Military readiness relies on a narrow set of industrial inputs that enable advanced systems to function under extreme conditions. As supply chains become more complicated and politicised, securing reliable access to these materials is emerging as a strategic challenge for the defense industry.

An interview in which Andrea Hotter spoke with Jon Stibbs, managing editor for technology and energy metals, to explore a growing concern for global defense supply chains.

The Canada HRC hot-rolled price hovered around C$55 ($40) per hundredweight as market participants reacted with dismay to new US policies that affect the way tariffs are calculated on derivative metals products.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) move to extend its export window for cobalt quotas has been viewed as potentially easing supply tightness, although the immediate market reaction has been limited.

The European Commission published the first-quarter 2026 Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) certificate price on Tuesday April 7, applicable to all CBAM-eligible goods imported into the EU in January-March 2026.

Decarbonization has become the defining theme for heavy industry. With the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) now in force and mounting pressure to curb emissions, hard-to-abate sectors such as steel are being pushed to adapt to a lower-carbon economy.

Logistics disruptions, sharply higher freight costs and limited raw materials supply are among the main impacts from the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel and Iran on the Middle East's steel market, Asam Hussain, the chief executive officer of Arabian Gulf Steel Industries (AGSI), told Fastmarkets on Wednesday April 1.

Growing uncertainty over Guinea’s bauxite export policy, alongside severe disruption to alumina supply chains caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, emerged as key themes at the Fastmarkets Bauxite & Alumina Conference in Miami on March 24-25, with delegates warning of heightened price volatility and shifting trade flows.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) may have exported less than half of the volumes allocated to miners for the fourth quarter of 2025, extended to the end of the first quarter of 2026, under the country's new quota system, sources told Fastmarkets in the week to Wednesday March 25.

Why overcoming finance hurdles in mining is crucial for securing critical minerals and powering the global shift to clean energy