The Democratic Republic of Congo intends to increase its share in a cobalt and copper joint venture with Chinese companies to 70 per cent from 32 per cent, amid fears that the deal will deliver too many of Congo's resources with little benefit to the country. The plan...

The World Steel Association announced that world crude steel production in April was 161.4 million tonnes, down 2.4% year-on-year and 3.1% month-on-month. In January-April this year, world crude steel production was 622.7 million tonnes, down 0.3% year-on-year. In...

LME copper fell sharply on Thursday, 11 May, dropping -3.70 percent, with prices set to suffer their biggest weekly decline since November, as gloomy global economic trends overshadowed the outlook for metal demand as supplies increased. Three-month copper on the...

The Italian cast iron market was mostly quiet in April. The holiday period and plant closures for maintenance work played a part in the market downturn. While most steelmakers expect their prices to fall, they are unwilling to adjust. The gap between prices in the...

Aluminium foundry Constellium Aluminium said this week that its Aheadd CP1 aluminium additive manufacturing powder has been approved for use in Formula 1 racing cars starting next year. As a result, the company will work with Velo3D and PWR Advanced Cooling Technology...

The London Metal Exchange (LME) will be closed on May 1, 2023 for the International Labor Day holiday. Trading will resume regularly on May 2. The Shanghai Metal Exchange will be closed from May 1 until May 3, 2023. Trading will resume regularly on May 4, 2023.  ...

Argentina expects lithium exports to reach $5.6 m by 2025. The figure is based on the production of 200,000 tonnes per year of the battery metal through the development of six new projects in addition to production from two existing lithium mines. The projections are...

Chilean President Gabriel Boric said he wants to nationalise the country's lithium industry and create a state-owned company to produce the metal, which is a key component of electric vehicle batteries. Boric stated that future contracts for lithium would only be in...

Copper prices continued to swing sideways last month, creating uncertainty and risk. Meanwhile, traders and investors continue to closely monitor the market for any signs of a breakout in either direction. As prices move sideways, the copper market remains poised...

According to the Australian Ministry of Industry, Innovation and Science's quarterly report, Australia's iron ore export revenues would be around A$100 billion in fiscal year 2023-24, down from the A$121 billion projected for fiscal year 2022-23 due to increased...

In the week to Friday, March 31, the European hot rolled coil HRC steel market was characterized by sluggish demand and minimal activity, but on April 3, 2023, HRC Hot Rolled Coil - Northern Europe prices triggered an upward cue of +3.69 percent, returning to the...

Major supply chain disruptions are expected across the European coil complex in April and May due to the fires at ArcelorMittal in Spain and France and Tata Steel's force majeure at Ijmuiden in late February. This, combined with a significant reduction in coil...

Shares of Australian battery metals company Jervois Global tumbled on Wednesday after the company announced it was halting final construction of its flagship Idaho Cobalt Operations (ICO) project in the US. The decision was prompted by weak cobalt prices and...

World crude steel production in February fell by 1% year-on-year to 142.4 million tonnes, according to data from the World Steel Association (worldsteel). In January-February this year, global crude steel production decreased by 0.8% year-on-year to 297.8 million...

The lithium frenzy, which saw Chinese prices of the material for electric vehicle batteries soar more than 1,300 percent in just two years, has turned into a rapid descent. Prices of lithium carbonate, the benchmark product, have halved after soaring last November....

Hot-rolled coil HRC prices remained broadly stable in Europe on Monday, March 20, with producers staying positive thanks to strong order books. Trading volumes were limited in the region, with bookings mainly for small lots. Buyers remained cautious about recent price...

Large Turkish steelmaker Ekinciler Demir Celik has restarted production of long steel products after being interrupted by the Feb. 6 earthquakes. Ekinciler has a capacity of 1.25 million tons of liquid steel and produces billet and rebar from 8-50 mm. Most steel mills...

According to a statement by the Italian association of scrap, raw materials and steel distributors Assofermet, italian prices for Italian scrap remained unchanged in February. Last week's tight supply caused the prices of many types of scrap to rise, with calls for...

Global mining company BHP has signed contracts with Shandong ports, which account for about a quarter of China's annual iron ore production, to settle iron ore spot trade in yuan this year. All four of the world's major iron ore producers are now working with Chinese...

Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices in Europe are expected to rise gradually, as buyers expect to start sourcing soon. ArcelorMittal has increased coil bids by 20 euros/mt across Europe. HRC's new bids in Germany reached 840 euros/mt ex-Ruhr plant and in Italy 820 euros/mt...

Aluminium will be the hardest hit with tariffs of 200% on imports of Russian metal, effective 10 March, and on imports of any third country products containing Russian metal, effective 10 April. Tariffs on imports of other metals, such as copper and lead, will double...

MEPS predicts that global stainless steel production will reach 60 mln tons in 2023. Contributing significantly to this growth will be steel mills in China and Indonesia. India is likely to remain the third largest stainless steel producing country in 2023, but its...

The current reversal in copper prices is not affecting the medium-term bullish trend for the time being. After Peru's main mines suffered a drop in activity in recent weeks due to supply blockades, protesters temporarily lifted the blockade of a key mining highway in...

US rare earth producer MP Materials has signed an agreement with Sumitomo Corp. to supply the Japanese giant with key elements such as neodymium and praseodymium, helping the trading house bypass China in its EV rare earth supply chains. MP Materials, owner of the...

Breaking myths and defining a new roadmap for decarbonising steel through recycling is the main title of a document published by the European Confederation of Recycling Industries (EURIC). The European recycling industry currently leads the world in steel recycling...

Steel scrap Italy: trend from July 2022 to January 2023

According to the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), China's scrap consumption in the first nine months of 2022 fell 6.7% year-on-year to 170.83 million tonnes, but the country remained the world's largest user of scrap. The country's crude steel production fell...

Malaysian regulators renewed the operating licence for Lynas' Rare Earths unit but retained conditions that will prevent Lynas from importing and processing rare earth concentrate after 1 July. Lynas, the world's largest producer of rare earths outside China, will...

Non ferrous metals: trend as of February 9, 2023

At the beginning of February, aluminium price action showed a short-term sideways trend, following a January surge that led to new period highs in the $2,678/mt area. Several months ago, the LME decided not to proceed with any restrictions on the Russian-sourced...

Some of the biggest names in copper have found high-level political allies who support their efforts to have the harness metal added to the list of minerals considered critical to the United States. Copper are fighting for critical mineral status. Independent Senator...

Mining company MMG Ltd was forced to close Las Bambas copper mine due to community unrest triggered by the ousting of President Pedro Castillo late last year, putting its plant in Peru, the world's second largest copper producing country, under maintenance. Nationwide...

The Philippines, the world's second-largest nickel supplier, could tax nickel exports, following neighbouring Indonesia, thus increasing uncertainty over supply as the market adjusts to the wave of new demand for electric vehicles. The Southeast Asian nation is...

The World Steel Association (Worldsteel) announced that world crude steel production fell by 10.8% year-on-year to 140.7 million tonnes in December last year. For the year as a whole, world crude steel production stood at 1.83 billion tonnes, down 4.3% year-on-year....

The Berlin association Verband Deutscher Metallhändler und Recycler e. V. (VDM) has once again denounced a proposed EU regulation that will make international trade in scrap metal more difficult. In mid-January, the European Parliament voted by a majority to adopt a...

The Swedish government has announced the discovery of the largest deposit of rare earths in Europe. These mineral elements are a key component of high-tech products, particularly batteries. Until now, Europe has been dramatically dependent on third countries, such as...

A group of gunmen in Chile stole several containers full of copper belonging to state-owned giant Codelco on Wednesday, increasing pressure on the security of shipments in the world's largest copper producer. The assailants took 13 containers destined for China from...

The London Metal Exchange will enter 2023 with the lowest inventories in at least 25 years, setting the stage for future pressures and spikes if demand proves stronger than expected. Available stocks of the six major metals traded on the LME fell by two-thirds in...

It has been 50 years since Australia first established diplomatic relations with China. But compared to the relative enthusiasm of the early years, modern relations between the two nations are in a deep freeze. Certainly, Australia's call for an international...

The Brazilian government will impose trade sanctions on aluminum imports from vendors in the People's Republic of China. According to an announcement by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce last week, the Brazilian government will begin imposing countervailing duties at...

The primary aluminum market balance closed with a deficit of 981 thousand tons. This follows a deficit of about 1.734 mln tons recorded for the entire previous year. Global aluminum production in the first ten months of this year increased by nearly 378 thousand tons...

Aluminum prices broke out of their sideways trend last month with strong upward action. Prices rose during the first half of November, followed by a modest retracement before continuing to climb. In early November, China seemed to vacillate between easing virus...

Global risk appetite received a much-needed boost from a less hawkish commentary by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and the softening of some COVID restrictions in China. In the week just past, the dollar started on a positive note, buoyed by purchases of...

Primary aluminum listed on the London Metal Exchange continues its upward move (+1.95 percent as of 12:00 GMT+1), with the third consecutive positive session. Prices currently appear to be in the process of breaking out (breaking to the upside) of an important...

