Brazil's copper producer Paranapanema has been increasing its exports of cathodes, wires and rods as domestic demand continues to weaken, the company's ceo told Metal Bulletin on Monday April 13.

After another busy week in our global newsrooms, we have outlined some of the big stories from the past few days.

Shanghai copper premiums dipped further after the Tomb-Sweeping holiday amid sluggish sentiment, as bills of lading cargoes which had failed to be sold out before arriving were transferred to China’s bonded warehouses.

Ferro-molybdenum prices fell further in Europe on Wednesday April 1, as neither the floods in Chile nor the introduction of European anti-dumping measures on Chinese and Taiwanese stainless steel provided support.

A letter to Metal Bulletin from Steven Spencer.

Russian metals producer Norilsk Nickel has posted net profits for 2014 almost three times higher than it made in 2013, on higher average realised nickel prices and a “substantial reduction of cash operating costs”, as well as stronger revenues.

At the end of another busy week in the Metal Bulletin newsrooms, deputy editor Fleur Ritzema takes a look back at some of the key stories.

China’s largest copper producer, Jiangxi Copper, said its net profit dropped 20.04% in 2014 on declining gross margins amid falling copper prices.

Shanghai copper premiums fell further this week on thin trading and weak short-term expectations for the market.

Most metal brokers point to the years 1999-2001 as the dates when electronic trading of London Metal Exchange contracts began.