Rare earths
Overview
Rare earths or rare earth elements (REE) are crucial to modern society, driving innovation across automotives, electronics, renewable energy, healthcare, defence and aerospace, and as a catalyst in industrial and chemical processing.
As demand for highly engineered products continues to grow, manufacturers that rely on rare earths face a limited supply of marketable product outside a handful of Chinese producers.
Argus Rare Earths Analytics and Argus Non-Ferrous Markets address this unique challenge in the rare earths industry by delivering price data and forecasts through on-the-ground expertise and a proven methodology that supports long-term outlooks as well as supply and demand fundamentals.
Rare earths coverage
Argus produces more than 70 price assessments for the 17 rare earth elements, as well as delivering best-in-class data, news and analysis to support your decision making. In addition, the Argus Rare Earths Analytics service also provides market analysis and 10-year forecasts for supply, demand, prices and projects across key rare earths:
- Cerium prices
- Dysprosium prices
- Erbium prices
- Europium prices
- Gadolinium prices
- Lanthanum prices
- Mischmetal prices
- Neodymium prices
- Praseodymium prices
- Praseodymium-neodymium prices
- Samarium prices
- Terbium prices
- Yttrium prices
Latest rare earth news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global rare earth industry.
Stainless steel prices stabilise but downside remains
Stainless steel prices stabilise but downside remains
London, 21 October (Argus) — European finished stainless steel prices stabilised over the past two weeks on projected supply tightness following Spanish stainless steel producer Acerinox's decision to curtail production at its Acerinox Europa plant in Los Barrios, Cadiz, Spain, alongside a maintenance-related stoppage at Finnish producer Outokumpu. Trading companies surveyed by Argus said prices were in a downward trajectory in the first week of October, but were no longer falling and even heard to be marginally increasing in Germany on better demand prospects. The Argus assessment for stainless steel 304 cold-rolled 2mm sheet delivered northwest Europe (NWE) for October fell by €150/t on the month to €2,700-2,750/t. Prices were declining sharply from this level at the beginning of this month but have since settled back close to this range, trading companies said. Demand remains low in most regions, with few transactions having been reported over the past week, but an unexpected uptick in interest from buyers in Germany has driven a small price increase in the country. This support is expected to be temporary as the market prepares for a challenging final quarter. Trading firms said service centres are postponing purchases until next year, except for small pockets of demand. In raw materials, stainless steel scrap prices saw a surprise increase last week because of mounting export interest despite low domestic steelmaker demand. The Argus assessment for stainless steel scrap 304 (18-8) solids cif Rotterdam rose by 4.72pc week on the week to €1,210-1,230/t, with the corresponding assessment for 316 scrap rising by 4.5pc to €2,200-2,240/t. Early indications this week indicate prices are expected to fall back to the level of two weeks ago, as mills continue to pile the pressure on sellers. Demand for ferro-alloys from the steel industry has been tepid in recent weeks, with most steel companies relying on their existing term contracts. Market participants told Argus that high ferro-molybdenum prices, supported by rising material costs and greater demand from Asia, are putting pressure on European steelmakers. Producers have been trying to maximise their production by focusing on lower-margin steels, but this strategy can lead to shrinking profitability, a trading firm said. Few enquiries for ferro-molybdenum truckloads have been made this month, with delivery delays having been reported at German and Italian plants. Despite the low demand, ferro-molybdenum prices have held relatively steady, averaging $51.10/kg over the past month. An increase in Indian ferro-chrome exports to Europe over the first six months of this year led to excess supply on mainland Europe, pushing down prices in the early autumn to the benefit of European steel mills. Indian ferro-alloy sellers moved aggressively to gain market share and offered material at low levels in September. Sellers, seeking to move material out of European warehouses, have shown themselves to be willing to conclude transactions with slim margins to shed stock. Prices of high-carbon ferro-chrome 65pc Cr fell by 8pc over the course of September, with further declines having been registered since the beginning of October as Kazakh and Indian producers slashed offers. The majority of long-term contracts for next year will be concluded in the coming weeks, at which point many market participants expect ferro-chrome prices to rebound. Argus assessed high-carbon ferro-chrome 65pc Cr at $1.30-1.50/lb ddp NWE on 17 October, down by 15pc from $1.60-1.70/lb ddp on 3 September. The wider demand outlook for stainless steel raw material prices remains pessimistic for the rest of this year. "We might see steel plants closing down for the winter period sooner and come back to production later due to low order books," a European ferro-alloy trading firm told Argus . By Roxana Lazar, Maeve Flaherty and Raghav Jain Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Boeing, union reach tentative deal to end strike
Boeing, union reach tentative deal to end strike
