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September 2019
18 September 2019
Fastmarkets identified some main takeaway points from its Graphite Conference in Berlin this September.
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18 September 2019
Chemicals producer Ciech is looking for an alternative source for a necessary supply of steam, so that production of soda ash from its Romanian asset can restart, but no decision will be taken before the end of the year.
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18 September 2019
China’s magnesia market has stayed on a downtrend this week on thin buying activities and sufficient stocks. And with Liaoning’s regional government setting new regulations on mines in the province from October 1, the stoppage to magnesite mining is expected to extend beyond the current three-month limit.
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18 September 2019
Soda ash vendors outside China are hoping to achieve another price increase in the contract-driven markets, although the demand side of the market looks more varied in 2019 than last year.
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16 September 2019
Prices for market electrodes have hit bottom and the market is now waiting for the trigger for prices to rise again, GES Europe analyst Benjamin Sarkoezy tells Fastmarkets in an overview of the current market.
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13 September 2019
Weak demand for acidspar persists in China but the US market has been reported as short of material.
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13 September 2019
China’s shipments of refractory-grade bauxite to the international markets was lower year-on-year in July on slow demand from global buyers and disrupted supply within the country.
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13 September 2019
Market tightness has continued to weigh on the iodine spot price, pushing it to levels last seen in May 2015.
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13 September 2019
Graphite producer Syrah has reported that it intends to reduce production in the fourth quarter because the prices that are being realized and the bearish market conditions continue to dent profitability.
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13 September 2019
Fastmarkets rounds up the key talking points from the 8th China Liaoning International Magnesia Materials Exposition in Haicheng on September 11.
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13 September 2019
Spot prices for battery-grade lithium hydroxide in China were down this week due to ample availability of the material and a lack of significant demand ahead of national holidays in the country to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival (September 13-15).
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12 September 2019
Controversy over supply and demand prospects and future applications for zirconia dominated discussions at the Zircon Industry Association conference in Dubai earlier in September. Here are some of the major takeaway points.
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12 September 2019
Key data from the graphite pricing sessions in Asia and Europe for the week ending Thursday September 12.
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12 September 2019
Trade log for battery-grade lithium carbonate in China including trades, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.
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12 September 2019
Delegates in Berlin say the market may gradually rebalance due to reduced volumes from Mozambique, but argue a turnaround may take time.
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12 September 2019
Fastmarkets’ price assessment for wet bulk foundry chromite fell this week after weeks of quiet activity.
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11 September 2019
New entrants to the graphite market, such as India, have been attracted to the growing expandable graphite sector because costs in China have risen, according to Roskill Information Services
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11 September 2019
The production halt in Romania has forced Ciech to make a multi-million dollar writedown in its second-quarter results.
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10 September 2019
Australian miner Syrah will reduce its monthly output of graphite in the fourth quarter of 2019 by about two-thirds compared with the third quarter, because of the current unfavorable market conditions.
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10 September 2019
Global seaborne antimony trioxide prices have strengthened week on week on improved demand, with higher prices being achieved. But European domestic prices were stable while the price range in the US domestic market broadened.
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10 September 2019
Exports in August and the first eight months of the year were both down year on year due to weak overseas demand.
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09 September 2019
The Greenland-based mining junior has shipped material from its Dundas project.
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09 September 2019
Prices for ground and medium soda material have dropped in quarterly and half-yearly contracts, but the prices for both brown and white fused alumina have ticked up slightly.
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09 September 2019
Tight supplies of the mineral sand ilmenite has led to a second price increase in two weeks for the titanium dioxide feedstock.
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06 September 2019
Market participants have been saying for weeks that domestic demand for acidspar was softening in China. This has now been shown to be correct, with the price falling by 4%.
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06 September 2019
China’s domestic spot battery-grade lithium carbonate price narrowed downward in the week ended Friday September 6 with most deals concluded at lower end of Fastmarkets’ published range, while those few deals struck at higher rates were done so on credit terms.
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05 September 2019
Key data from the graphite pricing sessions in Asia and Europe for the week ending Thursday September 5.
