EUROPEAN MORNING BRIEF 05/03: Weak start for SHFE base metals; Chinese bauxite imports could double in 10 years; Hydro declares force majeure at Alunorte

Good morning from Metal Bulletin’s office in Singapore as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Monday March 5.

Base metals traded on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were broadly weaker during Asian morning trading on Monday, with only nickel and tin prices managing to post slight gains.

Check Metal Bulletin’s live futures report here.

SHFE snapshot at 10.02am Shanghai time
Most-traded SHFE contracts
Price (yuan per tonne)  Change since Friday’s close (yuan)
Copper (April) 52,140 -180
Aluminium(May) 14,330 -95
Zinc(April) 25,970 -290
Lead(April) 18,830 -65
Tin (May) 147,610 230
Nickel (May) 102,250 70

LME snapshot at 02.02am London time
Latest three-month LME Prices
Price ($ per tonne)  Change since Friday’s close ($)
Copper 6,930 32
Aluminium 2,143.5 -5.5
Lead 2,461 13
Zinc 3,381 26
Tin 21,590 115
Nickel 13,440 -10

China’s bauxite imports could increase to 130-150 million tonnes per year within the next ten years, as it seeks to fill a domestic supply gap, according to Mark Roggensinger, senior market analyst at Hydro.

Hydro has declared force majeure at its Alunorte alumina refinery in Brazil’s northern state of Pará following an order by the country’s authorities to cut output by 50%.

The Atlantic alumina market will swing back to a premium over the Pacific as a result of a 50% cut to output, and subsequent force majeure announcement, from Hydro’s Alunorte refinery in Brazil, according to market participants spoken to by Metal Bulletin.

Downstream market participants in both steel and aluminium were in a state of alarm following US President Donald Trump’s confirmation that he intends to levy tariffs on imports of both metals into the United States.

Brazil’s aluminium industry is concerned about a potential surge of Chinese sheet and foil shipments into the country following Trump’s decision.

What to read next
Fastmarkets wishes to clarify that it accepts data submissions in outright price and as a differential to the Mineral Benchmark Price (HPM)-plus-premium for its Indonesian domestic trade nickel ore price assessments. Fastmarkets is also seeking market feedback on recent changes to the Indonesian government’s HPM specifications.
Own-sourced copper output from Glencore’s African copper assets — KCC and Mutanda in the Democratic Republic of Congo — surged by 68% year on year to 67,900 tonnes over the same period, while Glencore’s cobalt production fell by 39% year on year amid the DRC’s export quota system.
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.
Capital is flowing back into junior mining, but selectively. Investment is increasingly favouring development‑stage assets with clearer paths to production, supported by government funding and strategic partnerships. While demand for critical minerals underpins the cycle, early‑stage explorers continue to struggle for capital as investors prioritise discipline, ESG alignment and near‑term cash flow.
Copper in concentrate production from Ivanhoe Mines' Kamoa-Kakula complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) fell to 61,906 tonnes in the first quarter, down by 54% from 133,120 tonnes a year earlier, with the company now evaluating local third-party concentrate purchases to advance the ramp-up of its on-site smelter, according to an April 13 production release as the market focused its attention on the impact of global sulfuric acid shortages during CESCO Week in Chile from April 13-17.
China's planned sulfuric acid export ban from May 1, historic lows for copper concentrates treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) and a fragmenting 2026 benchmark system dominated CESCO Week 2026 in Santiago from April 13-17.