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

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

Imports of hot-rolled stainless steel sheet and coil from China, Taiwan and Indonesia now need to be registered on entering the European Union and could be subject to retroactive duties later in the year.

The supply-demand dynamics in the global copper market were likely to turn into a deficit in 2020, helping to boost the average price to $2.85 per lb during the year, Chilean state copper commission Cochilco said on Thursday January 30.

Global battery grade lithium markets were steady in the week to January 30 with Chinese markets still away for the Lunar New Year holiday which has been extended due to the Wuhan coronavirus and European and United States prices yet to be affected by any impact from the health emergency

Global manganese ore supply increased 6% year on year in 2019 to 22.14 million tonnes of manganese units, amid rising output in Africa and the Americas, according to the latest data from the International Manganese Institute (IMnI).

Ferro-tungsten prices continued to rise this week, as recent tightness was reinforced by concerns about a potential threat to movement of units from China as a result of the Wuhan coronavirus.

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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
Ferrous scrap could serve as a linchpin in decarbonizing both the steel and shipping sectors in South Korea, particularly in the short term, while waiting for emerging technologies such as hydrogen-based direct-reduced iron to be commercialized, Fastmarkets heard at a seminar on green steel and circularity
The suspension of South32’s manganese ore operations at Groote Eylandt Mining Co (GEMCO) in Australia has been changing demand patterns among manganese ore buyers in Asia and this will benefit other manganese ore miners, market participants said on Wednesday April 24
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
The Brazilian Executive Management Committee for the Foreign Trade Chamber (Gecex-Camex) decided to increase steel import duties during one year to 25%, while establishing import volume quotas for 11 steel products, according to a document published on Tuesday April 23