Prices in Southeast Asia’s steel billet market rose in the week to November 22 as Chinese buyers continued to snap up material in the spot market, sources told Fastmarkets.
Japanese and Korean copper smelters are likely to follow the contract for 2020 treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) settled by Jiangxi Copper and miner Freeport, with major Chinese smelters also likely to accept the number.
China’s domestic and cif China, Japan and Korea battery-grade lithium compound prices all fell to fresh 2019 lows on Thursday November 21, which market participants attributed to subdued downstream demand and a negative short-term outlook.
South African chrome miner Tharisa has warned that its earnings per share and headline earnings per share will drop by 79% year on year for the 12 months to September 30 2019, partly due to a decline in chrome concentrate prices.
Diplomats at the World Trade Organisation’s goods council have attacked the European Union over its plans to integrate titanium dioxide and cobalt into its health and safety laws, claiming this could impose unnecessary restrictions on exporting certain stainless steels to the EU.