The global thermal coal market has returned to the situation before Russia's attack on Ukraine, with prices of most types of seaborne coal falling to pre-invasion levels, while volumes have remained stable. Prices of seaborne thermal coal surged after the Feb. 24...

After the decidedly negative phase of the last few months, triggered between July and October, depending on the reference metal, there have been first signs of recovery, widely predicted on Oct. 26 by our study office (link here). Another useful tool for forecasting...

Unionized workers at the Escondida mine in northern Chile have rejected the latest offer from BHP (ASX, LON, NYSE: BHP), which was seeking to avoid a strike at the world's largest copper mine at a time of global supply shortages and high prices. The Australian miner...

The National Bureau of Statistics revealed that China's primary aluminum production in October 2022 increased by 9.5 percent year-on-year, buoyed by ease of curbing consumption compared to the previous year and growth in exports. NBS data showed that the country...

Commodities, from oil to iron ore and copper, rose after China eased some restrictions on Covid, raising hopes for a pickup in demand in the world's second-largest economy. Nearly all major commodities rose after news that China reduced the amount of time travelers...

Japan is seeking rare earths 6,000 meters under the sea to counter China's dominance of these critical minerals, used for everything from smartphones to weapons. The government plans to start developing the methods needed to mine the elements near the Ogasawara...

After falling below parity on September 19, 2022 and accelerating downward to 0.9543, the Eur/Usd exchange rate has shown first signs of reaction, currently favoring a recovery of 4.34 percent from the lows recorded on September 28, 2022. The current medium/long-term...

World crude steel production for the 64 countries under the World Steel Association (Worldsteel) was 151.7 million tons (Mt) in September 2022, an increase of 3.7 percent over September 2021 and a smaller month-on-month increase of 0.73 percent. China produced 87.0 Mt...

Glencore plans to put the zinc smelting line at its Nordenham plant in northern Germany on maintenance as of Nov. 1. This represents another blow to the European metals industry, which continues to experience shutdowns due to the energy crisis across the continent. In...

Alcoa Corp. the largest aluminum producer in the United States, has told the London Metal Exchange that Russian metal should not be traded on the benchmark industrial metals exchange. Kelly Thomas, the company's Chief Commercial Officer, wrote in a letter to the LME...

The spot premium for copper in China, the main consumer, may remain high in the coming months, according to analysts and traders, as demand for the metal has improved due to government stimulus. The spot premium for refined copper was $85.25 a ton Thursday, up from...

Things may look better in China than they are, at least as far as the country's metals and minerals markets are concerned. However, China still remains the top destination for European steel and aluminum supplies. Europe's energy-sensitive factories and aluminum...

A massive and rapid deployment of renewable energy is crucial for Europe to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels. According to the European Commission, solar energy will be "the linchpin of this effort." The only problem is that the global solar supply chain is...

Aluminum prices fell today to 17-month lows and most other metals lost ground as faltering global economic growth weakened the demand outlook and strengthened the dollar. The dollar has strengthened in 2022 more than in any year since 1981 and reached a 20-year high...

Shanghai aluminum prices rose Thursday, buoyed by depleted inventories and rising energy costs, but prospects for weakening demand limited gains. Norsk Hydro NHY.OL said Wednesday it will close an aluminum production plant in Slovakia by the end of September,...

Copper and most other base metals continued to find support in the weakening U.S. dollar Friday amid expectations of a slowdown in July job growth in the United States ahead of a much-anticipated jobs report later in the day. Copper prices posted a three-day loss...

Copper prices are expected to rebound further in the coming months after heavy losses, thanks to increased infrastructure spending and other stimulus to the economy from China. Lme-listed 3-month copper fell 36 percent in the four months after hitting a record high of...

According to World Steel Association data released July 22, global crude steel production stood at 949.5 million tons in the first half of 2022, down 5.5 percent year-on-year. Total June production hit a four-month low of 158.1 million tons, down 5.9 percent from a...

Iron ore futures in Dalian and Singapore fell on Thursday as investors refocused on the gloomy outlook for Chinese demand after the government's rhetoric on economic stimulus faded. Concerns remained over the COVID-19 blocks in China, the world's top steel producer,...

The current slump in 3-month dollar/tonne Lme copper prices is being influenced by fears of a global recession, which continue to grow and dampen demand prospects for the metal. The sharp drop comes amid continuing concerns that China, which accounts for half of world...

Israeli clean energy company Phinergy and the Indo-Israeli joint venture IOC Phinergy Private Limited have signed an agreement with Hindalco Industries to develop aluminium-air batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage. IOC Phinergy Private Limited (IOP) is a...

China's primary aluminium production increased by 3.2% to 3.39 million tonnes in June from a year earlier, thanks to higher global prices. June production fell slightly by 0.9% from the previous month, when it reached a record 3.42 million tonnes. Aluminium prices...

Hot-rolled coil prices in Northwest Europe stood at 825 euro/ton on 13 July, up slightly (+0.24%) from the previous day's reading (823 euro/ton), as market activity remained low and stocks are expected to be replenished by the end of July. The expected replenishment...

Belgium-based Umicore plans to invest $1.2 billion to build a battery materials manufacturing plant in the Canadian province of Ontario, which would supply components to one million electric vehicles by 2030. The Canadian government and Umicore have signed a...

China's daily crude steel production from 1 to 10 July fell 0.8 percent from the end of June to 2.872 million mt per day, but output was still 2.6 percent higher than a year earlier, according to data from the China Iron & Steel Association on 13 July. The...

In June, car sales and production in China increased year-on-year by 23.8 per cent and 28.2 per cent respectively, according to the latest data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) on 11 July. Compared to May, total vehicle sales grew...

The Commission has decided not to extend the suspension of anti-dumping duties on imports of AFRP (aluminium flat rolled products) originating in China. The measure will start tomorrow 12 July 2022. The anti-dumping duty rates will vary from 14.3% to 24.6%. [button...

Increasing demand for participation in natural resource revenues, stricter environmental protection regulations and legislative changes are increasing risks for mining and energy companies across Latin America, even in countries once considered safe investment...

In the third quarter, the global alumina market will continue to contend with disruptions in trade flows caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine and an Australian oversupply, with the restart of refineries and smelters and downside risks in the Atlantic basin...

Ahead of the expansion of the caustic soda market globally, Vadodara-based Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals (GACL) is going to increase its current installed capacity of about 520,000 metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) to about 900,000 MTPA by the end of 2022 through the...

Albemarle Corp plans to build a lithium processing plant in the US that would produce as much metal for electric vehicle batteries as the entire company produces today, a bet on America's all-electric future. The plan reflects Albemarle's emerging strategy to lead the...

The European Commission has released final plans to introduce global quotas for certain products and to maintain safeguard measures for steel until 2024. After the annual review of the safeguard measures, the EC sent a draft proposal to the WTO on 30 May, stating that...

Copper prices in London headed for their worst week in a year on Friday, while prices in Shanghai headed for their steepest weekly drop since March 2020, as worries grew over recession and weak economic readings indicated a likely impact on demand. Three-month copper...

World crude steel production for the 64 countries belonging to the World Steel Association was 169.5 million tonnes (Mt) in May 2022, down 3.5% from May 2021. Crude steel production by region: Africa produced 1.1 Mt in May 2022, down 18.9% from May 2021; Asia and...

China produced a record 3.42 million tonnes of primary aluminium in May, as the country's smelters continue to increase production rates. According to the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), the country's annual production increased by 3.66 million tonnes in the...

Acting President Mamady Doumbouya said partners in Guinea's Simandou iron ore mine have 14 days to finalise a joint venture. Guinea has become increasingly impatient with the companies that control the giant Simandou deposit, which has not been developed since Rio...

Newcastle thermal coal prices are expected to remain low in the second half of June and into July, as discounts offered for coal of other origins continue to lure Asian buyers away from Australian coal. Asian buyers, who stayed away from Australian coal after prices...

According to the a Malaysian Estate Owners' Association (MEOA), Malaysia is missing a golden opportunity to capitalize on high palm oil prices and could suffer further production losses due to a "severe" shortage of about 120,000 workers. The world's second-largest...

Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, June 2 and 3, the Lme exchange will be closed for holidays. trading will resume normally on Monday, June 6. China's Shanghai Metal Market will be closed only on June 3. Trading will resume normally on Monday, June 6. To stay...

Shanghai, China's largest city, reopened for business on June 1 after a two-month COVID-19 freeze, with most construction sites resuming operations and steel warehouses reopening for cargo pickup. However, demand for rebar in the city may take some time to fully...

Global crude steel production was 162.7 million tons in April, down 5.1 percent from April 2021, according to World Steel Association data released May 24. Production from January to April was 619.1 million tons, down 7.1 percent from the previous year's levels....

Peru's President Pedro Castillo has replaced four ministers following the mining crisis and after lawmakers filed motions of censure against some cabinet members. Alessandra Herrera was appointed minister of Mines after the government failed this week to reach an...

NioCorp Developments' Elk Creek project in southeast Nebraska can be considered the second largest rare earth resource in the United States, second only to MP Materials' Mountain Pass rare earth deposit. The discovery follows an updated feasibility study in which rare...

Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia announced Wednesday the first production of battery lithium from its Kwinana plant in Western Australia, marking the first time that battery lithium, or lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM), has been produced in Australia in commercial...

