IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from September 25

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday September 25 that are worth another look.

Global long steel consumption was expected to reach 851 million tonnes in 2019, up by 2.4% year on year although mounting political uncertainties such as trade wars and the UK’s intended exit from the EU may soften this growth, according to steelmaker Celsa.

Despite concerns of low prices and poor demand, the aluminium market still has growth potential due to the automotive industry, McKinsey & Company’s Benedikt Zeumer said at Fastmarkets’ International Aluminium Conference held in Athens, Greece.

The Shanghai copper cathode premium moved higher in the week to Tuesday September 24, with continued opportunities in the London-Shanghai arbitrage prompting increased market interest, while flat demand caps premiums in Europe and the United States.

Fastmarkets outlines some of the key topics likely to dominate discussions when participants of the battery raw materials and electric vehicle supply chain gathers in Amsterdam this week.

The lingering electricity restrictions in Inner Mongolia in China, which disrupted domestic silico-manganese production, failed to provide any support to the alloy price but dampened local alloy smelters’ manganese-ore purchasing appetite, market sources told Fastmarkets.

What to read next
The amendment follows the decision made on May 14, after a consultation period for the proposed changes which took place between April 3 and May 11. The changes were first proposed in a pricing note published on April 3.  The purpose of the changes is to align the publication times to the activity in the […]
The proposal follows Fastmarkets’ observations that the commodity sees inactive spot liquidity and low volatility in prices. The proposed new specifications for the prices are as follows, with the amendments in italics: MB-NI-0246 Nickel sulfate, cif Japan and Korea, $/tonneQuality: Accepted by buyer for use in battery applications with chemical composition: Ni content, base 22.3% […]
Based on preliminary market feedback, market participants noted that smaller-sized spot market transactions may be skewed and not reflective of the wider market. The aluminium P1020A(MJP), cif Japan, assessment specification which has a minimum tonnage of 100 tonnes will be amended to 500 tonnes after the proposed change. The proposed new specifications are as follows, […]
Fastmarkets consulted the market on the proposed change between April 3 and May 11, 2026. Some feedback was received regarding the publication times of nickel pig iron and laterite ore prices. Fastmarkets will adjust the initially proposed publication times accordingly and proceed with the changes. This decision was first proposed in a methodology note published […]
The price assessments were not affected by the incorrect publication and the correct prices are showing on Dashboard. The price was published at 12.33pm London time instead of the scheduled time of 3-4pm. The following prices were published early:MB-CU-0405 Copper grade A cathode premium, in-whs Shanghai, $ per tonneMB-CU-0383 Copper grade A cathode ER premium, bonded in-whs […]
On Wednesday May 6, a critical minerals panel at Commodities Trading Week in London said metals markets are shifting from an energy transition-led narrative toward security of supply, leaving Europe particularly exposed because of its reliance on imports.