The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Friday July 20.

Metal Bulletin has reviewed its benchmark cobalt prices to ensure they are relevant and fit for application in a rapidly evolving market.

Chinese vanadium prices have dropped significantly since this year’s week-long Lunar New Year holiday (February 4-10) amid falling international prices and weak demand in both the domestic and international markets.

Editor Vera Blei looks at the main news covered by Steel First over the past week.

Most global steel billet prices fell in the week ended Friday January 26, amid low trading and weak market sentiment.

After a strong first quarter of 2018, when more ferrous scrap produced in the United States was bought both at home and abroad, it appeared that the country’s scrap sellers were well placed to fend off buyers’ attempts to push market prices downward.

The beginning of June was marked by reduced availability of steel slabs in the global market. Despite this, forecasts for price trends were mixed, taking into account the different factors influencing the various regional markets.

The past 12 months have seen a fundamental realignment of West Africa’s iron ore sector.

Seaborne coking coal prices rose to their highest in over two months last week - on Monday June 11, Metal Bulletin’s fob Australia Premium Hard Coking Coal Index was 35% higher than where it was a year earlier - with supply concerns emerging as a key factor affecting the outlook for the market.

So President Trump confirmed, last week, that from later this week, he will formally introduce a blanket tariff on steel imports, at 25%, and aluminium, at 10%.