As China’s copper smelters are looking to import more blister copper, an intermediate product of refined copper production, to fill the supply gap arising from the drastic drop in the scrap import quota this year, Metal Bulletin is looking to provide regular trackers on the refining charges (RCs) of the increasingly popular product.

Nickel prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were weaker during Asian morning trading on Thursday February 1, with underwhelming data releases from China as well as soft demand from the country’s stainless steel sector weighing on the metal’s prices.

Good morning from Metal Bulletin’s office in Shanghai, as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Thursday February 1.

Commodities fund Tiberius is seeking to underpin a new world of digital currency transactions with a bullish future for industrial and precious metals, by launching a physical metals-backed cryptocurrency called Tiberius Coin.

The German metals sector is being hit with a number of day-long strikes this week while negotiations over pay between employers and trade union IG Metall continue, Metal Bulletin heard on Wednesday January 31.

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange are for the most part firmer this morning, Wednesday January 31, the exceptions being aluminium (-0.3%) and lead that is little changed, while the rest of the complex is up by an average of 0.6% - ranged between tin (0.4%) and nickel (0.7%), with copper prices up by 0.5% at $7,117 per tonne.

Good morning from Metal Bulletin’s office in Shanghai, as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Wednesday January 31.

Nickel prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were weaker during Asian morning trading on Wednesday January 31, tracking the pullback in prices seen on the London Metal Exchange in the previous session.

Speculation as to what US President Donald Trump’s next move might be in the Section 232 investigation into aluminium imports appears to be pushing the US Midwest aluminium premium up despite a lack of actual spot demand to support it.

Copper miners, including Freeport-McMoRan and Antofagasta, have made big cuts to copper concentrate tonnages and in some cases altered side terms for material delivered against benchmark treatment and refining charge (TC/RC) terms this year, despite the market rallying around a single number after a tense set of negotiations.