IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from December 31

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday December 31 that are worth another look.

Hebei Steel, China’s second largest steel mill, released its purchase price for silico-manganese at 6,600 yuan ($944) per tonne for January delivery, up by 650 yuan per tonne from its December tender price, market participants told Fastmarkets.

Flat steel import offer prices in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia increased this week, despite demand being weak in the run up to the end of the year, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday.

China’s rebar prices rose in the east on December 31, bolstered by restocking activity by stockists in expectation of price increases in January.

Chilean copper output fell by 6.7% year on year in November due to a combination of nationwide protests and operational problems, national statistics institute INE said on December 31.

The domestic price for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe was unchanged on December 31 due to limited trading activity, sources told Fastmarkets.

What to read next
The amendment follows the decision made on May 14, after a consultation period for the proposed changes which took place between April 3 and May 11. The changes were first proposed in a pricing note published on April 3.  The purpose of the changes is to align the publication times to the activity in the […]
The proposal follows Fastmarkets’ observations that the commodity sees inactive spot liquidity and low volatility in prices. The proposed new specifications for the prices are as follows, with the amendments in italics: MB-NI-0246 Nickel sulfate, cif Japan and Korea, $/tonneQuality: Accepted by buyer for use in battery applications with chemical composition: Ni content, base 22.3% […]
Based on preliminary market feedback, market participants noted that smaller-sized spot market transactions may be skewed and not reflective of the wider market. The aluminium P1020A(MJP), cif Japan, assessment specification which has a minimum tonnage of 100 tonnes will be amended to 500 tonnes after the proposed change. The proposed new specifications are as follows, […]
Fastmarkets consulted the market on the proposed change between April 3 and May 11, 2026. Some feedback was received regarding the publication times of nickel pig iron and laterite ore prices. Fastmarkets will adjust the initially proposed publication times accordingly and proceed with the changes. This decision was first proposed in a methodology note published […]
The price assessments were not affected by the incorrect publication and the correct prices are showing on Dashboard. The price was published at 12.33pm London time instead of the scheduled time of 3-4pm. The following prices were published early:MB-CU-0405 Copper grade A cathode premium, in-whs Shanghai, $ per tonneMB-CU-0383 Copper grade A cathode ER premium, bonded in-whs […]
On Wednesday May 6, a critical minerals panel at Commodities Trading Week in London said metals markets are shifting from an energy transition-led narrative toward security of supply, leaving Europe particularly exposed because of its reliance on imports.