Ferrous hedging was a common topic at the Steel Success Strategies XXXIV conference in New York this past week, with record-low market prices and the need to increase efficiencies continuing to mandate a new way of thinking.
Tin’s forward spreads on the London Metal Exchange have narrowed from their widest backwardation since 2015 against a 50% stock rise in June.
Manganese ore availability in Chinese ports is tighter than high stocks suggest because market participants are avoiding selling into falling markets, which is leading to “frozen stocks,” market sources report.
China’s domestic lithium hydroxide market weakened slightly this past week while downstream buyers slowed their purchasing ahead of July, when spot consumption typically decreases in China, and prices in the rest of the world traded sideways.
The nickel full plate premium surged in China this past week following an arbitrage-driven rally that saw Fastmarkets’ premium assessment for the material in Shanghai hit historic highs.