Global scrap prices in the key markets diverged in the week to Friday June 18, with those in Asia moving upward, while Turkish scrap prices fell amid slow buying driven by uncertainty over finished steel sales.

Volkswagen Group is seeking partnerships with battery raw material producers in order to vertically integrate and achieve security of supply and competitive prices for its minerals needs, a spokesperson for the German automaker told Fastmarkets on Thursday June 17.

The gap between lithium spot and contract prices has narrowed significantly in 2021 as a result of tight availability along the lithium supply chain and price evolution, market sources said.

Fastmarkets is inviting feedback from the industry on its pricing methodology for its Northern Europe and United States hot-rolled coil indices as part of its annual methodology review process in compliance with the International Organization of Securities Commissions (Iosco) principles for price reporting agencies.

Awareness and incorporation of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) policies within the graphite market are slowly developing, with take-up greater downstream - especially in the anode sector - and among developing companies, sources told Fastmarkets.

Copper prices have rocketed over the past year, but Myra Pinkham asks market analysts whether present drivers will continue to support them in the longer term.

With long steel prices in Europe reaching historically high levels, construction activity is slowing in some regions due to reduced supplies and delays, with some market sources fearing a decline in industrial activity long term.

Many aluminium and steel market participants are increasingly optimistic that automotive production will bounce back in the second half of the year and hopeful that the semiconductor chip shortage will be resolved by 2022.

Argentina is expected to export a cargo of soybean meal to France in a rare trans-Atlantic move, trade sources have told...

Fastmarkets is extending the delivery window for its price assessments of aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premiums in Europe to three months.