The ongoing US government shutdown is reshaping the steel industry as stalled federal projects, delayed contracts and budget uncertainty ripple through domestic supply chains. With infrastructure spending on hold, producers are confronting weaker demand and rising pressure across the broader manufacturing sector.

Harena Resources is staking a claim in Madagascar’s rare earths sector, intending to supply the US amid rising global demand and the continued dominance of Chinese producers, the company’s chairman has told Fastmarkets.

The publication of Fastmarkets’ MB-LI-0012 spodumene min 6% Li2O, spot price, cif China, $/tonne for October 29, 2025, was delayed because of a peer reviewer error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated.

The US tungsten supply chain is entering a period of transformation as defense-related funding, new domestic projects, and global trade restrictions reshape market dynamics. The growing focus on national security and critical minerals is driving fresh momentum in US tungsten production.

Following a market consultation, Fastmarkets will launch European average prices for bleached and unbleached sack kraft with effect from January 2026 to complement our existing country-specific sack kraft assessments.

Explore the future of containerboard prices with our analysis from the Fastmarkets Paper Packaging Monitor on demand recovery.

Prices for European animal fats, a biofuels feedstock, have recently fallen, amid weaker buying interest, mainly because biofuels producers have been delaying their purchases for the first quarter of 2026, sources told Fastmarkets Wednesday October 15.

In this Fast Forward episode, Major General Alberto Rosende, CEO of M2I Global, joins Andrea Hotter with William Adams and Alex Cook to unpack the next generation of the US critical minerals stockpile strategy – and its impact.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will undergo a formal review starting in July 2026 as the Aluminum Association seeks tariff harmonization and import monitoring across the North American market.

Discover how AI innovation is reshaping the future of print and publishing, as revealed at the World Printers Summit 2025