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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from January 6

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday January 6 that are worth another look.

January 7, 2020
By Generic people page
Base metals Copper

The global finished steel market in 2020 is set to be weighed down by a continuation of last year’s weaker end-consumption rates, but there are bright spots coming in the longer term, Fastmarkets analysts forecast.

Fastmarkets copper concentrates treatment and refining charges (TC/RC) index was largely stable week on week due to quiet trading ahead of Lunar New Year on January 25.

Seaborne manganese ore prices in China rose in the week ended Friday January 3 on support from reduced availability of material and improved sentiment after Hebei Steel increased its silico-manganese tender price by more than was expected.

China’s export price for ferro-vanadium was stable for the third consecutive week in the latest assessment period ended Thursday January 2, amid relatively low liquidity in both the domestic and European markets.

UG2 chrome ore producers achieve higher sales prices amid improved sentiment.

What to read next
Aluminum ingots
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Lundin, BHP’s Vicuña project targets 395,000 tpy of copper concentrate from Argentina
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A shipping tanker sailing through the Straight of Hormuz on a sunny day
Strait of Hormuz closure threatens 40,000 t/month copper cathode flows to Gulf as Jebel Ali blocked, Khor Fakkan and Fujairah near capacity
Roughly 40,000 tonnes per month of copper cathode that once flowed smoothly into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through Jebel Ali had few options to reroute after the Strait of Hormuz officially closed on Monday March 2, with the only alternative entry points — Khor Fakkan and Fujairah — already straining under the weight of diverted cargo, market sources told Fastmarkets.
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By Fastmarkets pricing team