Movements in base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed at the close of trading on Monday April 15, with continued weakness in the US dollar index doing little to spur buying activity while low volumes continued to indicate risk-aversion.The three-month nickel price fell to its lowest level since March 28 in the afternoon, dipping to $12,860 per tonne before closing at $12,991 per...Read More

Peruvian copper mine Las Bambas restarted concentrates transportation to the Matarani port on April 13 after operations normalized following the end of a two-month roadblock, major shareholder MMG said on Monday April 15. Since the blockade ended, Las Bambas began restoring critical supplies and increasing staff numbers to resume normal operations, MMG added The mine entered an agreement with the...Read More

There were six key points for delegates of the minor metals community to take away from a busy week of meetings in Edinburgh, Scotland, for the Minor Metals Trade Association (MMTA) Conference on April 9-11.1. Sentiment in minor metals remains gloomy...While global uncertainty and oversupply continued to weigh on minor metals price sentiment in 2019, with prices for some materials at multi-year lo...Read More

Peruvian copper mine Las Bambas restarted concentrates transportation to the Matarani port on April 13 after operations normalized following the end of a two-month roadblock, major shareholder MMG said on Monday April 15. Since the blockade ended, Las Bambas began restoring critical supplies and increasing staff numbers to resume normal operations, MMG added The mine entered an agreement with the...Read More

Trafigura will become a major zinc and lead smelter, taking global producer Nyrstar NV effectively private after reaching an agreement with other debtors, both companies said on Monday April 15.Trafigura, which was already a 24% owner of Nyrstar, will take full control in a "lock-up agreement". A NewCo UK company, 98% owned by Trafigura, will buy Nyrstar's remaining shares. Nyrstar smelts over a m...Read More

Norwegian aluminium producer Norsk Hydro has taken a step closer to resuming normal operations at its Alunorte alumina refinery after the company and the Brazilian federal prosecutors' office (MPF) decided to file a joint petition to remove the restrictions on production at the site.A conciliatory hearing was held on Friday April 12, in which the plea was presented to the regional federal court, H...Read More

The US government has proposed new import duties of up to 100% on a wide range of products from the European Union, as a countermeasure for sales lost by the US aerospace industry due to EU subsidies paid to Airbus, the US Trade Representative said in a notice published in the Federal Register on Friday April 12.In a preliminary list, the USTR named a variety of goods that would be subject to...Read More

The price of antimony in China ticked upward in the latest assessment on Wednesday April 10, after the country's producers raised their offer prices in response to production stoppages in Lengshuijiang.The city, in China's central province of Hunan, is a major hub for antimony production.Fastmarkets' price assessment for MMTA standard-grade II antimony, delivered duty-paid in China, was 44,000-45,...Read More

Turkish steel mills had a quiet start to the week in the deep-sea scrap markets, but market participants are expecting more bookings for May deliveries, sources said on Monday April 15.There were no new deep-sea transactions done on Monday, but mills continued to negotiate on May cargoes for lower prices, Fastmarkets heard. Some traders reported that mills were bidding for US-origin HMS 1&2 (80:20...Read More

Turkish domestic auto bundle scrap prices have increased over the past week, while domestic ship scrap prices moved downwards on a weak lira, sources said on Monday April 15.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic auto bundle (DKP-grade) scrap in Turkey was TRY1,730-1,870 ($300-325) per tonne delivered on Monday, compared with TRY1,695-1,870 per tonne last week. The slight change in the...Read More

Domestic prices for ferrous scrap in Italy have decreased over the past month, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday April 15.The monthly price assessment for Italian grade-E3 scrap was ?,?260-275 ($294-311) per tonne delivered on April 15, compared with ?,?270-285 per tonne delivered in the previous month.The reasons behind the decrease were slower scrap buying activity by Italian mills, lack of dem...Read More

The US government has proposed new import duties of up to 100% on a wide range of products from the European Union, as a countermeasure for sales lost by the US aerospace industry due to EU subsidies paid to Airbus, the US Trade Representative said in a notice published in the Federal Register on Friday April 12.In a preliminary list, the USTR named a variety of goods that would be subject to...Read More

Lundin Mining has signed an agreement with Yamana Gold to buy the open-pit copper and gold Chapada mine in the Brazilian Midwest state of Goi??s for up to $1.03 billion, the miners said on Monday April 15.Cash payments will total $800 million, with an additional $125 million in effect over five years depending on gold prices, as well as $100 million more whether the mine chooses to build a pyrite...Read More

There were seven main points for participants in the lithium market to take away from the Battery Materials 2019 Conference, hosted by Fastmarkets in Shanghai on April 10-12 this year.1. Lithium prices will remain under pressure for most of 2019Lithium prices will remain under pressure due to increasing supply.There were new projects able to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate and hydroxide in...Read More

Rio Tinto has committed $302 million of additional capital to advance its Resolution Copper project in the US state of Arizona, a mine that the company envisages will provide raw materials to help fuel the electromobility boom. When fully operational, Resolution - a joint venture in which Rio Tinto has a 55% stake and BHP Billiton has the remainder - has the potential to supply nearly 25% of the U...Read More

Cobalt hydroxide prices reflect the true fundamentals of the cobalt market, and are likely to be one of the market's most important benchmarks, delegates who attended Fastmarkets' Battery Materials Conference in Shanghai heard last week."This is why we are happy to see Fastmarkets launch cobalt hydroxide assessments, which is more representative of the dynamics of cobalt market as a whole," Forres...Read More

China's hot-rolled coil prices bounced back on Monday April 15, with domestic gains continuing to encourage steelmakers to raise their export offers.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,000-4,020 yuan ($597-600) per tonne, up 30-40 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,930-3,950 yuan per tonne, up 10-20 yuan per tonnePrices in Shanghai rose significantly during the day, with most transactions t...Read More

Gerdau will lay off 100 workers at its special steel unit in Pindamonhangaba city, in Brazil's southeastern S??o Paulo state, due to the weak performance of the Brazilian automotive industry, according to the company."Gerdau confirms negotiations with the union to conduct a layoff program at its Pindamonhangaba works, starting in April," the Brazilian steelmaker said.Supply to clients wi...Read More

Egypt has imposed a temporary additional duty on imports of rebar and billet, effective from Monday April 15. The duty is 25% for rebar imports, and between 3% and 15% for billet imports. The duty for billet is as follows: If the cost, insurance and freight (cif) price is below $450 per tonne, the safeguard duty will be the maximum 15%. If the cif price is between $450 and below $470 per tonne, th...Read More

Buyers in Singapore's spot rebar market are finding Turkish materials the most economical at the moment, sources told Fastmarkets MB.A major steel producer in Turkey sold a 50,000-tonne cargo, which consisted of 35,000 tonnes of rebar and 15,000 tonnes of coiled debar - to Singapore last week. Fastmarkets MB's import price assessment for rebar in Southeast Asia - which mainly looks at cargoes of t...Read More