China's oversupplied steel market may soon find some relief as the downward trend in demand is expected to end in the short term. China's daily pig iron production reached a record high in April, at a time when the market faced tepid demand, keeping steel markets...

With the official announcement of Shanghai's exit from the bloc, China is providing a major economic stimulus that is likely to affect not only domestic but also global demand. Chinese officials have confirmed that Shanghai, with a population of more than 25 million,...

Ukraine's Zaporizhstal steel mill, partly owned by Metinvest, has started production of a new type of hot-rolled coils for Polish customers. According to Ukrainian media reports, Polish customers have ordered HRCs weighing at least 9 tons each. Previously, to fulfill...

Robert Friedland, founder and co-president of Ivanhoe Mines reported at the Investing in African Mining Indaba 2022 on May 11 that to maintain 3.5 percent GDP growth, without considering electrification of the global economy, more than 700 million tons of copper will...

Chinese iron ore futures fell as much as 7 percent Tuesday, touching their lowest in nearly two months, fueled by fears of higher interest rates and still stagnant domestic demand. The U.S. Federal Reserve approved a half-point increase in interest rates last week and...

Italian sales of cold rolled and hot dip galvanized coils continue to be particularly sluggish, with customers buying little material and expecting prices to continue to fall this week, in line with international coil prices. While HDG demand has been reported to be...

Chinese production of refined tin from major smelters rose 14.4% in April compared with the previous month, as most companies resumed the production process. Twenty smelters, accounting for 97% of China's total capacity, produced 15,464 tons of refined tin last month,...

The British government has imposed sanctions on Russian mining and steel company Evraz because of its operations in sectors of strategic importance to the government of Russia. In a May 5 British government statement, Evraz's main operations are in Russia and it...

Domestic prices for hot-rolled coils declined in Northern Europe due to limited purchasing activity. Northern European HRCs were assessed to be down €10 at €1265/mt ex-works Ruhr. Although there were few official offers at 1300-1330 euros/ton ex-works Ruhr, these were...

ArcelorMittal has announced that it will invest €300 million in the construction of a new steel unit at its Mardyck site in northern France. The plant , which will come on stream in 2024, will have an annual production capacity of up to 200,000 tons of high-strength...

MMG is still facing prolonged disruption at its copper mine in Peru after failing to clear the site of all protesters in an operation that further inflamed tensions with indigenous groups. Security personnel from the Hong Kong-listed company worked with police this...

The London Metal Exchange (LME) will be closed on 2 May 2022 for the Early May Bank Holiday. Trading will resume as normal on 3 May. The Shanghai Stock Exchange will also be closed on 2-3-4 May 2022 (Labour Day). Trading will resume as normal on 5 May 2022.

China has accelerated the pace of steel capacity development based on electric arc furnaces in 2022 to mark the growing efforts of the steel industry, which is steadily aligning with the country's high decarbonisation targets. The country has approved the construction...

Hot-rolled coil prices in Europe have fallen and market players are increasingly convinced that the market is set to decline significantly. While several mills have offered coils at €1,300/mt exw, some offers have been as low as €1,280/mt exw. Despite this, most...

The European Commission proposed on Wednesday the suspension of all trade barriers against steel imports from Ukraine for a period of one year, to support the country during its ongoing war with Russia. The proposal needs to be ratified by the European Parliament, but...

The expectations are for a downward trend in prices for hot rolled coil as demand has remained subdued due to the holiday period. Some market sources report a quiet market with subdued demand and most traders preferred to wait and see if prices would correct from...

Global crude steel production fell 5.8% year-on-year in March to 161 million tonnes, bringing total production for the first quarter of 2022 to 456.6 million tonnes, down 6.8% from the same period in 2021.However, global production in March was 13% higher than...

Higher demand for palm oil could lift Indonesian and Malaysian exports and bring down stocks, supporting prices, which have already risen 38% in 2022, as the war in Ukraine disrupted supplies of sunflower oil. Palm oil has become profitable for refiners because it is...

Chinese exports of "Unwrought aluminium and aluminium products" rose sharply in March 2022. Exports amounted to 594,361 tons, approaching the highs recorded in January this year. The increase on a monthly basis was +41.18% while on a yearly basis the growth was +34%....

Mexico has officially nationalised its lithium industry after the Senate approved with 87 votes in favour, 20 against and 16 abstentions the mining reform proposed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, which gives the state exclusive rights to the battery metal....

On 19 April 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission said it will continue to reduce crude steel production across the country to ensure that crude steel production does not increase year on year. According to statistics from the National Bureau of...

Tata Steel has decided to stop doing business with Russia amid the military invasion of Ukraine, becoming the first global steel company to cut ties with Russia. Tata Steel has no operations or employees in Russia. The company has made a conscious decision to stop...

Global commodities and materials trader Thyssenkrupp Materials Trading has signed a memorandum of understanding to purchase rare earth carbonate from Ucore Rare Metals, a Canada-based developer of rare earth processing projects. Thyssenkrupp Materials Trading, a...

As the situation in Ukraine worsens, European and American countries have initiated several rounds of sanctions against Russia. Several manufacturers, including Boeing, Airbus and Rolls-Royce, are looking for new suppliers of key raw material titanium to hedge the...

US construction contractors from the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America are criticising President Joe Biden's guidelines requiring the use of domestic steel for federal infrastructure projects. According to the AGC, the tightening of the Buy America...

Metinvest's steel plants in Mariupol have suffered further damage as a result of fighting between Ukrainian and Russian military forces. On Friday, Russian Defense Ministry representative Igor Konashenkov said that Moscow forces and units of the self-proclaimed...

Steel demand in China is expected to continue to decline in April as deteriorating property sales weigh on domestic steel markets. The liquidity crisis facing property developers could extend into much of 2022, undermining Chinese steel demand for this year. China's...

The Short Range Outlook, published on 14 April by the World Steel Association, forecasts that steel demand will rise by 0.4% in 2022 to 1.84 billion tonnes and grow by a further 2.2% in 2023 to 1.88 billion tonnes. Steel demand rose 2.7% in 2021 to 1.83 billion as...

The European Commission has terminated its review of existing anti-dumping measures on imports of hot rolled coils (Hrc) from Russia's Severstal. The review was initiated following a complaint lodged by Eurofer last year. Now, the association has withdrawn the...

Ferrous scrap prices rose very quickly across Europe in April, as domestic mills raised prices to match the export market. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting shortage of supplies of key raw materials for steel from the Black Sea region caused prices of...

EU imports of steel products subject to safeguard measures slowed down in the first days of the second quarter. During the first eight days of April, when the new safeguard quotas became available for the quarter, EU customs cleared about 2.4 million tonnes of steel....

The global alumina market is set to be in a state of uncertainty in the second quarter of this year, as fallout from the war between Russia and Ukraine and a confluence of interconnected factors could alter supply and demand fundamentals. In the first quarter of 2022,...

In February 2022, according to data from the International Aluminium Institute and processed by the Commodity Evolution research office, world production of primary aluminium fell by 7.24% compared to January 2022. On a year-on-year basis (between February 2022 and...

Shanghai, China's most internationalised city and the largest steel trading hub in eastern China, has been under a strict lockdown since 28 March to combat the worst outbreak of COVID-19 ever seen in terms of the number of infections. The citywide blockade has nearly...

The Russia-Ukraine war and the economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the European Union (EU) and G7 allies, including the US, have not only altered trade patterns and the supply/demand balance, but have also created a wide gap between steel prices in the Western...

Prices of hot-rolled coil, rebar and ferrous scrap in Asia are expected to remain stable in the second quarter, following a surge in the first quarter, as supply chains gradually recover and markets continue to assess the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine....

Ukrainian mining and steel company Metinvest reported today that it is partially resuming operations at its Zaporizhstal steel plant, the group's JV where it holds a 49.99% stake, and aims to reach 150,000 tonnes of production next month. The Zaporizhstal coil...

The European Union on Thursday approved a ban on Russian coal that will take full effect from mid-August, a month later than initially proposed, following pressure from Germany to delay the measure. The phasing out of EU imports of Russian coal is the key measure in a...

Both nickel and copper possess properties that give them a central role in the drive towards a greener future. While demand will continue to grow steadily, electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage applications will support a huge increase in long-term demand. While...

The Italian scrap market remains in the doldrums this week, with few or no sales and mills rejecting offers from dealers at higher prices. The trend in other European countries seems to be for a 40-50 €/tonne ($43-54/tonne) month-on-month increase, due to strong...

In April, prices of most Chinese steel products could reach new highs for this year. Central government policies to stimulate economic growth should start to take effect, domestic steel demand should recover from the COVID-19 disruptions, and demand for Chinese steel...

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, global equities were already facing their first critical event as inflation began to accelerate. This risk continues, as inflation recently reached 40-year highs in the wake of a global pandemic, government...

Turkey's steel exports have increased by 20% to a record 19.9 million tonnes in 2021, with higher prices meaning revenue will rise by 93% to $16.5 billion in 2021. Turkey's total finished steel consumption increased by 13% to 33.4 million tonnes in 2021. Steel...

