IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from August 30

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed from Friday August 30 that are worth another look.

China’s domestic spot battery-grade lithium carbonate prices temporarily held in the week to August 29 with buyers cautious of further decreases, while the lithium hydroxide market kept flat and no matter how low the offers, deals were rarely concluded due to continuing poor downstream demand.

China Gold has finished building China’s largest and only inland copper concentrates blending facility, with operations set to commence subject to Customs Agency approval, Fastmarkets has learned.

A nickel plant at the Ramu nickel-cobalt project in northeast Papua New Guinea, is still in full operation following the discovery of waste spilling into the nearby Basamuk Bay, according to media reports.

Jiuquan Iron & Steel Group (Jisco) plans to temporarily close its Alumina Partners of Jamaica (Alpart) refinery for over a year in the next two to three months, sources told Fastmarkets on August 30.

Ferrous scrap prices around the world fell over the week ended August 30
on thin buying interest from end-users, which expected more price falls so were not eager to purchase materials.

What to read next
New York-headquartered global commodities company Hartree Partners will take the first 330,000 tonnes of copper concentrate from Blue Moon Metals' Nussir project in Norway, Christian Kargl-Simard, the critical metals developer's chief executive officer, told Fastmarkets on Monday July 6.
Half a million tonnes of copper is sitting in US warehouses, and the traders who put it there are starting to wonder whether they’ve built a hedge, or a trap.
European automotive procurement faces growing complexity due to regional cost volatility and policy-driven supply chains reshaping material pricing and sourcing strategies. This demands granular, region-specific market intelligence for precise cost modeling and strategic decision-making.
The assessment, which currently follows the UK holiday calendar, will follow the Singapore holiday calendar after the proposed change. There will be no change to the publication timing, and the assessment will continue to be published weekly on Wednesdays, at 7pm Singapore time. The purpose of the adjustment is to align the timing to the […]
JX Advanced Metals, Mitsui Kinzoku, Marubeni and Mitsubishi Materials(MMC) inked a deal to integrate MMC's copper concentrate procurement and related products sales business into Pan Pacific Copper (PPC), marking a significant consolidation of Japan's copper concentrate purchasing sector amid persistent pressure from weak treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs).
The publication of Fastmarkets’ assessments of the nickel min 99.8% full plate premium, in-whs Shanghai, and the nickel min 99.8% full plate premium, cif Shanghai for Tuesday May 26 were delayed because of a reporter error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated. The following prices were affected:MB-NI-0143 Nickel min 99.8% full plate premium, in-whs Shanghai, […]