Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were all down during morning trading on Tuesday July 2, with a raft of disappointing manufacturing data out across China and Europe dampening the recent positivity stemming from the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Japan over the weekend.

China’s Zijin Mining is an interested party in Korea Resources’ offtake from the Cobre Panama copper mine, the only major greenfield project to hit the market this year and the next, four informed sources told Fastmarkets.

The iron ore market has been on a general uptrend so far in 2019, with prices hitting their highest levels since late April 2014. The market has been focused on the effects exerted by the supply side and especially China’s restrictions on blast furnace operations, which may have the greatest influence on prices.

Despite China’s ban of low-quality copper scrap imports since the beginning of 2019, the volume of copper units contained in scrap imports has defied expectations by rising in the first five months of this year.

ArcelorMittal has begun the revamp of a blast furnace in Brazil earlier than planned, and has also temporarily stopped operations at a rebar facility in the country due to market conditions.

Fastmarkets is standardizing the names of some of its base metals price assessments principally to identify whether they are premiums or all-in prices.

The outcome of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Japan that was held on June 28-29, saw the United States and China agree to resume trade talks, which has boosted optimism for a trade deal.

Fastmarkets MB is changing the frequency of its cfr Taiwan containerized steel scrap assessment to a daily one from Monday July 1.

Copper prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were up during morning trading on Monday July 1, buoyed by easing risk aversion after US President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping agreed to a ceasefire on trade over the weekend.

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday June 28 that are worth another look.