ASIAN MORNING BRIEF 01/03: LME base metals drop in unison; Ok Tedi copper mine road access cut off by landslide; Jamalco alumina refinery to convert to natural gas, ending reliance on oil

The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Thursday March 1.

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange fell across the board at the close on Wednesday February 28, with the complex under pressure from the resurgent dollar, which hit its highest level since January 19. Read more in our live futures report.

Here are how LME prices looked at Wednesday’s close:

Metal Bulletin has learned that copper concentrate deliveries from the Ok Tedi mine in Papua New Guinea could be affected after an earthquake-induced landslide cut off road access to the mine.

The Jamalco alumina refinery at Clarendon in Jamaica will end its reliance on oil within the next two or three years, when it converts to using natural gas, its managing director has said.

The environment secretariat in Brazil’s northern state of Pará has ordered Hydro to cut the production of calcine alumina by 50% at its Alunorte refinery, the Norwegian aluminium producer said on February 28.

Vale is re-evaluating its plans for the Vale New Caledonia (VNC) nickel project due to the company’s improved results and the positive impact of higher cobalt prices, chief executive officer Fabio Schvartsman said on Wednesday. A decision on VNC’s future won’t be made until the end of 2018, he added.

Meanwhile, higher copper, nickel and cobalt prices helped Vale’s base metals division achieve a 44% year-on-year increase in adjusted earnings during the fourth quarter of 2017, the Brazilian miner said.

Noble Group recorded a net loss of $4.94 billion in 2017, the company said on Wednesday. This stands in contrast to a net profit of $8.14 million in 2016.

The United States Commerce Department has issued its final determination in a trade case against imports of aluminium foil from China, revising the trade duties somewhat from its preliminary ruling.

Unionized workers locked out of their jobs at the Aluminerie de Bécancour Inc smelter in the Canadian province of Quebec took to the streets on Tuesday, demonstrating outside of a conference where the top executive of majority owner Alcoa Corp was speaking.

US secondary aluminium alloy prices have stepped higher due to a combination of steady demand plus rising raw material and transportation costs, although volatility on the London Metal Exchange could weigh on further increases.

What to read next
After a month-long consultation period, Fastmarkets is amending the below specifications, following no negative feedback from market participants and internal data analysis. The following changes will take place: The new specifications are as follows, with amendments in italics: MB-CU-0002 Copper grade 1 cathode premium, ddp Midwest US, US cents/lb Quality: Grade A 99.9935% min copper cathode conforming to LME […]
The global copper market has finally received the widely anticipated news that imports to the US will be tariffed from August 1. The finer details of the tariffs, including their scope, and whether key copper-exporting nations like Chile, Canada and Peru will be exempt, remain unclear.
LME copper prices took a significant hit following US President Donald Trump's announcement of a potential 50% tariff on copper imports. The uncertainty surrounding the timeline and implementation of the tariff has left market participants hesitant, with analysts noting its immediate impact on price momentum and trading activity.
Fastmarkets has launched MB-AL-0424 Aluminium P1020A premium, fob Indonesia, $/tonne on July 9 due to an expected increase in Indonesia-origin aluminium exports. MB-AL-0424 Aluminium P1020A premium, fob Indonesia, $/tonneQuality: P1020A or 99.7 % Minimum Al purity (Si 0.10% max, Fe 0.20% max) in line with LME specifications. Ingot, T-bar, sowQuantity: Min 500 tonnesLocation: FOB IndonesiaTiming: […]
To increase the transparency of our methodology, Fastmarkets clarifies that the quotation period of the MHP nickel payable indicator is the month of delivery, or the month M. Any data points Fastmarkets received otherwise will be normalized to the M month based on the monthly spreads of the prevailing exchange-traded Class-1 nickel reference price, or […]
'Probably miscalculated’ assumptions at Kakula mine force Ivanhoe to overhaul entire Kamoa-Kakula complex, explains CEO Marna Cloete.