Lundin Mining and BHP published a preliminary economic assessment on February 16 for their Vicuña joint venture, projecting average annual copper production of 395,000 tonnes over the first 25 years of operation as Argentina’s copper concentrate pipeline continues to build. PSJ Cobre Mendocino separately confirmed on February 14 that its feasibility study was under way.

Chinese lead smelters turned more bearish on the procurement of raw materials in the week to Friday February 13, amid heightened price volatility in silver, which is often contained in lead ores as an important by-product and contributor to smelter profits, sources told Fastmarkets.

The outbreak of conflict between the US, Israel and Iran on February 28 has brought shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to a near halt, disrupting China’s steel exports to a region that accounted for 14% of its total finished steel export volume in 2025.

The recent wave of anti-dumping measures approved in Brazil has been met with some concern in China — the country most affected by the Brazilian government’s decisions in this case — but despite the negative impact, Chinese participants see the moves as just another phase of doing business.

Key takeaways: The indices for locally produced brown testliner and fluting showed minor drops in February. Fastmarkets calculated its monthly PIX Testliner GCC index at $462.20 per tonne on March 3, down by $0.18 per tonne (0.04%) from $462.38 on February 3. Fastmarkets calculated its PIX Fluting GCC index at $438.15 per tonne on March […]

This consultation was done as part of our published annual methodology review process. No feedback was received about a methodology change during the consultation period and therefore no changes will be made to the methodologies at this stage. This consultation sought to ensure that our methodologies continue to reflect the physical CFR Manila steel billet market, in […]

The publication of Fastmarkets’ assessments for MB-IRO-0002 Pig iron export, fob main port Black Sea, CIS, $/tonne; MB-IRO-0014 Pig iron import, cfr Italy, $/tonne; and MB-FE-0004 Hot-briquetted iron, cfr Italian ports, $/tonne were delayed on Thursday March 5 because of a reporter error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated.

Brazilian BEK prices remained influenced by seasonal demand patterns, currency movements and buyer inventory strategies, as early signs of the Middle East conflict impact on pulp markets emerged through logistics and cost considerations.

Fastmarkets has suspended its pricing for Iran steel billet and slab exports following the escalation of the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran and because relevant, relative pricing data is not immediately available.

Fastmarkets published its assessment of the MB-STE-0232 steel scrap No1 busheling, consumer buying price, delivered mill Chicago, $/gross ton on Thursday March 5, 2026.