IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from October 21

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday October 21 that are worth another look.

Brazilian apparent steel consumption was down by 6.4% in September, compared with the corresponding month in 2018, with demand retreating for both domestic and imported materials, national industry association Instituto Aço Brasil said on Thursday October 17.

Estimated global primary aluminium production fell by 3.2% month on month in September 2019, according to figures published by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) on October 21

Unionised workers at Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine, have threatened strike action, and have called on miners across Chile to ‘paralyze’ the mining industry, after a state of emergency was declared at the weekend.

The global nickel market remained in the deficit in the first eight months of this year, with apparent demand exceeding production by 77,100 tonnes, according to figures released by the World Bureau of Metal Statistics (WBMS) last week.

Softening demand and ample availability caused manganese ore suppliers to cut their offer prices on Friday October 18.

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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
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