IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from September 4

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday September 4 that are worth another look.

A sustained weakness in the United States’ Midwest aluminium premium and increased barge freight rates pushed the estimated arbitrage between Southeast Asian warehouses and the United States to an 18-month low.

Zinc premiums in Northern Europe have risen with falling zinc prices, while spreads on the London Metal Exchange went into backwardation. Meanwhile, lead premiums were broadly flat with many market participants attending an industry conference.

Atlantic Copper, Europe’s third largest copper smelter and refinery, has delayed intake of copper concentrates for up to two weeks, with primary smelting reduced to 40% capacity after an outage at its electric furnace, sources at the company told Fastmarkets.

After a period of correction that lasted for about three weeks, the price for Chinese cobalt metal has been given fresh strength by rising raw materials costs and tightened spot supply.

Flat steel producer ArcelorMittal Italia will “continue operations beyond” September 6 at its plant in Taranto, Italy, despite the country’s adoption of the so-called Crescita Decree law, the company said on September 4.

What to read next
Explore the base metals outlook 2026 and learn how market trends are impacting copper, tin, and other metals this year.
Fastmarkets proposes to amend the pricing frequency of its copper grade A cathode premium, delivered Germany; copper grade A cathode premium, cif Leghorn; and copper EQ cathode premium, cif Europe to one a week from the current fortnightly basis, effective December 30.
Find out how copper smelters are addressing demand challenges with innovative strategies at the Resourcing Tomorrow conference.
Explore Mercuria's new African copper joint venture with Gecamines, enhancing copper trade transparency and pricing.
Glencore copper output expected to drop as production difficulties at Collahuasi mine hinder 2026 forecast adjustments.
Explore the latest updates on Rio Tinto copper production, including its ambitious targets for 2025 and 2026.