Nickel pig iron, high-grade NPI content 10-15%, spot, ddp China, yuan/nickel unit price

Fastmarkets proposes to discontinue its MB-STE-0423 Steel scrap shredded, index, delivered Midwest mill, $/gross ton; its MB-STE-0424 Steel scrap No1 heavy melt, index, delivered Midwest mill, $/gross ton and its MB-STE-0882 Steel scrap No1 busheling, indicator, delivered Midwest mill, $/gross ton, effective January 2025.

It was already getting more difficult to source nickel qualified as compliant to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Under a future Donald Trump administration, it’s likely to get harder still, in the short-term at least.

India should invest to avoid its dependance on imports for almost 100% of its cobalt, lithium and nickel requirements, according to a report by the think tank Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). But slow government action and a focus on short-term costs keep India reliant on imported critical minerals, sources told Fastmarkets.