The West entered the rare earths race late as countries in general were slow to act and now China is far ahead, Mineração Taboca executive manager Ronaldo Lasmar said in an interview with Fastmarkets.

Fastmarkets will publish a one-time differential on August 28, 2026, that may be used to adjust derivatives on commodity exchanges and other contracts, which settle against the assessment of the MB-LI-0033 lithium hydroxide, battery grade, spot price, cif China, Japan & Korea.

Fastmarkets will change the quality and tonnage specifications for its benchmark assessments of the MB-LI-0033 lithium hydroxide monohydrate LiOH.H2O, 56.5% LiOH min, battery grade, spot price, cif China, Japan & Korea and the MB-LI-0029 lithium carbonate, 99.5% Li2CO3 min, battery grade, spot prices, cif China, Japan & Korea, effective from Tuesday September 1, 2026.

How independent price data and market intelligence close the visibility gap - from origin to factory gate.

The sharp rise in demand for lithium is outpacing the growth of an independent US supply chain, Ian Rodger, chief executive officer of lithium development company US Elemental, told Fastmarkets in an exclusive interview on Wednesday June 3.

Chinese zinc smelters expressed concerns of possible production cuts amid fierce competition for concentrates raw materials, as treatment charges (TCs) have dropped to historic lows at the end of May, though byproduct gains from sulfuric acid have still lent strong support to smelters’ margins, sources told Fastmarkets.

The Trump administration has concluded its investigation against Brazil under Section 301, with the country’s Trade Representative Jamieson Greer proposing a 25% tariff on the South American country’s imports but putting forth a list of exempted items.

EU wheat exports reached 19.23 million tonnes as of May 31, according to European Commission data, yet weekly flow data from Rouen port collapsed 66.6% to 72,923 tonnes in the week to June 3, pointing to a sharp deceleration in physical trade.

Half a million tonnes of copper is sitting in US warehouses, and the traders who put it there are starting to wonder whether they’ve built a hedge, or a trap.

Soybean futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange were lower on Friday June 5 due to uncertainties around Chinese commitment to buy of US goods and a perfect storm in external and derived markets.