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The foundry-grade chromite market rose in the week ended Tuesday May 26 in response to limited supply from South Africa, but price rises were damped by weak supply.
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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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Chinese soda ash prices have hit a five-year low while Solvay and Ciner Resources achieved lower quarterly sales volumes, with the latter cutting its production by 20% - all as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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After market feedback, Fastmarkets is extending the consultation period for proposed amendments to its battery-grade lithium carbonate and hydroxide price specifications, to better reflect the emerging norms in battery-grade chemistry.
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The Chinese domestic spot battery-grade lithium price stabilized on Thursday May 21 although downstream demand showed no improvement, while rest-of-world markets were flat amid thin trading opportunities.
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Key data from the graphite pricing sessions in Asia and Europe for the week ended Thursday May 21.
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A summary of Chile-based Sociedad Quimiqa y Minera's (SQM) financial results for the first quarter of 2020, as stated in its earnings report published on Wednesday May 20.
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Prices for antimony trioxide on a cif basis in Europe and the United States slumped in the seven days to Tuesday March 19 while bearishness in the Chinese market, the biggest exporter of the material, filtered into overseas prices.
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Sentiment in the chromite market continued to improve in the week ended Tuesday May 19 but this has not yet translated into higher transaction prices, while consumption has been muted and the Covid-19-related lockdown in South Africa continued to hamper activity among producers.
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Chinese lithium producer Tianqi is in negotiation with banks to adjust the terms of its debt as the date on a key loan repayment nears, the company said on May 15 when answering investors' questions on an interactive platform.
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In China, the domestic spot battery-grade lithium carbonate price fell by 2.3% with battery-grade hydroxide prices down by 2.9% on Thursday May 14 while weak downstream demand pressured more producers to lower prices to boost sales and the Asian seaborne lithium carbonate market fell.
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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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China’s minus mesh graphite price fell for a fourth consecutive week on Thursday May 14, while the market for plus mesh strengthened due to supply scarcity.
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Key data from the graphite pricing sessions in Asia and Europe for the week ended Thursday May 14.
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Trade log for battery-grade lithium carbonate in China including trades, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.
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China’s output and sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) showed an annual decline of more than 20% in April 2020, but a 60% increase month on month because of the restarting of industrial activity. The lithium market remained weak, however.
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The chromite market was stable in the week ended Tuesday May 12, with very little activity heard. Underlying tightness in supply was expected to drive prices upward, however, despite weak demand.
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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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US-based lithium and speciality chemicals producer Albemarle said on Thursday May 7 that it was considering the acquisition of all or part of co-owner Tianqi’s share in the Greenbushes lithium mine in Western Australia.
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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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China’s lithium market was quiet in the week to Thursday May 7 with buyers largely absent due to the country’s Labor Day holiday (May 1-5). Other global lithium markets experienced a similar lack of spot activity, which kept prices in place.
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Key data from the graphite pricing sessions in Asia and Europe for the week ended Thursday May 7.
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A summary of US-based lithium and other specialty chemical producer Albemarle’s financial results for the first quarter of 2020.
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The chromite market continues to gain support due to tightness of material resulting from production and logistics disruptions in South Africa.
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Prices for antimony trioxide were unchanged in the seven days to Tuesday May 5 amid the Labour Day celebration in China and slack demand from Europe and the United States.
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After a consultation period lasting one month, Fastmarkets has amended the frequency of assessment of its India ex-works and China fob soda ash prices.
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The Chinese domestic spot battery-grade lithium carbonate price fell by 1.1% on Thursday April 30 with buyers still reluctant to accept higher prices amid poor downstream consumption.
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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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Trade log for battery-grade lithium carbonate in China including trades, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.
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Key data from the graphite pricing sessions in Asia and Europe for the week ended Thursday April 30.
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Silicon carbide prices for refractory applications continued to lose ground in a month affected by lockdown measures implemented across Europe that have forced a wide range of industries to suspend their activities and hit demand for the material.
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Prices for antimony trioxide have lost ground week on week because the lower value given to antimony metal feedstock and the sluggish demand resulting from actions taken to combat the Covid-19 pandemic have forced sellers to reduce their offers.
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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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Rock bottom oil prices have hit demand for minerals used in drilling, including barite, bentonite and frac sand.
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Fluorspar consumption has been supported by Covid-19 related demand for refrigerants, which has offset reduced demand in the automotive sector; while Chinese prices fell on returning supply.
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The price for minus-mesh graphite flake has fallen by $10 per tonne, ending a period of stability that has lasted since August 22 last year, against the backdrop of demand reduced by the effects of measures being used to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The United States and European lithium carbonate price fell by 2.6% in a market plagued by coronavirus-related shutdowns, with suppliers there turning to the seaborne Asia market to offload stocks.
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Key data from the graphite pricing sessions in Asia and Europe for the week ended Thursday April 23.
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Restrictions to production in South Africa imposed in response to the Covid-19 virus have increased sentiment in the chromite market over the week to Tuesday April 21.
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Iodine producers are trying to impose a price increase but it was unclear whether consumers would accept an additional $0.50-1.00 per kg given the uncertainty about the longevity of the lockdowns in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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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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The Chinese domestic spot battery-grade lithium carbonate price fell by 2.7% on Thursday April 16 after suppliers dropped offers again to stimulate a reluctant market, while the Asian seaborne market finally ended its steady streak.
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Fastmarkets has corrected its lithium carbonate index, min 99.5% Li2O3, grade, exw China, which was published incorrectly on Thursday April 16 due to an input error.
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Key data from the graphite pricing sessions in Asia and Europe for the week ended Thursday April 16.
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Prices of foundry and chemical grades of chromite remained flat during the week to Tuesday April 14, although market participants expected a short-term supply gap to affect consumption in end-user areas including China because of the extension to the lockdown in South Africa until the end of April.
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China’s magnesia prices were mostly rangebound in the week to Tuesday April 14, with export orders from overseas buyers being scarce because of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Chinese lithium producers Tianqi and Ganfeng have issued profit warnings for the first quarter of 2020 owing to falling lithium prices and the adverse effects related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Antimony trioxide prices were unchanged in the week to Tuesday April 14, with market participants speaking of a progressive drop in demand in key consumer regions such as Europe and the United States due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Soda ash factories in Europe were continuing to produce material at regular volumes, having been deemed essential business, but key end-markets for their output have stopped consuming because glass production has fallen to a bare minimum.
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