German steel producers, traders and buyers have been almost consistently bullish on prices in April, with the unanimous expectation that production and inventory levels may decline. The inventory sentiment index stood at 18.75, suggesting that market participants...

Three of Egypt's largest steel producers have announced that they have raised prices by up to 17%, or around LE 3,000 per tonne (EUR 150/mt), in what would appear to be the largest steel price increase in Egypt's history. Ezz Steel, Egyptian Steel and Suez Steel...

The resources sector will be a major beneficiary after the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement was officially signed, making exports to India cheaper and creating huge new opportunities for workers and businesses. Tariffs will be eliminated on...

The global copper industry needs to spend more than $100 billion to build mines capable of closing what could be an annual supply gap of 4.7 million tonnes by 2030. The supply gap for the next decade is estimated at six million tonnes a year as the clean energy and...

Iron ore prices rose on Wednesday as markets expect robust supply demand in China when covid-19 restrictions are removed. Prices rose despite China's Dalian Commodity Exchange increasing trading limits and margin requirements for some of its futures products,...

Zinc on the London Metal Exchange recorded a new all-time high of $4,861 per tonne earlier this month, eclipsing the previous 2006 peak of $4,580 per tonne. The March 8 peak was surpassed within hours and looked very much like the forced closure of positions to cover...

According to Antofagasta CEO Ivan Arriagada, the copper market has solid fundamentals despite the current market volatility and will maintain high prices for at least the next 12 months. During the CRU-CESCO World Copper Conference in Santiago, Arriagada also reported...

China, the world's largest steel-producing country, has already announced its carbon-neutrality targets, even as it seeks to find an alternative to producing iron in blast furnaces based on metallurgical coal. Chinese policymakers believe that mass production of...

European steel prices are set to extend their gains as the Russian invasion of Ukraine has disrupted logistics, spurred sanctions and driven up energy prices. Russia is the world's fifth-largest steel producer, while Ukraine ranks 14th. The two together account for a...

Guinea has reached an agreement with Rio Tinto and a Chinese-backed consortium to resume operations at the huge Simandou iron ore deposit, after resolving disputes over infrastructure. According to the Guinean government, Simandou contains more than 4 billion tonnes...

A global push among automakers to expand their electric vehicle (EV) lineup just got a lot more expensive, thanks to rising prices for nickel and lithium, key raw materials in EV batteries. Nickel is caught up in war-induced supply concerns and the short-term squeeze...

The price of iron ore remained steady on Wednesday despite the Tangshan steel city's decision to implement a temporary blockade. The Tangshan government implemented the blockade on Tuesday to avoid further cases of covid-19 as infections increased. Although...

Copper prices have remained quite amid the chaos that has engulfed the London Metal Exchange (LME) this month. The London copper market was briefly shaken by the collapse in margins that triggered the 8 March suspension of the LME nickel market, with a short-lived...

The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade and steel producers have agreed to move away from pegging domestic prices to the London Metal Exchange (LME) and calculate them in roubles. The use of the rouble component in the calculation of domestic prices will also be...

The first squeeze that plunged the London Metal Exchange into an existential crisis occurred more than a century ago. In 1887, French industrialist Pierre Secretan cornered the copper market, causing prices to double first before taking profits, causing the market to...

China's largest steel centre, Tangshan, has ordered emergency traffic controls and mass testing of the coronavirus with a rapid increase in the daily count. According to a report, on 19 March 22, the office of the government wing responsible for preventing and...

Zinc prices surpassed $4,000 per tonne, reaching a 15-year high last week ($4,861/mt on 8 March 2022), as rising energy costs and supply concerns boosted the metal's market. Zinc production requires the smelting of zinc ore, which is energy intensive. As a result,...

The London Metal Exchange temporarily froze electronic trading in nickel after restarting from a week-long suspension, as a glitch allowed prices to fall beyond a new daily limit (5%) that was supposed to help restore order after last week's historic short squeeze....

Chile's environmental regulator reported Thursday that it has fined the Escondida mine, a subsidiary of BHP, $8.2 million for damage caused by water extraction in the Salar de Atacama salt flat. Chile's environmental watchdog SMA had filed a complaint against the...

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is raising the price of metals used in cars, from aluminum in bodywork to palladium in catalytic converters to high-grade nickel in electric vehicle batteries, and drivers are likely to foot the bill. While metals have not yet been the...

Boeing Co reported Monday that it has suspended its purchase of titanium from Russia, a move that could have implications for the aircraft manufacturer's relationship with its largest supplier of the raw material, VSMPO-Avisma. According to the manufacturer, "our...

Copper prices rose sharply after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as disruption of trade routes and economic sanctions limited supplies. Immediately after the invasion, the price fell to $9,918/ton, but then, with the announcement of sanctions, the price rose to...

Considering the ongoing trade tensions between Russia and Ukraine, prices of imported scrap in Turkey have risen to record highs. Moreover, supply has become difficult for exporters through the Black Sea. The sharp rise in raw material prices has led to a strong...

China plans to increase its iron ore production in overseas mines to 220 million tons by 2025, in addition to increasing domestic raw material supplies. According to Luo Tiejun, vice president of the China Iron and Steel Association, China aims to "fundamentally"...

In a brief statement, the government reported that environmental permits for metal mining in Honduras will be cancelled, describing the industry as harmful and stating that it will specifically prohibit open-pit mining. The statement from the Ministry of Energy,...

The rally in the global benchmark aluminum price reached a record high last week. On Thursday, Feb. 24, the LME aluminum price reached 13-year highs at $3,519 per ton as the Russia-Ukraine conflict fueled concerns about global supply of the metal. However, on Friday,...

After December 2021's highs at 5.622 mln tons, January 2022 triggered a decline in global aluminum production to 5.513 mln tons. The cumulative January to December 2021 stood at 67.28 mln tons compared to 65.327 mln tons in the same period last year (+2.98%). WORLD...

The Coporaque district community reported Sunday that it will resume its roadblock against MMG's Las Bambas mine, although a second community has agreed to a 45-day truce. Las Bambas, which produces 2% of the world's copper supply, said it will have to suspend...

Companies confirm that ECHA's plan to include metallic lead in its 11th recommendation for substances to be included on the REACH authorization list threatens a wide range of EU industries, from battery manufacturers to European metal recyclers, creating more red tape...

On Tuesday, Feb. 7, Baise, China's main aluminum-producing city, reported a surge in local covid-19 cases for the third consecutive day and the resulting lockout, which exacerbated concerns about supply disruptions for the metal. Restrictions due to increased covid...

As expected a couple of weeks ago, aluminum reached highs at $3228/mt (highs today at $3234.50/mt). Click here for the full story.

MMG reported Monday that it will have to halt production at its Las Bambas copper mine in Peru until February 20, following a new and ongoing blockade of the road used by the company, which has already forced the Chinese miner to curtail operations. Residents of...

Russian pig iron exports rose 8% year-on-year in the first 11 months of 2021 (Jan-Nov 21). Cumulative exports stood at 3.56 million tons (mnt) in the period under review compared to 3.3 mnt seen in the corresponding period last year. The United States maintained its...

Turkey, the world's top buyer of ferrous scrap, recorded imports of this material of 24.37 million tons (mnt) in 2021 (Jan-Dec 2021), up 10% from 22.16 mnt in 2020. On a monthly basis, Turkish ferrous scrap imports increased by 22% to 2.49 mnt in Dec 2021 compared to...

Preliminary implementation of Lynas Rare Earths' Kalgoorlie processing plant has been approved after a ministerial declaration was issued under the Environment Protection Act 1986 (WA). The declaration outlines conditions for the construction and operation of the rare...

In the last survey month (December 2021), China's imports of "Unwrought aluminium and aluminium products" plummeted by 38.75% compared to the previous month (November 2021) while compared to the same period last year, the figure showed a drop of 8.22%. In the previous...

After several months in which world aluminum production remained substantially stable, in the last month of survey (December 2021) there was a new increase on a quantity produced basis (ton). An analysis of the data on a monthly basis shows a positive change in all...

Copper prices fell on Monday under pressure from risk-off sentiment in global markets. Asian equities also fell as investors prepared for a Federal Reserve meeting at which it is expected to confirm the start of a massive liquidity drain that has supercharged growth...

The U.S. and Britain began dialogue on Wednesday, Jan. 19, in order to resolve the dispute over tariffs that have been imposed by the Trump administration on imported aluminum and steel. Senior trade officials in Washington and London reported that they are committed...

U.S. sanctions against the Belarusian potash industry, which have helped push fertilizer prices to record levels, could push President Alexander Lukashenko further into the arms of Russia. While Lukashenko has not yet asked Russia for support, the Kremlin expects the...

Looking at aluminum prices, there seems to be no more obstacles for a rise of +4.50%, between current prices and the highs recorded on 18/10/2021 at $ 3,228.50/mt. A price extension of at least +4.50% from current prices of $3091/mt to the $3,228.50/mt area is then...

According to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), in the first quarter of 2022, China's economy will face more uncertainties, and as countermeasures, the Chinese government will advance the implementation of some policies, the progress of some...

