Teck Resources is continuing to increase its workforce at the Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 (QB2) copper project in northern Chile and expects the project to be about 40% complete by the end of the year, the company said this week.

With so much uncertainty regarding the macro environment for steel consumption and prospects for tepid demand growth, US and Canadian mills are vying for a bigger piece of the pie - and using different strategies.

The publication of Fastmarkets’ chrome ore South Africa UG2 concentrates index basis 42%, cif China, $/tonne and ferro-chrome lumpy Cr benchmark indicator, charge basis 52% (and high carbon), Europe, $/Ib for Tuesday October 27 were delayed because of a reporter error.

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were firmer this morning, Tuesday October 27, despite some strong headwinds from little progress on the next US Covid-19 relief package and surging infection rates across Europe and the United Sates.

Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States climbed for the eighth consecutive business day while tight supply continued to bump up against rising demand.

The electric vehicle (EV) and autonomous vehicle (AV) markets will have a large impact on the automotive industry and there are technological advances happening in steel that could contribute to this auto evolution, according to a panel discussion during the Steel Success Strategies 2020 virtual conference this week.

There are reasons to believe the worst is over for a domestic steel market rattled by the Covid-19 pandemic, Nucor Corp president and chief executive officer Leon Topalian told attendees of Fastmarkets’ Steel Success Strategies Online conference on Monday October 26.

Australian spodumene producer Altura Mining has entered receivership, according to a filing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on Monday October 26.

Uncertainty about next year’s aluminium fundamentals and consumer hesitance to commit to long-term, large-tonnage contracts has Alvance chief operating officer Guillaume De Goys expecting an active spot market in 2021.

Mongolia shipped twice as much metallurgical coal to the Chinese market than Australia in September, confirming its position as the key supplier of the steelmaking raw material to China.