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04 September 2019
One major Chinese miller has forecast falling demand, but other analysts expect a more resilient market, Fastmarkets heard at the Zircon Industry Association (ZIA) conference in Dubai on September 4.
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04 September 2019
China’s magnesia market remained under downward pressure due to high stocks and quiet buying from downstream refractory sector.
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03 September 2019
Payment of value-added tax at 13% is being avoided by some Chinese exporters, and any government crackdown on tax avoidance to solve this problem could affect the viability of the country’s fluorspar exports.
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03 September 2019
Antimony trioxide demand globally has remained subdued even as suppliers used the auction of Fanya antimony metal stocks as a reason to push raise offers.
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03 September 2019
The joint petition requests permission to resume the installation and commissioning at Alunorte's solid waste deposit 2 in Brazil.
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03 September 2019
The Chinese alumina refinery is set to resume production in mid-September after it was ordered to halt operations in May.
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03 September 2019
The lingering concerns in the antimony market, arising from stocks of material being held by the defunct Fanya exchange, have been resolved with the sale by auction of the entire inventory.
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02 September 2019
China’s exports of lithium carbonate fell in July 2019 on an annual basis due to summer slowdown, while lithium hydroxide exports were up due to increasing demand from overseas buyers.
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02 September 2019
The consequences of China’s environmental inspections crippled supplies of fluorspar to the rest of the world in 2018, and the material now comes at a premium although quality and delivery are not guaranteed. Michael Greenfield examines how European and US consumers of the mineral are looking elsewhere to secure their supply chains.
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August 2019
30 August 2019
The price for 97% CaF2 content acidspar was flat again in the week to August 30, with market participants on the buy and sell sides, both in and out of China, reporting weakening demand.
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30 August 2019
Market tightness continued to support the iodine spot price, drawing an end to an eight-week period of flatness.
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30 August 2019
China’s domestic spot battery-grade lithium carbonate prices temporarily held in the week to August 29 with buyers cautious of further decreases, while the lithium hydroxide market kept flat and no matter how low the offers, deals were rarely concluded due to continuing poor downstream demand.
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30 August 2019
Healthy demand for sulfate ilmenite supported a weekly rise in ilmenite concentrate pricing, while zircon was steady cif China and Spain.
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30 August 2019
The UK’s mineral import activity has been subdued ahead of the October Brexit deadline, but analysts say that a last-minute buying surge is likely, although traders are better prepared to meet demand this time.
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30 August 2019
Domestic R&D in Turkey will be a priority in the country’s latest economic plan for the years to 2023, with emphasis on refractories.
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30 August 2019
China’s rare-earths industry association has come out in favor of retaliatory action against the latest threatened tariff to be imposed by the United States, describing the US tactic as “hegemony” and “bullying.”
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30 August 2019
Commercial cultivation of cannabis for medical uses is on the rise, with the sulfur, phosphate and potash sectors likely to benefit. But there are fears that the junior mining sector is suffering from a draining of potential investment.
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30 August 2019
A processing plant able to produce 80,000 tonnes per year of barite products is being set up in south-central China at a cost of around $5.3 million.
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30 August 2019
With profits reduced by falling profits, and a lull in trading because of adequate supplies, Vietnam-origin graphite was reported to have been taken off the market.
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30 August 2019
Pressure to improve environmental and social governance in the mining industry has refocused attention on the cost-benefit balance of producing minerals in ethical ways. Jonathan Brooks, examines how ESG is being priced into projects.
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30 August 2019
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30 August 2019
Trade log for battery-grade lithium carbonate in China including trades, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.
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29 August 2019
Key data from the graphite pricing sessions in Asia and Europe for the week ending Thursday August 29.
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28 August 2019
Galaxy Resources announced on August 27 to have bought Alita’s debt, becoming the company largest shareholder.
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28 August 2019
Exports of fused magnesia decreased in July year-on-year on slow demand from global buyers, while dead burned magnesia (DBM) and caustic calcined magnesia (CCM) exports were up.
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27 August 2019
Global antimony trioxide prices have moved down week on week because of low demand. Seaborne US prices were stable but the market is keeping an eye on the stock auction in China of antimony ingots from the Fanya exchange.
