Found over in the SYR threads looks like graphite prices are picking up!
GLOBAL GRAPHITE SNAPSHOT: Tight availability, high freights costs support amorphous prices

By Jon Stibbs, Sybil Pan
Published: Thursday, 21 January 2021

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Key data from the graphite pricing sessions in Asia and Europefor the week ended Thursday January 21.

Assessment (in $ per tonne)	This week's price	Previous week's price	Weekly % change
Graphite flake, 94% C, +100 mesh, cif Europe	860	860	0
Graphite flake, 94% C, -100 mesh, cif Europe	550	550	0
Graphite flake, 94% C, +80 mesh, cif Europe	1,000	1,000	0
Graphite flake, 94% C, +100 mesh, fob China	890	890	0
Graphite flake, 94% C, -100 mesh, fob China	530	530	0
Graphite flake, 94% C, +80% mesh, fob China	1,010	1,010	0
Graphite spherical, 99.95% C, 15 microns, fob China	2,350-2,600	2,350-2,600	0
Graphite amorphous, 80% C, -200 mesh, fob China	285-340	270-325	5.0
Graphite amorphous, 80-85% C, -200 mesh, cif Europe	375-480	375-460	+2.4

China

• China’s price for amorphous graphite ticked up further on tight supply in the domestic market and increasing freight costs.
• The flake graphite markets were all stable due to slow demand from the seaborne market and the reduction in end-of-year stockpiling in the domestic market. Suppliers in China expect there to be market changes after the Chinese Lunar New Year on February 12.
• The spherical graphite market has been flat since mid-November despite strengthening demand from major consumers in Japan and South Korea.

Europe

• Prices in the amorphous market ticked up at the top end of the range due to increased prices for Chinese material, resulting from soaring container costs.
• The effect of increased transport costs from China has pushed consumers toward alternative sources of amorphous and flake graphite.
• Market participants reported weak demand, with most consumers having restocked in December for the first quarter of 2021.

Graphite flake premium calculator

The Value in Use (VIU) was updated to 5% on January 1 2021 for the first quarter of 2021 from 4.8% in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Adjustment	This quarter's VIU	Previous quarter's VIU	Quarterly change
Carbon VIU in %	5	4.8	4.2

The Carbon-VIU measures, in percentage terms, the price value of one extra % of carbon content as reported in the market.

The VIU is calculated using statistical methods and the large amount of prices and data collected by Fastmarkets. The VIU shown is the value implied by the market and not an in-house assessment.

An example of what the Carbon VIU means practically: A published Carbon VIU of 7% means that material with a 95% carbon content is priced by the market, on average, 7% more expensive than 94% carbon content material, assuming other factors are equal.

Likewise, it means that 96% carbon content material would be 7% more expensive than 95% material, and that 97% carbon content material would be 7% more expensive than 96% material or 21% more expensive than 94% carbon.

For more information, to provide feedback on this graphite snapshot or if you would like to contribute to the price discovery process, please contact Jon Stibbs or Sybil Pan by email at: [email protected]. Please add the subject heading "FAO: Jon Stibbs/Sybil Pan - graphite