US hot-rolled coil prices continue their upward march as sources increasingly debate not whether the trend is sustainable into 2021 but for how long into next year current price levels might hold.

The London Metal Exchange will launch a lithium contract based on the monthly average of Fastmarkets’ price assessment for lithium hydroxide monohydrate, it said during an online briefing on Thursday October 22 as part of the annual LME Week event.

Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were collectively lower during morning trading on Thursday October 22, with the LME nickel price notching the biggest decline, while a continued impasse over a US coronavirus fiscal stimulus package cooled rallies seen earlier in the week.

Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States have remained steady above $33.50 per hundredweight ($670 per short ton); meanwhile, market activity has slowed, with buyers waiting to purchase more material amid expected additional increases and rising offer prices.

Sellers of soymeal and soyoil out of Argentina have lifted offers for nearby loading of the product

A global boom in home appliance sales during the Covid-19 pandemic is causing a shortage in flat steel supplies in China, and in turn supporting prices, Fastmarkets has heard.

Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States have crossed the $33.50-per-hundredweight ($670-per-short-ton) threshold, and most signs indicate that they will continue to march upward, market participants said.

Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States have continued to move higher, supported by tightening supply brought on by rising demand in face of still-constrained domestic production.

Recycled copper and aluminium that meet China’s standards for renewable metals instead of solid waste can be freely imported into the country starting from November 1, according to the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Comparing corn consumption, stocks, and stocks-to-use ratio globally, this year is very different to the drought year of 2012. What I think has changed is China’s demand since 2012-13, and that