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27 August 2019
Brown and white fused alumina prices are easing in China, even with the emergence of supply concerns caused by pollution controls in Henan province.
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27 August 2019
The whole battery supply chain will benefit from lithium benchmark pricing, Fastmarkets head of battery raw materials research William Adams says as he explores what is driving auto manufacturers to support this pricing mechanism.
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27 August 2019
Base Resources attributed the 15% rise in pre-tax profits to strong zircon and rutile prices outweighing falling production at the Kwale facility in Kenya.
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23 August 2019
SQM lithium revenues dropped by nearly 25% in the second quarter on lower prices achieved in China, while the company anticipates lower prices in the third quarter.
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23 August 2019
For the past 18 months price movement has been driven by supply cuts in China following environmental inspections, but now the focus is on how downstream demand is influencing acidspar pricing.
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23 August 2019
Bauxite prices were steady in China, with supply falling and only weak demand in end-user markets. But China’s environmental policies may create new challenges.
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23 August 2019
Australia-based lithium miner Orocobre has secured funding for a planned expansion at its site in Argentina, despite forecasting a drop in lithium prices over the current quarter.
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23 August 2019
China’s domestic spot battery-grade lithium carbonate and hydroxide prices concluded at lower prices on high material inventory in China and lower prices from small-sized producers and traders trying to boost sales amid the price downtrend, while prices in the rest of the world prices sat unchanged.
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23 August 2019
After reports of depleted inventories at Chile’s SQM, the industry’s largest producer, iodine sales showed a significant year-on-year decrease in the April-June quarter of 2019.
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23 August 2019
South Korean battery maker LG Chem has signed a long-term supply agreement for lithium hydroxide with Chinese major Tianqi Lithium.
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23 August 2019
Chinese antimony producers in Hunan province have been curtailing output since early August on a lack of low-priced ore feedstock.
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22 August 2019
Indian fluorochemical producer GFL is adding capacity for a further 20,000 tonnes per year to its acidspar production assets in northeast Morocco.
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22 August 2019
Key data from the graphite pricing sessions in Asia and Europe for the week ending Thursday August 22.
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22 August 2019
Junior miner Sepfluor has yet to produce commercially viable acidspar material despite the official opening of its Nokeng mine in South Africa at the start of this month.
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21 August 2019
Trade headwinds created by trade wars and Chinese environmental controls are threatening the demand for zircon from the ceramic industry, according to major producer Iluka.
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21 August 2019
European chemicals producer Ciech has announced a suspension of production at its soda ash plant in Romania, and is looking into new options for steam supply, with an announcement expected at the beginning of next year.
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21 August 2019
Chinese export prices for magnesia remained soft this week despite the start of a three-month halt to magnesite mining in Haicheng on August 1. High stocks and slow buying were still weighing on the market.
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20 August 2019
Brazilian apparent steel consumption fell in July on an annual basis, while weak economic performance pushed down domestic sales and imports alike, national steel association Aço Brasil said on Monday August 19.
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19 August 2019
The European Commission’s proposal to impose cancer warnings on titanium dioxide and cobalt is facing stiff opposition from other jurisdictions.
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19 August 2019
Tirupati Graphite is looking to expand its production in Madagascar, especially of expandable graphite, to satisfy the growing demand in India.
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16 August 2019
Frac sand miners are struggling in the face of massive oversupply, Fastmarkets IM heard.
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16 August 2019
Chinese domestic battery-grade lithium compound prices held in low ground in the week to Thursday August 15, but the pace of decline has slowed after some downstream demand returned.
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15 August 2019
Key data from the graphite pricing sessions in Asia and Europe for the week ending Thursday August 15.
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15 August 2019
Chinese steel output has fallen since June on lower demand and production restrictions in the north.
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14 August 2019
The German steel producer and material trader will buy all of Northern Minerals' mixed rare earth carbonate output.
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14 August 2019
Alita has put a voluntary halt on securities trading due to falling lithium prices and is negotiating lithium spodumene offtake agreements and financing with its lenders.
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13 August 2019
Seaborne antimony trioxide prices fell in the week to Tuesday August 13, with domestic US prices also sliding.
