ASIAN MORNING BRIEF 21/11: LME nickel, copper jump on LME; trade conflicts in store for Chinese aluminium; EV batteries won’t spur nickel in near term, Nornickel says

The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Tuesday November 21.

Nickel and copper prices made significant gains on the London Metal Exchange before the close of trading on Monday November 20. Read more in our live futures report.

China’s aluminium industry is facing trade conflicts over foils and other products, Liu Danyang, deputy director general of the Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau, said at the China Aluminium Forum held in Fuzhou last week.

Nornickel, the world’s largest refined nickel producer, is skeptical that electric vehicle (EV) and battery demand will spur the nickel market higher in the near and mid-terms.

The adoption of China’s “Go Out” policy by domestic market participants to secure a steady inflow of foreign-sourced raw materials will determine the future of the Chinese aluminium industry, the vice president of Aluminium Corp of China told delegates at the China Aluminium Forum in Fuzhou on November 16.

Concord Resources has signed an exclusive multiyear alumina supply and metal offtake agreement with the Aldel aluminium smelter in the Netherlands, the trading company confirmed on Monday.

Finally, after 37 years in power, Robert Mugabe has been sacked as the leader of Zimbabwe’s ruling party and is under intense pressure to step down as the country’s president. What might this mean for investment in the mineral rich-nation?

What to read next
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
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
Fastmarkets will discontinue its lithium contract price assessments, effective October 2024.
The global decarbonization drive is turning electrical steel into one of China's key ferrous products, with electrical steel exports surging in recent years, sources told Fastmarkets