IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from August 9

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday August 9 that are worth another look.

China launched a consultation paper on Friday August 9 to implement a stricter arsenic threshold on copper concentrates imports, a move that could lead to drastic changes in global trade flow of high-impurity concentrates and a further premium on treatment charges of clean concentrates.

Weak demand and bearish macroeconomic factors continued to pressure primary aluminium foundry alloy premiums lower in Europe and the United States on Friday August 9.

Treatment and refining charges for spot copper concentrates trended lower still early in August, with traders placing sharp bids on tendered cargoes and smelters amid continued port disruptions in Peru.

The Chinese domestic alumina price hit a fresh low on Thursday August 8 after falling for 13 consecutive weeks as a result of weaker domestic demand and an oversupplied market.

After more than a year of facing tariffs on steel imports under Section 232, downstream manufacturers in the United States have begun idling capacity and laying off workers while they tackle higher production costs and reduced market share.

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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
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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
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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