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12 August 2019
Revenue at lithium producer Livent increased in the second quarter of 2019 on higher volumes of lithium compounds sold, which offset the lower prices achieved.
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12 August 2019
China’s output and sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) decreased month on month in July 2019, while lithium prices continued their downtrend on quiet buying activities.
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12 August 2019
Albemarle has put its lithium production expansion plans on hold due to current market oversupply and lower prices, Luke Kissam, the company chief executive officer said.
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12 August 2019
The producer expects market uncertainty to continue in the second half of the year, potentially leading to more destocking from customers in the steel division, while the industrial and non-ferrous sectors performed better.
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12 August 2019
Finished products shipments were lower compared with July 2018 but rose month on month due to more competitive Chinese prices when the orders were placed.
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09 August 2019
Pigment prices in Asia are being pressured by slow Chinese demand.
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09 August 2019
Chinese shipments of alumina products to international markets dropped by 34% year on year in the first half of 2019, Fastmarkets learned.
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09 August 2019
A summary of Rusal’s production and financial results for the half year ended on June 30, 2019.
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09 August 2019
Ciech has officially announced that soda ash production will halt at its Romanian asset as of September 18.
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09 August 2019
The Indian department of atomic energy is the latest government body to take aim at mineral sand mining.
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09 August 2019
Pigment maker Kronos showed a fall in second-quarter profit because of lower sales prices and higher raw material costs.
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09 August 2019
A flurry of lower offers from eager producers of battery grade lithium carbonate in China found little interest from downstream buyers in the week ended Thursday August 8, causing the price to fall again, while quiet markets in other regions kept assessments unchanged.
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08 August 2019
Key data from the graphite pricing sessions in Asia and Europe for the week ending on Thursday August 8.
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08 August 2019
China imported record volumes of flake graphite in June, in line with the development of the lithium-ion anode industry.
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08 August 2019
Major Chinese steelmakers’ daily crude steel output rates dipped in early July, though they continued to produce at an average that just exceeds 2 million tonnes per day.
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07 August 2019
A growing trade spat in East Asia could disrupt the trade in lithium cobalt batteries, flurochemicals, and minor metals.
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07 August 2019
Tronox sales rose after its acquisition of rival TiO2 producer Cristal, but the legacy business reported falling prices.
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07 August 2019
Export volumes of fluorspar out of China edged downward in the first half of 2019, but the average price went up on the impetus of rises in the domestic price, driven by tight supply.
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06 August 2019
Lower titanium dioxide prices weighed on second-quarter revenues for producer Venator, with “macroeconomic challenges” expected to persist into the second half of the year.
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06 August 2019
An explosion has closed off Rusal's Achinsk alumina refinery.
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06 August 2019
Orocobre and Toyota announced the start of construction at its Naraha lithium hydroxide plant in Japan.
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05 August 2019
The yuan has been allowed by Beijing to fall to an 11-year low against the dollar, promising a further acceleration in the US-China trade war - a move that is bearish for several metals and minerals markets.
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05 August 2019
Lower lithium prices have prompted Albemarle and Mineral Resources to revise the terms of their proposed joint-venture project to develop the Wodgina lithium mine.
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05 August 2019
Chemours has purchesed Southern Ionics Minerals, increasing its access to US-mined ilmenite.
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05 August 2019
China’s exports of lithium carbonate and hydroxide rose in the first half of 2019 while imports fell due to cheaper domestic prices and plentiful supply.
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02 August 2019
Altura reached a binding offtake agreement on Thursday August 1 to supply Guangdong Weihua Corp with 50,000 tonnes per year of lithium spodumene concentrate.
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02 August 2019
US President Donald Trump said additional tariffs against China will come into force at the start of September.
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02 August 2019
China’s lithium market continued to move down on ample availability of material and depressed demand, leading the battery-grade lithium hydroxide spot price to sharply fall over the week to August 1.
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02 August 2019
Sellers of iodine have reported achieving prices higher than the assessed range, but the price has remained steady for a sixth week - the longest such streak in a year.
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01 August 2019
Key data from the graphite pricing sessions in Asia and Europe for the week ending on Thursday August 1.