Today's session shows an excellent performance for non-ferrous metals, with nickel showing a daily growth of +3.69%, followed by tin +1.84%, copper +1.61%, lead +1.34%, zinc +1.08% and aluminum at +0.80%. Stay updated with Commodity Evolution to follow in detail and...

A bipartisan piece of legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate Friday would force defense contractors to stop buying rare earths from China by 2026 and use the Pentagon to create a permanent stockpile of the strategic minerals. The bill is the latest in a series...

On January 14, 2022, a spokesperson for Europe's largest aluminum smelter, Aluminium Dunkerque in France, said the company has no plans to further regulate production as a result of current restrictions, as it anticipates government subsidies on energy prices. The...

The Southeast Asian country reported Wednesday that it is studying a progressive tax on nickel and ferronickel exports that could be imposed as early as this year. Concerns about fewer shipments from the world's largest nickel supplier have sent the London Metal...

Prices averaged $2995/ton in 2021 and closed the year around $3428/ton, a slight retracement from the high of $3944/ton reached in October 2021. Fitch's price forecast for 2022 implies that the company expects prices to stabilize and weaken from here on in the coming...

Lithium exploded in 2022 with a new price spike that warns electric vehicle manufacturers of even more acute cost pressures. Supplies of the core battery material face a number of near-term risks that threaten deeper shortages just as demand accelerates as global EV...

Aluminum costs for European consumers are reaching record levels as soaring energy costs and production cuts have exacerbated deficits in the metal used in the energy, construction and packaging industries (as described in this article on January 4, 2022. Consumers...

Tesla reported that it has signed its first nickel supply agreement in the U.S., Talon Metals Corp's Tamarack mining project in Minnesota. Under the terms of the agreement, which Talon reported came after "extensive and detailed" due diligence and "lengthy...

BHP will invest $40 million in Kabanga Nickel, which is developing the nickel project, and $10 million in Lifezone Ltd, whose ore refining technology is considered more cost-effective and environmentally friendly. The investment in U.K.-based Kabanga will give it an...

The global cobalt supply chain is likely to remain highly geographically concentrated in the coming years, in the Democratic Republic of Congo for mining production and in China for refining, which will likely pose supply challenges for battery manufacturers. Yet the...

The various production cuts made before by the largest European smelter Aluminium Dunkerque Industries France (read the article here), by Hydro in its plant in Slovakia (read the article here), by Alro (read the article here) by Alcoa that will stop a Spanish plant...

Romanian aluminum producer Alro reported that it will cut primary aluminum production due to rising energy prices .Primary aluminum production activity will be reduced from five electrolysis rooms to two rooms. The company will resume its full production operations...

Zijin Mining reported the start of production at its Qulong copper mine in Tibet, one of the largest in China, a major metal consumer, adding a new source of supply to the market for the coming year. Zijin, a copper and gold producer that is acquiring...

Any miscalculation by the Peruvian government in the proposal to be discussed with mining communities on December 30 could reignite protest actions against MMG Ltd's Las Bambas mine. In recent statements to local media, the president of the Committee of Struggle for...

In November 2021, China's import data show a marked uptick across all major industries. In detail: Steel or iron products - Exports of "steel and iron products" in November stood at 4.36 mln tons, down 3.11% on a monthly basis and down 0.91% on an annual basis. On the...

The iron ore price rose on Monday due to a promise by the Chinese government to focus on economic stability next year, supporting the demand outlook. China pledged to continue its prudent monetary policy and proactive fiscal policy, and to prioritize economic...

Tsingshan Holding Group, the Chinese company that shook up the nickel world by rapidly increasing production in Indonesia, is predominantly a stainless steel producer, coming out of nowhere to become the world's top nickel producer in 2018 thanks to its pioneering use...

Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm met with Mongolia's Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene this week, with the aim of resolving the issues that still threaten the future of the vast Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine. The ongoing expansion of the project in the Gobi...

As written in the previous article (read here) copper prices have completed the double minimum and at the moment are in the process of breaking the trigger line at $9,750/ton. The current movement may extend the rebound in the short term towards the next targets...

China's recycled steel raw materials, or ferrous scrap import volumes, in October 2021 fell for the third month in a row. The world's top steel producer imported 9,152 metric tons of ferrous scrap in October compared to 20,519 metric tons in the previous month, down...

Nickel and zinc are now considered critical minerals by the United States. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing that both metals be included on the critical minerals list. The list has grown from 35 to 50 since the last iteration in 2018. Four minerals,...

UK-based Altilium Group and PT Indo Mineral Research, a member of Sebuku Group (one of Indonesia's largest mining groups) have signed an agreement to commit financial, technical and logistical resources to accelerate the adoption of the DNi process in Indonesia....

Tin remains the superstar on the London Metal Exchange of industrial metals. At $37,350 per tonne, the LME's three-month tin is up 77% since the start of the year, far outperforming aluminium, which is the second best performer with a gain of "only" 26%. LME stocks...

Australia has seen a decline in exports of goods and services for September due to low iron ore prices, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australia has seen a decline in exports of goods and services for September due to low iron ore prices, according...

China's exports of rare earths rose 10% in October from the previous month, reaching the highest level since March, according to data from the General Administration of Customs. Exports from the group of 17 minerals from the world's largest rare earth producer stood...

Malaysia's palm oil stocks rebounded at the end of October due to a slump in exports amid falling production. Palm oil stocks of the world's second largest producer are set to rise 3.4 percent to 1.81 million tonnes. Production is seen falling 0.98% to 1.69 million...

The aluminium price has been weakened by falling coal prices in China, following efforts by regulators to curb excessive speculation and profiteering from what remains a tight domestic thermal coal market. If coal prices continue to fall, aluminium prices should, at...

The United States and the European Union have ended their dispute over steel and aluminium tariffs, promising to work together on a global agreement to combat production and industry overcapacity. The future EU-US deal will be a challenge for China, which produces...

Brazilian miner Vale SA on Thursday reported third-quarter net profit of $3.9 billion, significantly below analysts' forecasts of $6.2 billion, due to lower iron ore prices and a write-down of its coal business. While Vale's net profit fell by almost half from the...

Ukraine has cancelled the privatisation auction for the sale of Europe's largest titanium and zirconium miner, United Mining and Chemical Company (UMCC), due to a lack of participants. The same auction in August had also been cancelled for this reason. The state real...

China's state planner has set an immediate price target for thermal coal in its most direct intervention yet to cool the market for the key power generation fuel amid a severe energy crisis. The price target was revealed during meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday...

Antofagasta Plc reported Wednesday that it would ask US officials to reconsider a proposed 20-year ban on mining in Minnesota's Boundary Waters region, a plan announced last week that would block its Twin Metals copper and nickel project. According to Julie Padilla,...

Some $1.5 trillion of investment is needed to decarbonise the electricity supplies used to produce aluminium so that the industry can begin to meet the UN climate targets. But this huge investment is only part of the funds needed for aluminium production, one of the...

Power outages in China ---------> production supply in crisis Let's take a look at primary aluminium production worldwide (last survey September 2021). Data from the International Aluminium Institute. Month-on-month % change: Africa: -3.65% China: -3.52%. Western...

Hastings Technology Metals has received environmental approval from the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment (DAWE) for a hydrometallurgical plant in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The Onslow rare earth plant will be constructed in the Ashburton...

European leaders, concerned about the effect a global magnesium shortage will have on the European Union's industrial recovery from the pandemic, have opened talks with China, which supplies the bloc with about 95% of the silver-white metal used to make aluminium....

Zijin Mining, China's largest gold miner and one of the country's leading copper producers, has started operations at its Cukaru Peki copper and gold mine in Serbia. The resource, part of the Timok project, is expected to make the Balkan country the second largest...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly said that Russia will be able to start natural gas supplies to Europe via the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as soon as it gets the green light from Germany. The pipeline, funded by Kremlin-owned energy giant Gazprom and its...

According to President Joko Widodo, Indonesia is planning to 'curb' the export of all raw materials in a bid to attract investment in processing onshore resources and create jobs. Indonesia has banned a number of exports of unprocessed minerals, including nickel, tin...

Vale SA produced more than analysts expected and outperformed both the previous quarter and the year-ago period, as part of an ongoing recovery from the 2019 tailings dam disaster and thanks to better weather. But with iron ore futures down more than 40% from their...

A Peruvian community will block a key mining road used by MMG's Las Bambas copper mine in protest after failed negotiations with the Andean nation's government, a community leader told Reuters on Monday. Victor Limaypuma, the president of the Cotabambas Defence Front,...

The world's major metals continued to climb on Friday, with zinc posting its biggest daily gain in six years after hitting a 14-year high on Wednesday and aluminium holding close to a 13-year high, as energy shortages continue to disrupt the global supply chain....

China consumes nearly 14 million tonnes of copper each year, more than the rest of the world combined. But domestic supply last year was only about 2 million tonnes, including scrap, and mined production has been stagnant for years. Imported concentrate, from some 30...

Japan's Sumitomo Metal Mining and Sumitomo Corp have agreed to sell their stakes in Chile's Sierra Gorda copper mine to Australian miner South32 Ltd for about $1.5 billion. The Japanese companies, which together hold a 45% stake, had reported last year that they were...

