IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from June 25

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday June 25 that are worth another look.

Some of Jiangxi Tungsten Holding Group’s tungsten mines have had to cut production due to floods caused by heavy rain since the start of June in China’s Jiangxi province, with some market sources expecting this to cap the downtrend in tungsten concentrate prices.

Static trading conditions led prices for several secondary aluminium scrap grades in the United States to fall on Monday June 24, with many market participants concerned about copper and aluminium scrap import quotas issued by China last week.

After more than seven years analyzing metals, mining and industrial equities for Dutch bank ABN Amro, Philip Ngotho joined Spanish fund manager Azvalor Asset Management in May this year as a senior buy-side analyst. Ngotho perhaps is best known for writing research reports under headlines such as “Abandon ship” and “Astonishingly bad.” 

Chinese vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) producers might not be able to achieve scheduled production ramp-up plans in 2019 due to cost pressures stemming from the comparatively low V2O5 price so far this year and persistent stringent environmental inspections across the country, market sources told Fastmarkets MB.

Fastmarkets’ pricing and research team answers some key questions raised during our cobalt web seminar, discussing recent price moves in the market and how industry developments might affect the market – and prices.

What to read next
The influential annual treatment and refining charge (TC/RC) benchmark that sets the price that smelters charge miners to process their copper concentrate could be at risk, according to multiple market sources, although most believe the system, or elements of it, will remain
Fastmarkets' initial low-carbon premium for nickel briquettes captured existing regional price differences, with growing awareness and legislative incentives indicating there is potential for a strong market to emerge
The Chilean government is pushing ahead with plans for a new copper smelter despite the global smelting crisis, Chile’s minister of mining, Aurora Williams told Fastmarkets, adding that the state will also play a key role in developing the country’s premium lithium assets
Just under two weeks ago, the chair of BHP made a phone call to his counterpart at mining peer Anglo American and set in motion a flurry of activity designed to create the largest copper producer in the world
Brazilian aluminium supply coming from Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio (CBA) is said to have tightened, helping to boost the P1020A ingot premium, market participants told Fastmarkets in the two weeks to Wednesday April 24
In anticipation of a tight market, copper concentrate traders have locked in 2025 volumes at notably low treatment charges, with deals being placed well below the long-term industry benchmarks