Australia-listed Infinity Lithium Corp has entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the long-term supply of battery-grade lithium hydroxide with South Korean lithium-ion battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution, the Australian company said on Monday June 28.

Customer requirements and financing will shape the decarbonization of the steel industry, panelists said at Fastmarkets’ 2021 Steel Success Strategies Industry Briefing earlier this week.

Rebounds were under way in the base metals in London and Shanghai this morning, Wednesday June 23, but we will have to wait to see how the metals react to today’s manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) data.

Work is under way in Fredrikstad, Norway, to build a plant that will be key to electric vehicle (EV) transportation in Europe.

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.