Donald Trump promised to revive the coal industry, but it is President Joe Biden who is seeing a big comeback for the fossil fuel. US power plants are on track to burn 23% more coal this year, the first increase since 2013, despite Biden's ambitious plan to remove...

Aluminium has risen to its highest level since 2008 as a deepening energy crisis squeezes supplies of the energy-intensive metal that is used in everything from beer cans to iPhones. Each tonne of metal requires around 14 megawatt hours of energy to produce, enough to...

According to Global Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain Ranking, the US is closing the gap with China when it comes to the race to dominate the battery value chain. The US has the second largest EV market globally, after China. Tesla and Asian cell manufacturers continue...

In arrivo una nuova stangata sulle bollette di luce e gas. A lanciare l'allarme è stato proprio il ministro della Transizione Ecologica, Roberto Cingolani. A new sting on electricity and gas bills is coming. The Minister for Ecological Transition, Roberto Cingolani,...

According to the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), the world's largest mining companies pledged on Tuesday to achieve a target of zero net direct and indirect carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner. The announcement comes ahead of next month's UN climate...

Vale reported that production of copper concentrate at its Salobo mine in the state of Para, Brazil, is suspended due to a fire that struck a conveyor belt, causing no injuries or fatalities but only material damage. The company expects to resume production at the...

The Melbourne-based miner is in talks with Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. to buy Western Foreland, a huge exploration territory that borders Ivanhoe's Kamoa-Kakula mine. The foray into a nation emerging from decades of conflict would mark a shift in strategy for BHP, which has...

Increasingly expensive gas and electricity prices in Europe are sending a strong signal to manufacturers to consider shutting down plants temporarily and to home and office owners to turn down their thermostats to save fuel this winter. First-month gas futures are now...

BHP announced on Friday that it has produced the first nickel sulphate crystals from its plant in Kwinana, outside Perth, part of a strategy to grow its battery metals footprint to meet expected rising demand. Nickel is a key component for electric vehicle (EV)...

Peru's mining minister Ivan Merino reported Thursday that the unrest at the huge Las Bambas copper mine was partly caused by MMG Ltd's decision to rely on a dirt road to transport the metal, and called for a rail line to be built instead. The dirt road has become a...

According to Worldsteel Association data, world steel production in 64 countries stood at 156.8 mt in August, down 1.4% from the same period last year. On a monthly basis there was a decline of around 3%. In summary: Africa 1.3 Mt (+38.2%) Asia and Oceania 112.7 Mt...

Peru's economy and finance minister has raised further doubts about Southern Copper's long-delayed $1.4 billion Tía Maria project in the southern province of Islay, Arequipa region, saying the proposed mine is 'socially and politically' unfeasible. Tía María has...

London-based private equity fund Appian Capital is reportedly in advanced talks to sell its Atlantic Nickel unit in Brazil for about $1 billion, with Canadian Teck Resources (the company did not comment). The Canadian company's main interest is Atlantic Nickel's Santa...

Chinese miner MMG will once again have to halt operations at its Las Bambas copper mine, one of Peru's largest, as community protests in the neighbouring province of Chumbivilcas have affected supply logistics. The blockade of public roads along Peru's main copper...

Tin prices jumped to a record high on Friday as inventories in warehouses fell and supply problems persisted. Benchmark tin on the London Metal Exchange rose to a record $36,770 a tonne, and by early afternoon was trading 2.4 percent higher at $36,310. Metal prices...

Minmetals is planning a strategic restructuring of rare earths with another state-owned company, Chinalco, and the Ganzhou city government. China Minmetals Rare Earth Co Ltd and Chinalco Rare Earth & Metals Co are two of the "Big Six" state-owned enterprises...

Teck Resources, Canada's largest diversified miner, has cut its refined zinc production estimates for 2021 due to widespread wildfires in British Columbia over the summer. Operations at the Vancouver, BC-based miner were temporarily shut down in August for about ten...

Chinese imports of rare earth from neighbouring Myanmar slowed in August as the closure of a key border crossing to contain the spread of the coronavirus prevented shipments. China is the world's dominant producer of rare earths, a group of 17 minerals used in...

Paper Excellence has announced that its Prince Albert mill has secured a softwood fibre allocation of 1,033,564 cubic metres per year from the provincial government. "This fibre is critical to the restart of the Prince Albert paper mill, currently scheduled for the...

Global nickel mine production is expected to grow by 6.8% to reach 2,427.4kt in 2021, after declining an estimated 4.2% to 2,272kt last year due to blockages and covid-related restrictions. Indonesia (+16.3%), the Philippines (+5.1%) and Brazil (+24%) will contribute...

The price of iron ore sank below $100 a tonne on Friday for the first time since July 2020, as China's moves to clean up its heavily polluting industrial sector caused a rapid and sharp collapse. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment planned to involve 64 key...

XTC New Energy Materials, a unit of Chinese rare earth and metals producer Xiamen Tungsten, on Thursday reported a $1.55 billion investment plan in a lithium battery materials project in Sichuan province. Demand for batteries is booming in the global automotive market...

The price of iron ore fell on Thursday after China reported a drop in the country's steel production in August. Mining stocks also fell, with BHP Group down more than 6% on the previous week, Rio Tinto Group down 5.3% and Vale down 7%. China produced 83.24 million...

Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, said on Wednesday it had reached an agreement on a labour contract with a union representing workers in its small Salvador division in northern Chile. The miner and union Benito Tapia Tapia signed a 36-month agreement that...

China will closely monitor market conditions and continue to release copper, aluminium and zinc from its state reserves in a bid to overcome supply-demand imbalances. "Currently, copper, aluminium and zinc prices are still high," said Li Hui, an official with the...

Albemarle Corp, the world's top lithium producer, said on Wednesday it had reached a labour contract agreement with a union at its Atacama plant, ending a month-long strike that had inflamed tensions between workers and the company. The 135-member 'Albemarle Salar'...

As of 9 September, the capacity utilisation rate of many of China's independent electric arc furnace (EAF) steel mills recovered after a two-week decline, rising 2.74 percentage points to 63.14%, as some EAF mills in eastern and southwestern China returned to...

Jiangxi Copper Co. and Metallurgical Corp of China (MCC) are monitoring the situation in Afghanistan to develop the Mes Aynak copper mine. The company and MCC took out a 30-year lease for the mine in 2008, which has an estimated reserve of 11.08 million tonnes of...

The Chilean union of Albemarle Corp, the world's leading lithium producer, reported on Monday that it has rejected the company's latest labour contract offer, leaving workers to continue their strike that has extended for more than a month. The 135-member 'Albemarle...

Workers at a Codelco mine in Chile have agreed to end a strike while union members at a BHP group mine have agreed to a new wage proposal, easing labour tensions in the copper-producing nation. Codelco reached an agreement to end a strike lasting more than three weeks...

The price of iron ore fell to an eleven-month low on Thursday amid concerns that the global economic recovery is slowing. The price of iron ore fell 40 per cent from over $220 in July, mainly due to lower imports by China following its move to control steel production...

Indonesian nickel miner PT Vale Indonesia said it aims to start construction of its Pomalaa project next year to produce material used in batteries for electric vehicles. Adriansyah Chaniago, deputy managing director, added that Vale is currently amending its...

The trigger for the latest rise was news of a military coup over the weekend in Guinea, a major producer of bauxite, which is processed into alumina and then into primary aluminium. The aluminium market does not normally pay much attention to disruptions at the end of...

The military junta that seized power in Guinea reportedly plans to establish a unity government pending a transition to civilian rule, urged mining companies to continue operating and reassured them that their existing agreements with the state will be honoured....

A prolonged period of high aluminium prices, created in part by production cuts in China, is expected to encourage new capacity elsewhere in the world, which will eventually weigh on prices at 10-year highs. Benchmark aluminium on the London Metal Exchange reached...

Chinese domestic construction steel prices could stabilise and rebound this month, with both demand and supply growth. Demand growth could outpace supply growth, and construction steel inventories could decline further. As for construction steel demand, the operating...

According to energy and mines minister Juan Carlos Jobet, Chile, a mining powerhouse, needs $150 billion in investment to reach its goal of doubling copper production by 2050, part of a larger plan by the world's leading copper producer to increase production while...

Iron ore prices moved lower as the market weighed an upcoming seasonal pick-up in Chinese demand against the prospect of a broadly weakening economy and further restrictions on steel production. The price had regained ground after the July slump, with the upcoming...

Nickel prices in Shanghai hit a new record on Tuesday, supported by solid demand from industrial sectors and low inventories worldwide. October's most-traded nickel contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange hit a record 149,870 yuan ($23,197) a tonne, up 21%...

Rio Tinto says it is ready to cut interest rates on loans to the Mongolian government given to finance its share of the construction costs of an underground expansion at the vast Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine in the Gobi Desert. In return, the company wants several...

The exponential growth in demand for cobalt is putting pressure on manufacturers to increase supplies to fill the growing supply gap, as electric vehicle (EV) penetration rates in car production increase by more than 50% by 2030. According to some studies, there are...

The workers' union at BHP's Cerro Colorado copper mine in Chile has called on its members to reject a final contract offer from the company, paving the way for a strike at the small deposit. The union tensions come shortly after a court ordered the mine to stop...

