Canada has officially designated select minerals - including graphite, scandium, and rare earths - as national security priorities under the country's Defence Production Act, providing guaranteed buyers for some domestic producers and signalling a move closer to government-backed price floors.

Here are the key takeaways from market participants on US ferrous scrap metal prices, market confidence, inventory and more from our November survey.

The global iron ore market is at a turning point as quality becomes a critical focus. While steelmakers race toward cleaner production methods that require higher-grade ore, the supply side tells a different story. Declining grades and rising impurities are forcing market participants to reassess traditional benchmarks and adopt new pricing methodologies that reflect the realities of today’s traded material.

Discover how the Middle East Iron and Steel Conference 2025 addresses industry challenges, trade flows, and resource technologies.

Explore how changing rules on minor metals from China are impacting traders and driving new strategies in the market.

Fastmarkets has adjusted the base brands of its MB-MNO-0001 manganese ore high grade index, cif Tianjin, and its MB-MNO-0005 manganese ore high grade port index, fot Tianjin, as of Saturday November 1, to better reflect the bulk of ore traded in today’s market, and is clarifying how the index is formed.

Fastmarkets has corrected its MB-ALU-0003 alumina inferred index, fob Brazil, which was published incorrectly on Thursday October 30 due to a technical error. MB-ALU-0010 Alumina index inferred, fob Brazil was published in error as $340.40 per dry metric tonne. It has been corrected to $341.49 per dmt. MB-ALU-0003 Alumina index adjustment to fob Australia index, Brazil was […]

Fastmarkets has amended the base specification of its index for iron ore 65% Fe Brazil-origin fines, cfr Qingdao, to align with the specifications for high-grade sinter fines in the CFR Qingdao market.

The US prime steel scrap contracts market is undergoing a major reset as mills and suppliers renegotiate terms amid falling prices and shifting leverage. Oversupply and waning premiums are reshaping how future scrap deals are structured across North America.

As global smelting margins weaken, a quiet revival is taking shape in the United States as new copper smelting and refining projects gather momentum. Policy shifts, strategic incentives and the push for industrial resilience are driving investment that could close America’s long-standing processing gap and reshape its role in the global copper market.