South32 said on April 30 that first production from its 4.3-million-tonne-per-year Taylor zinc-lead-silver project in Arizona has been delayed to the first half of the 2028 calendar year.

On Wednesday May 6, a critical minerals panel at Commodities Trading Week in London said metals markets are shifting from an energy transition-led narrative toward security of supply, leaving Europe particularly exposed because of its reliance on imports.

Steel energy tube and pipe prices will continue rising amid the US war with Iran and a lack of imported material, Cody Schlueter, president and owner of Port Pipe and Tube, told Fastmarkets in an exclusive interview on May 4.

The Canadian government announced on Tuesday May 4 a new financing program worth C$1.5 billion ($1.1 billion) to help mitigate the effect of US metals tariffs and support several of Canada’s tariffed industries.

A new US-backed structure is attempting to turn critical minerals inventory from a cost burden into a strategic asset. Project Vault combines pooled demand, private governance and capped-return financing to create a shared supply buffer—and potentially the first steps toward price discovery in fragmented markets.

US steel mills were operating in April 2026 at their highest capacity utilization rate since 2024, but because many domestic producers have gone long on contracts this year, buyers continued to report difficulty in securing tonnages of steel hot-rolled coil on the spot market.

Copper’s long-term outlook is constrained by the industry’s limited ability to bring new supply online fast enough to meet rising demand, with permitting delays, higher capital costs and policy risks slowing project development, industry executives said at the FT Commodities Global Summit on Wednesday April 22.

The US domestic Galvalume price increased by $30 per ton in April despite soft end demand. The coated price boosted solely based on continuing strength in the hot-rolled coil market, sources said.

Fastmarkets has launched three new critical minerals prices on Friday May 1 to improve transparency in the US market. The additional prices are: MB-BI-0004 – Bismuth 99.99%, ddp US, $/lbMB-IN-0005 – Indium 99.99%, ddp US, $/kgMB-GA-0003 – Gallium 99.99%, ddp US $/kg The launch of the bismuth and indium price assessments follow a consultation period […]

Learn how global energy shocks and delayed housing recoveries will challenge the North American wood products market in 2026. Learn to protect your margins. Read more.