IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from January 24

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday January 24 that are worth another look.

Chinese steelmaker Hebei Jingye Group has moved a step closer to acquiring British Steel following an agreement made with the trade unions that could result in 500 job losses.

Copper scrap buyers in the United States are concerned that an increase in US exports to China could pressure discounts in the second half of 2020, leading to a “relatively flat discount” throughout the year.

The price of stainless steel flat products in the European domestic market was unchanged in the past week ahead of an expected, but moderate, rise in monthly surcharges for February, sources told Fastmarkets on January 24.

China’s domestic spot battery-grade lithium carbonate and hydroxide prices were unchanged this week as they have been through January due to thin buying activity, and the market became even quieter in the run-up to the Lunar New Year holidays that started on January 24.

Korea Zinc will stop refining selenium as a byproduct of copper ore now that market levels have made it unprofitable, the company confirmed to Fastmarkets.

What to read next
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
This move aligns with global demands for sustainability in the mining sector and sets Nexa on a path toward achieving net zero emissions by 2050