Houston, 19 October (Argus) — Aerospace manufacturer Boeing and union leadership negotiating on behalf of more than 32,000 of the company's machinists reached a tentative labor agreement Saturday that, if approved, would end a five-week strike that has halted production of several aircraft programs. Factory workers backed by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) will decide on 23 October whether to ratify the new contract, Boeing and the union said. Only a simple majority — 50pc plus one — will be needed to determine the outcome of the vote. The new deal includes a general wage increase (GWI) of 35pc spread over four years and a ratification bonus of $7,000, both up from 25pc and $3,000, respectively, from Boeing's initial offer from 8 September. The company also would bring back its incentive plan and increase employee retirement benefits. It remains to be seen whether workers will approve the agreement after overwhelmingly rejecting Boeing's first proposal, which included a 25pc GWI, by a vote of 95pc. Union leadership urged consideration of the offer, saying "it warrants presenting" to members. Boeing said it looked forward to its employees voting on the negotiated proposal. The work stoppage, which began 13 September, has paused output of Boeing's flagship 737 Max aircraft, along with its 767 and 777 programs. The company announced it would be laying off 10pc of its workforce and would delay first deliveries of its new 777-9 commercial jet — part of its new 777X widebody family — as a result of the strike and other operational challenges. Recent estimates from Anderson Economic Group put Boeing's losses at $4.5bn over the course of the strike. Costs to the company's suppliers were estimated at nearly $1.8bn in the same time frame. Spirit Aerosystems, which Boeing is in the process of reacquiring, said on Friday that beginning 28 October it planned to start furloughing 700 employees who work on the 767 and 777 programs. Spirit produces shipsets for those aircraft and no longer has storage capacity to warehouse new production, having built up "significant inventory" because of the strike. By Alex Nicoll Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
China's Haisheng to build tungsten plant in Thailand
China's Haisheng to build tungsten plant in Thailand
Beijing, 18 October (Argus) — Chinese tungsten producer Ganzhou Haisheng is on track to build a new plant in Thailand after receiving approval from the local government earlier this month. The project, with a total investment of 180mn yuan ($25mn), is designed to have production capacity of 3,000 t/yr for ammonium paratungstate (APT), 2,000 t/yr for tungsten powder, 1,200 t/yr for tungsten carbide, 400 t/yr for tungsten bar and 300 t/yr for cemented carbide. Haisheng has not confirmed when the project will be completed and put into production. The firm currently has production lines from ores to downstream products including powder, metal and wires in China. More Chinese tungsten producers that have sizeable export businesses are likely to develop projects outside China in the future. Trade conflicts between China and the US may hit Chinese tungsten exports in the longer term, especially after the US imposed a 25pc tariff on Chinese tungsten from 27 September. Chinese exports of tungsten products totalled 11,718t of tungsten metal equivalent in January-August, down by 12pc on the year, customs data show. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Taiwan’s TSMC revenue up in 3Q on AI chip demand
Taiwan’s TSMC revenue up in 3Q on AI chip demand
London, 17 October (Argus) — Revenue at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) rose in the third quarter of this year, fuelled by robust smartphone demand and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. TSMC's net revenue surpassed expectations, climbing to $23.5bn in the third quarter, a nearly 13pc increase from $20.8bn in the second quarter. This also marked a 36pc year-on-year rise from $17.3bn in the third quarter of last year. TSMC initially set its third-quarter guidance at $22.4bn-23.2bn. Robust demand for TSMC's advanced technologies from AI and mobile phone applications drove the revenue boost. Sales of TSMC's most advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process technology comprised a fifth of third-quarter revenue, higher than 15pc in the second quarter. Meanwhile, 5nm process technology constituted 32pc of revenues, a slight decrease from 35pc in the second quarter, while 7nm wafers remained steady at 17pc. High-performance computing continued to be TSMC's largest downstream consumer, accounting for 51pc of third-quarter revenues, while smartphones constituted 34pc and the Internet of Things made up 7pc. The automotive sector made up 5pc of revenues. Global mobile phone shipments increased to about 316mn units in the third quarter, higher by 4pc on the year, data from the International Data Corporation show. The launch of the new iPhone 16 in September and consistent growth among Chinese mobile phone manufacturers such as Huawei and Xiaomi contributed to the higher shipments. TSMC anticipates that AI and mobile phone demand will continue to boost revenues towards the year's end as it targeted a total revenue of $26.1bn-26.9bn in the fourth quarter. The roll-out of AI technology is expected to stimulate demand for compound semiconductor materials such as gallium nitride and gallium arsenide. These materials lose less energy as heat compared with silicon-based chips, thereby enhancing energy efficiency. By Sian Morris Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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