Aluminium traded near its highest level in three years as supply disruptions tightened the market. The metal has risen 32% this year, second only to tin among the six base metals traded on the London Metal Exchange, driven by the global economic recovery. The price is...

Chilean state-owned miner Codelco, the world's No. 1 copper producer, has invested $1.4 billion in the Salvador copper mine, extending the productive life by 47 years and increasing production by almost 50%. The Rajo Inca project will convert Salvador, which has been...

The EU is working on proposals to revive domestic production of a type of magnet specialised in electric car engines, offering support to local producers so they can compete with Chinese rivals. The moves to support production of rare-earth permanent magnets would...

The Atomredmedzoloto mining subsidiary of Russia's state nuclear energy company Rosatom plans to start producing lithium compounds in both the Kola Peninsula and the Irkutsk region of Siberia. Investment in lithium mining projects in Russia is estimated at over 50...

The town of Bor in Serbia has a decades-old air pollution problem due to its proximity to one of Europe's largest copper mines. Excessive amounts of sulphur dioxide, a by-product produced by the copper smelting plant, have threatened the health of its inhabitants and...

Copper prices are on a downtrend after reports showed worsening manufacturing growth in the US and China. Chinese factory activity expanded in July at the slowest pace in 17 months, with the official purchasing managers' index (PMI) falling to 50.4 from 50.9 in June,...

Reuters reported that Glencore Plc has agreed to pay $9.85 million to settle a private antitrust lawsuit in the US accusing two units of the Anglo-Swiss mining company of trying to monopolise the zinc market, driving up its price. The preliminary settlement revealed...

Rio Tinto has begun reducing production at its BC Works aluminium smelter in Kitimat, Canada, due to a strike initiated by the Unifor Local 2301 union after negotiations failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement. Production will be reduced to about 35 per...

Chile's Senate has postponed for almost three weeks a vote on an opposition-sponsored bill that could increase taxes on miners by up to 75% depending on the price of copper, the country's main export. The bill, first introduced in 2018, calls for a 3% royalty on sales...

In August, it will be difficult to see much growth in Chinese iron ore demand when most steel mills are under pressure to control steel production. This month, any increase in domestic steel production from newly added capacity will also be quite limited. Meanwhile,...

Chile's state copper commission Cochilco said Codelco, the world's largest copper miner, increased its output by 14.9% year-on-year to 151,600 tonnes in June. BHP's Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, saw output fall 21.6% year-on-year to 82,900 tonnes in the...

BHP will make a final investment decision on a major expansion of the processing facility at its Mt. Keith nickel mine in Western Australia, further investing in the industry to meet expected rising demand. Nickel is a key component for electric vehicle cathodes, and...

A tightening global copper market is facing the real possibility of simultaneous disruptions at three mines in Chile, the top producer. By far the most serious threat to global supplies comes from Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, where workers rejected...

The acetic acid market is consolidating upwards. The price rose to €779.7/mt (2/8/2021), an increase of 2.30% compared to the close recorded on July 29 (€762.16/mt). The acetic acid market rose slightly, the Guangxi and Anhui Huayi plants were closed for maintenance...

Rio Tinto Ltd is set to ship a pilot lithium processing plant to Serbia from Melbourne in the coming weeks. The work, undertaken at a science center on the outskirts of Melbourne, has found a way to economically extract lithium from jadarite, a mineral that has only...

A four-day roadblock in Peru by protesters seeking greater benefits from natural resource exploitation is disrupting operations at MMG Ltd's Las Bambas copper mine, one of the country's largest. Residents of three communities in the Chumbivilcas province of the Andean...

Newmont will make a decision on a $2 billion investment in its Yanacocha mine in the Cajamarca region of northern Peru before the end of the year, according to CEO Tom Palmer. Newmont plans to develop the first phase of sulfide deposits and an integrated processing...

Global crude steel production for the 64 countries reporting to the World Steel Association stood at 167.9 million tons (Mt) in June 2021, an increase of 11.6% over June 2020 but down 3.73% from May (167.9 Mt). Steel production by geographical area Africa produced 1.5...

The precious metal, industrial par excellence shows a bullish conformation, both on a weekly and monthly basis. The formation of a pennant, which identifies a moment of slowdown of the trend in place is then destined to resume its run. The prices are currently...

China's iron ore price fell for the fourth consecutive session, dropping more than 2.70% to its lowest level in nearly three weeks on prospects of easing demand on the government's decision to cut production. The price of Iron ore 62% FE - CFR China dollar/ton fell...

Stable phase in the month of July for copper quotations with fluctuations between 9130 $/ton and 9632 $/ton. At the moment prices are under pressure against the first real resistance located in the 9450 $/ton area (transit area of the bearish line drawn from the highs...

BHP Group reported Thursday that it has signed a nickel supply agreement with Tesla and will work with the electric carmaker to lower carbon emissions in the battery supply chain. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has urged miners to produce more nickel, with demand set to...

Ivanhoe Mines' Kamoa-Kakula mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has begun exporting copper concentrate to international markets as the metal continues to trade near all-time highs. The first truckloads left the mine on July 17 and will be shipped...

According to Wood Mackenzie consumer awareness of carbon emissions from metals production for the energy transition will eventually spur the recycling industry and encourage the search for substitutes that could spoil the party for large manufacturing companies. An...

Rio Tinto reported a 12% drop in quarterly iron ore shipments after storms hit its operations in Western Australia. The company reported that it now expects to ship near the lower end of its range of 325 million tons and 340 million tons in 2021, meaning it could be...

The silver mine in Bosnia and Herzegovina that was shut down during the years of civil war that has gripped the region since the early 1990s could soon be reopened to benefit from an optimistic price outlook. Adriatic Metals Plc's Vares project could resume production...

The US dollar seems to be recovering against the euro, the renminbi and the other major currencies (Jby,Gbp, Cad, Sek and Chf - summarized in the dollar index). By graphically analyzing, on a weekly basis, quotations started to rise again from the fundamental support...

A Chilean court ruled Tuesday that BHP's Cerro Colorado copper mine will have to start over from zero on an environmental plan for a key mine maintenance project. The Antofagasta environmental court annulled the 2019 approval for the project, which includes work on a...

The European Union and Ukraine on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) covering critical raw materials and batteries. The move is part of the European Commission's action plan on critical raw materials announced in September to strengthen supplies of...

The gap between the business sector of the world's second-largest copper producer and the new leftist government is closing. Pedro Francke, Castillo's economic adviser, reported that he expected businesses would not oppose a planned overhaul of tax rules after dozens...

From mid-May 2021 until June 21, 2021 copper prices corrected the bullish movement started in March 2020 (+144% new highs since 2009 in 10740 S/ton area). From June 21, 2021 prices started to settle, favoring a first recovery towards 9500 $/ton (currently prices are...

Geopolitical risks and tensions between the U.S. and China pose a threat to the global lithium supply chain, according to a new report from Fitch Solutions Country Risk & Industry Research. Increasingly tense relations between the U.S. (a rising battery producer...

Iron ore prices rose Monday, fueled by increased demand when Tangshan steel mills resumed production after China's centennial. Steel production at some producers has been limited due to the Communist Party's centennial and environmental policies, dropping blast...

Vital Metals Limited has begun production of rare earth at its Nechalacho project in Canada's Northwest Territories. The company is now the first rare earth producer in Canada and the second in North America, in addition to California's Mountain Pass mine. CEO Geoff...

The proposed amendments to Chile's mining royalty regime will not have a drastic impact on the country's production landscape in the short term. However, there is a clear risk that the amendments could undermine the continued appetite for making large-scale, long-term...

A strike at Vale SA's operations in Sudbury, Canada, is disrupting the market for nickel, which is key to powering electric vehicles. Sudbury is one of the world's few producers of nickel pellets, a form used to make alloys for the aerospace, electronics and nuclear...

Since the May 2021 highs, primary aluminum has been in a broad triangular phase, with prices now pressuring against the upper extreme in the $2470/mt area. The current pattern identifies itself as a symmetrical triangle, with bullish/bearish implications depending on...

China has released details of its first round of non-ferrous metals auctions from its state reserves, and market reaction has been unsatisfactory. The National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration reported Tuesday that it will auction 20,000 tons of copper,...

Preliminary data released by the International Copper Study Group (ICSG) indicates that global copper mine production increased 3.7% in the first three months of 2021, with concentrate production up 5.5%. WORLD MINING PRODUCTION Global mine production began to recover...

China's State Reserves Administration reported that it would publicly auction a total of 100,000 tons of nonferrous metals early next month in the first round of a rare and much-anticipated release of its inventories. The National Food and Strategic Reserves...

Glencore CEO Ivan Glasenberg told the Qatar Economic Forum that a supply gap is growing in the metals the world needs to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. According to Glasenberg, copper supplies need to increase by one million tons per year until 2050 to...

Speaking at the summit of the European Raw Materials Alliance, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, expressed concern about the EU's dependence on third countries for 99 products, primarily raw materials (supply of rare earths, 98% of which...

Serbia's Zijin Mining, a wholly owned subsidiary of Zijin and backed by China, has received permission from the Serbian government to begin mining operations at the Cukaru Peki copper and gold mine, part of the Timok project, in the eastern part of the country. The...

