This piece provides a detailed analysis and forecast of the 2025/26 US corn crop, highlighting a record projected yield, historically high acreage, and global production trends.

Freeport-McMoRan has declared force majeure at its Grasberg mine in Indonesia following a fatal incident, with copper and gold output expected to fall 35% in 2026. The company projects a gradual recovery, with operations potentially returning to pre-incident levels in 2027.

Market participants active in the aluminium and copper scrap and primary aluminium markets reported continued bearish markets with relief not expected in the near term during conversations at the Recycled Materials Association Roundtables in Chicago from September 10-12.

The European Union is expected to delay the implementation of its Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) law for a second time, following a statement made by the environment commissioner, Jessica Roswall, on Tuesday September 23.

The price and laycan of a fixed-price Pilbara Blend fines transaction concluded on a public platform were erroneously recorded in the trade log in these indices’ rationale. The trade log entry has been corrected as follows:Rio Tinto, Beijing Iron Trading Center (COREX), 170,000 tonnes of 61% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, traded at $103.70 per tonne, […]

Russia’s weekly wheat exports from Black Sea ports totaled 459,564 tonnes in the week ending Thursday September 18, down by 396,681 tonnes (46%) from the 856,245 tonnes loaded in the previous week, according to Fastmarkets analytics data published on Friday.

Fastmarkets has discontinued its PIX sawn timber FAS Finland export indices on September 23, 2025.

Direct lithium extraction in Europe is being positioned as a sustainable alternative to traditional methods, but its success will depend on overcoming hurdles in cost, regulation and scalability. Industry experts highlight that community acceptance and investment will be equally critical to its future.

Canadian specialty materials producer Neo Performance Materials officially launched a sintered neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) magnet plant in Narva, Estonia, on Friday September 19, and announced the completion of Europe's first dysprosium and terbium oxide production line.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has introduced cobalt export quotas following the suspension period, setting limits on shipments while outlining future allocations. The policy is designed to balance global supply and demand while supporting the country’s ambition to develop domestic processing capacity.