exports of brown fused alumina (BFA) increased by 5% but those of white fused alumina (WFA) fell by 5%, with market weakness still evident, according to sources.
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The price of white fused alumina (WFA) fell still further on the low end of the range, amid the dollar’s depreciation against the euro over the fortnight ended Thursday May 28. Prices for refractory-grade bauxite and brown fused alumina (BFA) stayed flat while demand remained sluggish.
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China’s ports have resumed normal operations but overseas demand for exported materials remains reduced by the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in lower container throughput. Most producers of refractory raw materials, however, continued to get limited orders from global buyers.
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Fused alumina prices have fallen further during the two weeks to Thursday May 14 because of continued bearish pressure resulting from weak demand from refractories consumers, while bauxite prices remained flat on a largely muted export market and scarcity of supply in China.
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Producers of andalusite in various countries have been able to restart operations after Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, although they warned that a return to pre-closure output volumes will be slow and gradual.
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Brown fused alumina (BFA) and white fused alumina (WFA) prices are increasingly moving separately in their pricing patterns, with the latter having deepened its price discount to BFA against a historic premium.
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China's refractories output fell to 4.10 million tonnes in the first quarter of 2020, mainly due to a slowdown in production caused by the response to the Covid-19 outbreak.
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Fused alumina prices have dropped significantly in the past fortnight, with brown fused alumina (BFA) falling to a two-year low and following the path of white fused alumina (WFA), which has lost value for a second consecutive assessment.
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The decline in shipments of refractory-grade bauxite and fused alumina out of China eased off toward the end of the first quarter of 2020, compared with the plunge of more than 30% year-on-year seen in January and February.
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The price for white fused alumina (WFA) in China has fallen over the past two weeks to reach a two-year low in the assessment on Thursday April 16.
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Refractory grade bauxite remained mostly flat amid a quiet seaborne market and poor availability over the past fortnight. Brown fused alumina (BFA) ticked up while white fused alumina (WFA) dropped, and participants warned of a potential cliff edge in demand ahead.
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Calcined alumina prices remained stable in early April after a decline over previous months, with both producers and consumers assessing the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic for local operations.
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The total output of refractory materials in China increased by 3.7% year-on-year to 24.31 million tonnes in 2019. But most refractory raw materials prices were still under downward pressure.
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Poor availability has continued to support prices for refractory-grade bauxite over the past fortnight, while the price for white fused alumina (WFA) ticks upward and brown fused alumina (BFA) remains flat.
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Bauxite prices in China have increased again over the past fortnight on low restart rates of mining and calcination activities in producing areas, market participants said.
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The price of refractory-grade bauxite rose in the two weeks to Thursday February 20 due to a low production recovery rate and limited logistics in the main Chinese production hub of Shanxi province, while fused alumina remained unchanged on production and delivery uncertainty in Henan.
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A recovery of China’s bauxite and fused alumina production remained uncertain in the major production hubs of Henan and Shanxi provinces due to the coronavirus outbreak, creating concern about supply and delivery of the refractory material in the short term.
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Participants active in the bauxite and fused alumina markets expect short-term supply shortages to affect consuming destinations in areas including Europe, while sellers take stock of the shipping disruptions arising from measures taken to contain the coronavirus outbreak in China.
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View the Fastmarkets holiday pricing schedule for 2020 and 2021.
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Beginning in 2020, Fastmarkets will review its pricing methodologies and price specifications across all its Price Reporting Agency (PRA) divisions - Metals & Mining and Forest Products - on an annual basis rather than twice per year.
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