Canada and the European Union have launched a new partnership to secure critical mineral supply chains and reduce dependence on China. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reported that with EU partners, he discussed what to do to build a cleaner economy for years...

Good turnaround performance for non-ferrous metals....positive day for all.....only primary aluminum seems to be struggling. Possible new weaknesses from next week...stay tuned with Commodity Evolution Our price estimates are for subscribers only. [button...

China's preliminary May steel export data show a sharp decline (-33.86% on a monthly basis +19.8% on an annual basis).

Canada's Ivanhoe Mines has signed agreements with Chinese subsidiary Zijin Mining and trader Citic Metal to each sell 50% of the copper production from the first phase of its recently launched Kamoa-Kakula mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Ivanhoe...

Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have developed what they believe is a cost-effective way to extract high-purity lithium from seawater. Previous efforts to extract lithium from the mixture the metal makes along with sodium, magnesium...

More than 64% of the 191 social conflicts recorded in recent months in Peru are linked to social and environmental concerns related to mining operations. This is the reality that the country's new president will have to face. According to local media, this is the case...

Former workers have again blocked the rail line of Colombian coal miner Cerrejon, the latest protest to hit the beleaguered miner's operations recently. Cerrejon, jointly owned by BHP Group, Anglo American Plc and Glencore Plc, has had repeated disagreements with...

Since the end of March 2020, tin prices, as well as most commodities, have developed a sharp rise, performing an unbelievable +142% (from lows to highs). What to expect then for June? Analyzing Uninterrupted Positive close: on a monthly basis, it is possible to...

The point on the Italian Plastic Tax. Yesterday, May 20, the Council of Ministers discussed the Decree Support Bis "Misure urgenti connesse all’emergenza da Covid-19, per le imprese, il lavoro, i giovani, la salute e i servizi territoriali". Among the measures...

Seasonality in the May suggested, in most cases, that the first 10 days of the month non-ferrous metals would continue the current bullish impulse phase, but in the remaining days of the month this impulse would slow down. In fact, things are currently moving in this...

Soaring prices for a range of ferrous products, including steel, iron ore and coke, since April have further divided ferrous market sources inside and outside China over their views on the possibility of Chinese steel production cuts, despite Beijing's reiterations...

Chile's lower house has approved a progressive rate on copper sales in what could become one of the heaviest tax burdens in the global mining sector, potentially stalling investment and raising prices. Lawmakers, who had already approved a bill to introduce a fixed 3%...

China on Thursday suspended indefinitely all activities of the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin reported that the suspension was a "necessary and legitimate" response to Australia "abusing" the concept of...

Customs data from China indicate that the country was a net exporter of refined tin again in March. Net exports were about four times higher than in February. The data reveals that refined tin imports fell to 102 tons in March, down about 78%. This is the lowest level...

Copper once again approached the crucial $10,000-per-ton level on Tuesday amid bullish sentiment and renewed supply concerns in the world's most important producing region. Copper's rally, which has more than doubled in price from its all-time lows, has been fueled by...

Polynt Composites, an Italian company operating in the field of raw materials for the composites industry, has announced an increase of 400 euros/ton for all compounds. The decision was taken to balance the increase in raw material costs in Europe, as an effect of...

Congo's Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC) could become the world's fourth-largest cobalt producer by 2021, according to a new report from Roskill. According to the company, if the state-owned company is able to capture all 8,000 tons of cobalt expected to be...

Between March 26 and April 1, Chinese steel traders saw their finished steel inventories fall further, with a 1.6 million tonne week-on-week decline, faster than the previous week's 1.5 million tonne drop, mainly due to further strengthening demand. Inventories held...

Zinc's downturn started on March 23 approached the first intermediate support in the area 2750$/ton (April 1, 2021). This intermediate level could give way, leaving room for quick pullbacks towards $2720. Also on a statistical level, in the last 5 years of trading,...

Chinese steel futures prices have reached all-time highs lately, driven by bullish expectations for demand and the likelihood that steel production restrictions will remain in place throughout the year. The resulting rise in steel prices has bolstered the profits of...

Aluminum quotations continue to strengthen, a situation due to currently unsustainable delivery times and costs. Despite this, prices are approaching a fundamental psychological level of $2300/ton. A lot of volatility will be created at these prices. Indicators on a...

Within a decade, the world could face a massive shortage of what is arguably the most critical metal for global economies: copper. The copper industry needs to spend more than $100 billion to close what could be an annual supply deficit of 4.7 million metric tons by...

China's steel mills and traders are gearing up to protect their business from the impact of possible cuts in export tax rebates on certain steel products, currently being considered by the central government. Industry sources say there is a new sense of urgency in the...

In the last weeks there has been wide volatility on the markets, with the only non-ferrous metal (aluminum) still close to the recent highs (2240$/ton) now in the 2200$/ton area. A downward phase is now expected also for this metal, following the direction of the...

In the last 1 hour, zinc prices have registered a 4.50% movement between the opening of 8 am (2749.50$/ton) and its minimum (2627$/ton), to then recover part of the lost ground (2720$/ton at 9.30 am). In this way the prices have created a long "spike" (lower line...

Could the seasonality of March be pushing aluminum prices down? From chart 2. it sure looks like prices have been moving negatively in the month under review for the past 30-15-10-5 years. From chart 1. today could be the last day of rebound for aluminum prices, and...

On the last trading day, all major non-ferrous metals touched new highs, with copper, aluminum and zinc recording $9616/mt, $2242/mt and $2952/mt, respectively. All of these levels tested important selling areas, with the metals now giving way to new...

According to the latest monthly report from the China Iron & Steel Association (CISA) released on February 23, steel prices in China are likely to continue at their current high levels, supported by a recovery in demand after the Chinese New Year holiday and high...

Our Commodity Evolution Steel Price Index showed already in the first days of February the first upward movements, which then occurred on the price of Flat HRC China and other steels in the Europe - Turkey - Russia areas. There is a possibility of further rises in the...

After 3 weeks of the zinc price consecutive rise, the fourth week (the current one) is creating a Japanese candle called shooting star. This pattern does not have the same power as the other stars signals, however the prices are right behind an important price level...

The spread between cash and 3-month tin stands today at about $3900/mt. We are in a strong backwardation situation. With deposits at their lowest since 2016 (1,400ton in Lme warehouses) and concerns about a shortage of current supply have pushed ip the current price.

New upward impulse for copper which today registers a price excursion (between highs and lows) of 310$/ton (+3.50%). On a technical level, the upward break of the wide congestion between $4320 and $7385 (Dec 2012 to Dec 2020) projects a second long-term price target...

Commodity Evolution, with specific algorithms associated with independent market research and surveys (we also use open and big data - we process it by producing information with robust statistical and machine learning methods), provides prices of more than 437 types...

By analyzing the components of the trade balance relating to China's Aluminium and articles thereof, it is possible to identify how from May imports on a cumulative basis (Import Trend) began to grow much faster than exports, with a drop in August/September and a...

According to preliminary data released by Japan's Ministry of Finance on February 17, Japan's steel exports of all types and shapes fell 13.3% year-on-year to about 2.43 million tons in January, which is the ninth consecutive month with year-on-year declines. Japan's...

Turkish imported scrap prices have increased by $15-20/ton depending on recently concluded contracts. Market participants believe that prices could take a clear direction once China returns to replenish cargo after the holidays. In a recently concluded deal, about...

According to the European Steel Association in 2020 (Eurofer), steel consumption in the EU was 134 mln tons, down 13% compared to 2019. The year just ended is the worst since 2009 and reflects a contraction on both the production and import side. The outlook for 2021...

Turkey's imported scrap prices have shown strong fluctuation in recent deals. Buyers are actively booking new cargoes for March 21 shipments due to increased domestic demand for finished steel. Japan's main EAF steel mill, Tokyo Steel has increased the purchase price...

Aluminum has reached December 2020 highs in the $2093/ton area (100% target of Fibonacci expansion from the bearish channel breakout point). Will it break up or generate an initial correction? Analyzing the "Uninterrupted Close" statistic, aluminum has closed positive...

Great upward momentum for London-listed aluminum, with prices now in the $2070 area, approaching the recent highs of late December 2020 at $2090/ton. Possible new tests of this level. Will prices succeed in to the break up or will there be new reversals? Analyzing the...

As written in the January 26th post, copper prices could have broken down through the support at $7800 and they did. UpDate - After reaching the highs of 2012 in the $8237/mt area, copper prices have started a downward spiral, included in a descending channel that may...

The copper settles in a narrow range between $8230 and $7800. The negative divergence of the MACD indicator suggests a loss of strength in the metal, which could extend a possible correction below $7800 towards the wider targets in the $7700 and $7400 area. The medium...

The strong rally in aluminium that started in March last year is slowing down slightly. However, prices are above all major dynamic supports (200- and 50-week moving averages). Last week's pullback may have triggered a new upward impulse with short-term targets in the...

Iron ore spot prices continue to trend upward, confirming the trend that began in May. The price has surpassed the high seen in 2013 ($130/ton), moving above the $150/ton area. Demand from China's steel industry remains strong, with production expected to exceed 1...