Participants in the copper concentrates market are struggling to comprehend an “unstoppable” decline in treatment and refinement charges (TC/RCs), with every week bringing spot deals at fresh lows and rumors each “crazier” than the last, sources have told Fastmarkets

The US Department of Energy selected five base metals projects to receive more than $900 million in federal investment from its Industrial Demonstration Program (IDP), leading to a reduction of four million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, according to a statement by the Department on Monday March 25

The publication of Fastmarkets’ US base metals prices were published early during the week of March 11-15 following the daylight saving time change in the US on March 10.

The recent decline in spot copper concentrates treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) is startling, with Fastmarkets’ indices falling 38.87% month on month to a record low in February and still falling. But what lies behind the slump, and can anything be done to halt the slide? Fastmarkets investigates

Fastmarkets has corrected the pricing rational for MB-CU-0403 copper grade A cathode premium, cif Shanghai, which was published incorrectly on Tuesday March 5. No premiums were corrected.

Static discounts for copper scrap remained prevalent in the US for most of 2023, while expectations of growth in the long term held

TMP Holdings is harnessing the power of critical metals like nickel and cobalt to fuel Saudi Arabia’s ambitious infrastructure and decarbonization initiatives

Fastmarkets launches MB-CU-0513 copper cathode equivalent grade (EQ), cif Southeast Asia, $/tonne on Tuesday February 20.

The copper concentrate market was already tight, but the addition of major new smelting capacity this year – starting with the expansion of Freeport’s Gresik smelter in Indonesia — will likely mean maintenance breaks, capacity curtailments and potentially even closures while operating costs start to become untenable, Fastmarkets understands.

February is set to be the best month for copper prices after a challenging start to the new year