The sharp rise in demand for lithium is outpacing the growth of an independent US supply chain, Ian Rodger, chief executive officer of lithium development company US Elemental, told Fastmarkets in an exclusive interview on Wednesday June 3.

Chinese zinc smelters expressed concerns of possible production cuts amid fierce competition for concentrates raw materials, as treatment charges (TCs) have dropped to historic lows at the end of May, though byproduct gains from sulfuric acid have still lent strong support to smelters’ margins, sources told Fastmarkets.

Under the change, Fastmarkets will update the normalization coefficient for its Iron ore 61% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao and Iron ore 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao indices on a daily basis, from Tuesday. This allows the coefficient to better reflect daily price movements. The normalization coefficient was previously updated on a monthly basis. The decision […]

The publication of Fastmarkets’ assessments of the nickel min 99.8% full plate premium, in-whs Shanghai, and the nickel min 99.8% full plate premium, cif Shanghai for Tuesday May 26 were delayed because of a reporter error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated. The following prices were affected:MB-NI-0143 Nickel min 99.8% full plate premium, in-whs Shanghai, […]

Chrome ore inventories at the main ports of Tianjin, Qinzhou, Lianyungang and Shanghai were originally published at 5.11 million to 5.3 million tonnes on Monday. This has been corrected to 3.74 million to 4.03 million tonnes. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated to reflect these changes. These inventories are part of the Fastmarkets Ores and […]

The recent appreciation of the Chinese yuan against the US dollar is rippling through Asia’s ferrosilicon market, squeezing Chinese export margins, lifting regional prices and shifting currency risks downstream to buyers.

The amendment follows the decision made on May 14, after a consultation period for the proposed changes, which took place between April 2 and May 11. The purpose of the change is to align the publication times to the activity in the relevant markets and ensure that subscribers receive timely and accurate pricing information. The affected […]

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 price will be published weekly on Friday 5-6pm Shanghai time, instead of 7pm Shanghai time previously. The amendment aims to better reflect the prices of technology and energy metals (TEM) in the Chinese market and ensure that subscribers receive timely and accurate pricing information. The amendment was first announced in a pricing notice published […]

As Brazil implemented protective measures against Chinese flat steel — enforcing anti-dumping duties on cold-rolled coil, coated steel, and pre-painted steel sequentially since early 2026 — China's monthly exports of finished steel to the country declined to their lowest levels since 2024, significantly reducing a market that previously consumed over 400,000 tonnes per month.