There are reasons to believe the worst is over for a domestic steel market rattled by the Covid-19 pandemic, Nucor Corp president and chief executive officer Leon Topalian told attendees of Fastmarkets’ Steel Success Strategies Online conference on Monday October 26.

Australian spodumene producer Altura Mining has entered receivership, according to a filing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on Monday October 26.

Uncertainty about next year’s aluminium fundamentals and consumer hesitance to commit to long-term, large-tonnage contracts has Alvance chief operating officer Guillaume De Goys expecting an active spot market in 2021.

Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States climbed for the seventh day in a row, mostly due to low availability of material and inventories.

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.