The US is being very creative not only in providing funding for projects but also in finding sustainable ways to develop a Western supply of rare earths, Aclara Resources chief executive officer Ramón Barúa Costa told Fastmarkets in an interview on Monday February 9.

European pulp markets are experiencing significant price increases as BEK and NBSK negotiations for January pricing extend into February. Supply disruptions, industrial action, and shifts in global demand are adding complexity, with BEK suppliers standing firm on price hikes and NBSK showing slight recovery despite oversupply challenges.

Fastmarkets has corrected the rationale for its price index for MB-COA-0003 Premium hard coking coal, fob eastern Australian ports, which was published incorrectly on Thursday February 12, owing to a typographical error.

Fastmarkets invited feedback from the industry on the changes to its AG-PLM-0019 Refined bleached deodorised (RBD) palm olein, cfr South China, $/tonne and AG-CCN-0003 Crude coconut oil, fob Philippines, $/tonne prices via an open consultation between December 12, 2025, and January 13, 2026.

Gains in byproduct values are expected to play an increasingly important role in Chinese zinc and lead smelters’ margins in 2026, especially because concentrates availability is likely to tighten, adding further pressure to treatment charges (TCs), the primary income source for metal refiners, industry sources told Fastmarkets in the fortnight ended Friday January 16.

These fortnightly prices were published on February 5 and have now been cancelled. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated to reflect the changes. The next publication will be on February 12, when the market will be assessed as normal. The following prices were published early: MB-ILM-0004 ilmenite concentrate, 47-49% TiO2, cif China, $ per tonne MB-RUT-0002 rutile […]

The Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) state-controlled Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC) announced its first copper and cobalt shipments to Swiss traders Trafigura and Mercuria on Monday February 9, with Trafigura using the Lobito Corridor to transport commodities.

When President Trump took office for a second time just over a year ago, he immediately sought to tear up the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a key piece of Joe Biden’s legacy. But plans announced earlier this week, ending on Friday February 6, have reshaped the future for cobalt and critical minerals.

The build-out of the Indian battery and critical mineral supply chain requires an integrated approach in terms of government policy, investment and subsidies and technology, market participants said during the inaugural Fastmarkets India Battery & Critical Minerals conference in New Delhi, India, over February 2-3.

Malaysia implemented an absolute ban on imports of electronic waste (e-waste) to take immediate effect on Wednesday February 4, in an attempt to tighten environmental controls and curb illegal shipments, Fastmarkets understands.