Solomon Cefai

Jan 16, 2025 | fastmarkets.com | Solomon Cefai

Underinvestment in new commodity (and specifically metal) projects could combine with supply disruptions and demand surges to create a supply-demand imbalance and push prices up in coming years, Gijsels – “maybe the biggest commodity bull in Belgium,” in his words – told Fastmarkets in December. Demand for critical raw materials from the energy transition and for those technology metals that will underpin increased productivity is widely expected to increase rapidly in coming years.

Jan 15, 2025 | fastmarkets.com | Jon Stibbs |Solomon Cefai |Sahil Shaw |Caroline Messecar

Trade barriers and protectionist policies have dramatically reshaped critical mineral markets in 2024, with governments such as China and the US prompting participants to reorganize their supply of secure strategic materials amid mounting geopolitical tensions. The announcement of a 25% US tariff on Chinese imports of critical minerals in September marked a key shift in policy.

Jan 10, 2025 | fastmarkets.com | Solomon Cefai

The following prices were affected:MB-AS-0001 Arsenic 99% min As, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lbMB-RE-0001 Rhenium APR catalytic grade, in-whs dup Rotterdam, $/kgMB-RE-0002 Rhenium metal pellets 99.9% Re min, in-whs dup, Rotterdam $/lbMB-HF-0001 Hafnium, max 1% Zr, in-whs global locations, $/kgThese prices are a part of Fastmarkets’ minor metals price package.

Nov 19, 2024 | fastmarkets.com | Solomon Cefai

“We just can’t build factories fast enough – there is no constraint, from a demand perspective,” Rick Leubbe of US-based Group14 said. In a recent interview with Fastmarkets, he delved into the promise of silicon-based anode materials. He argued that, if there is a ramping-up in supply, the technology could revolutionize the electric vehicle (EV) market. And this is despite headwinds in the development of an ex-China graphite supply chain.

Nov 7, 2024 | fastmarkets.com | Solomon Cefai

Speaking to Fastmarkets in the wake of the election, the producers emphasized that much would depend on how the president-elect’s policy rhetoric materializes in his second term, agreeing that the policy impact “could go either way”. Broadly, the producers questioned the potential impact of any future new or increased tariffs on imports from China, and downplayed a potential impact of the withdrawal of previous support for the electric vehicle (EV) and battery raw material supply chain in the US.