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How to read President Trump’s Congressional address: metal edition

US President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday March 4 contained key strategic policy objectives that will have a direct impact on global metals markets. Fastmarkets takes a high-level view of the key strategies below: “They tariff us…we will tariff them.” The Trump administration will introduce reciprocal tariffs on all countries that levy duties […]

March 5, 2025
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By Dan Hilliard, Amy Hinton

Insights
Pending tariffs could raise US car prices while potentially ‘fortifying’ the industrial base

Tariffs on steel and aluminum will raise US car prices, increase production costs, and squeeze profit margins. Smaller car companies may struggle to compete, while retaliatory actions could disrupt the global auto market, reshaping manufacturing and trade industry-wide.

March 5, 2025
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By Robert England

Insights
Trump’s tariffs on Canada and Mexico rile up the US metals sector

Trump’s tariffs on Canadian and Mexican metals have introduced significant instability to the U.S. metals sector. The 25% tariffs, coupled with retaliatory measures from Canada and Mexico, have fuelled price volatility, supply chain disruptions, and operational uncertainty across multiple industries. These trade policies are reshaping global market dynamics as stakeholders brace for long-term impacts on steel, aluminium, copper, and other metal commodities.

March 5, 2025
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By Mark Burgess, Amy Hinton, Kirstyn Petras, Dan Hilliard, Rae Boyadjis, the Fastmarkets team

Insights
Proposal to amend specification of graphite spherical assessment

Following an initial consultation with the market, and a review of typical data sets that are collected over the recent months, Fastmarkets proposes to include a wider range in the specification to better reflect evolving market dynamics. The proposed new specifications are listed below, with the proposed amendment in italics: MB-GRA-0036 graphite spherical 99.95%, 15-17 microns, […]

March 5, 2025
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By Venus Wang

Insights
Early publication of steel billet index, Black Sea

The MB-STE-0558 steel billet index export, fob Black Sea, CIS was published at 3:32pm London time instead of the scheduled time of 4pm. The data submission window had already closed, and the data collection and price assessment were not affected by the early publication. This price is a part of the Fastmarkets steel package. For more information, […]

March 4, 2025
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By Vlada Novokreshchenova

Insights
Australia’s dominance in coking coal plus supply squeeze could derail India’s steel growth, experts warn

The Indian steel industry faces challenges as coking coal demand grows amid supply issues. Insights from Coaltrans India 2025 highlight India's reliance on Australian coal, rising met coke imports, and strategies like blending domestic coal with high-quality options.

March 4, 2025
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By Suresh Nair

Insights
New Fastmarkets-settled Southern Yellow Pine contract to launch at CME Group

Read more about the new Fastmarkets-settled Southern Yellow Pine contract to launch at CME Group

March 4, 2025
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By Yolande Peters

Insights
China announces new duties on US agricultural imports as US tariffs take effect

China has announced additional tariffs of up to 15% on imports of US goods from March 10, with the new measures covering largely agricultural products, alongside restricted exports to 15 US companies, according to a notice posted by the country’s Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday, March 4. Imports of agricultural goods […]

March 4, 2025
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By the Fastmarkets team, Regina Koh, Masha Belikova, Jenny Ma

Insights
Delayed publication of base metals arbitrage assessments

The following prices were affected:MB-CU-0361 Copper import arbitrage, $ per tonneMB-CU-0362 Copper import arbitrage, yuan per tonneMB-NI-0106 Nickel import arbitrage, $ per tonneMB-NI-0107 Nickel import arbitrage, yuan per tonneMB-ZN-0083 Zinc import arbitrage, $ per tonneMB-ZN-0084 Zinc import arbitrage, yuan per tonneMB-AL-0289 Aluminium import arbitrage, $ per tonneMB-AL-0290 Aluminium import arbitrage, yuan per tonne These prices are part of the Fastmarkets base metals package. […]

March 4, 2025
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Insights
Singapore’s correspondingly adjusted NBS carbon credit tender attracts 17 offers

The tender was published by the Prime Minister’s Office Strategy Group on September 30, 2024, and it was scheduled to close in January before being extended. The tender stipulated that the credits must be delivered by February 2031 at the latest. The total value of all offers submitted exceeded 1.3 billion Singapore dollars ($1 billion). […]

March 4, 2025
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By Sam Carew

Insights

Top stories across markets

Brazilian flag waving against a clear blue sky

Brazil’s potential 7 million-tonne share in China’s DDG market

Brazil could reach a share of as much as 7 million tonnes per year in China’s distillers dried grains (DDG) and distillers dried grains with soluble (DDGS) markets following an agreement between the two countries that allows Brazilian exports, according to the National Union of Corn Ethanol (Unem).

May 20, 2025

By: the Fastmarkets team

Five key factors in the outlook for the US housing market 2025

Learn about the future of housing as experts discuss market conditions, builder challenges and strategies for success.

May 20, 2025

By: Jennifer Coskren

The carbon dioxide removal affordability boom: economic drivers underpinning growing voluntary demand

Durable carbon dioxide removals (CDRs) are vital for addressing emissions but remain costly, with adoption currently limited to high-profit sectors, though declining costs and rising affordability signal broader market growth ahead.

May 20, 2025

By: Stuart Evans

UK, EU agree to work toward linking Emissions Trading Systems

The UK and EU have agreed a Common Understanding to work toward linking their respective Emissions Trading Systems (ETS), the governments announced at the EU-UK summit in London on Monday May 19.

May 20, 2025

By: Laura Roberts

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