IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from April 11

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday April 11 that are worth another look.

Growing demand for lithium compounds used in lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries such as lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide over the past three years has prompted lithium producers to expand total production while diversifying their investments in different lithium operations to ramp up production faster and diminish asset risk.

Chilean state-owned copper producer Codelco believes restarting operations at its Chuquicamata smelter in late April is still feasible with ramp-up happening in the second half of May, although market participants are expecting it to resume in June or July.

A summary of the monthly copper output from different mines in the major production hub of Chile for February 2019, as well as the month-on-month and year-on-year differences.

Healthy growth in nickel demand from the stainless steel and battery sectors and shrinking inventories on the Shanghai Futures Exchange and London Metals Exchange bode well for nickel prices, according to Macquarie Capital senior commodities consultant Jim Lennon. 

Cobalt prices rose again on Wednesday April 10 as buyers have continued to restock while encountering newfound metal tightness into the second quarter of this year.

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The European Union’s Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), published on Wednesday March 4, was a new step in the bloc’s efforts to decarbonize heavy industry and to support strategic supply chains in sectors such as steel, cement and aluminium.
Fastmarkets will increase the frequency of its two existing CIF China port copper scrap prices and add three new grades on Monday March 16.
Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Port of Sohar in Oman are becoming tactical workarounds for base metal exports blocked by the Strait of Hormuz closure, with cargo transiting via land-bridge to other Gulf states, such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates – though capacity constraints and elevated logistics costs limit availability, sources with direct visibility of Gulf supply chains told Fastmarkets.
The Mexican aluminium market might be strongly affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with supply constraints and consequently higher premiums, market participants told Fastmarkets on Tuesday March 10.
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.