IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from February 3

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday February 3 that are worth another look.

The sell-off of Chinese steel futures this morning is a sign that “worse is to come” for global steel prices, market sources told Fastmarkets on February 3.

Canadian copper producer Taseko has decided to take action to protect itself against the tumbling London Metal Exchange copper price.

The UG2 chrome ore and ferro-chrome alloy markets in China were stable over the week ending on Friday January 31, although some market participants think travel restrictions could push up prices when buyers return from the Chinese New Year holiday.

The seaborne prices for both high and low-grade manganese ore in China ticked down in the week to January 31 in response to weakening sentiment amid the worsening coronavirus outbreak.

Cobalt prices held on to their recent gains on February 3, finding support because of the limited supplies of readily available material.

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The proposal would align the index more closely with physically traded volumes in the region, and enable it to adjust to evolving market conditions. This proposal follows an observed widening of the spread between trader and smelter purchase components of the index and is aligned with a majority of market feedback. Additionally, Fastmarkets seeks feedback […]
Until now, aluminium has been hard to move, not hard to find. Global aluminium supply had remained technically intact, even as output was curtailed in parts of the Gulf, inventory buffers were drawn down or repositioned, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was severely disrupted.
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