IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from July 17

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Friday July 17 that are worth another look.

Imports of long products to the European Union dropped during the first four months of 2020 year on year due to the toxic combination of the effect of Covid-19 on consumption and rising protectionism.

It has not been an easy year so far for Peru’s zinc and lead mining companies after the coronavirus pandemic swept through South America, with operations facing lengthy shutdowns as well as multi-year low prices for their products.

Declining copper stocks at London Metal Exchange-registered warehouses are not an indicator of improving demand conditions in Europe, according to industry participants, with the LME’s recent off-warrant stock publication showing the extent of surplus supply in the region.

Exports of manganese ore from South Africa have almost quadrupled from April to July, according to preliminary trade data seen by Fastmarkets, and the majority will head to China, where inventories are already rising and prices have fallen sharply.

Chinese domestic spot prices of both indium and germanium have yet to yield any gains after the provincial government of Yunnan announced further details on the commercial stockpiling of several non-ferrous metals, which in theory could lend some support to these metals, Fastmarkets understands.

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Based on preliminary market feedback, market participants noted that smaller-sized spot market transactions may be skewed and not reflective of the wider market. The aluminium P1020A(MJP), cif Japan, assessment specification which has a minimum tonnage of 100 tonnes will be amended to 500 tonnes after the proposed change. The proposed new specifications are as follows, […]
Fastmarkets consulted the market on the proposed change between April 3 and May 11, 2026. Some feedback was received regarding the publication times of nickel pig iron and laterite ore prices. Fastmarkets will adjust the initially proposed publication times accordingly and proceed with the changes. This decision was first proposed in a methodology note published […]
The price assessments were not affected by the incorrect publication and the correct prices are showing on Dashboard. The price was published at 12.33pm London time instead of the scheduled time of 3-4pm. The following prices were published early:MB-CU-0405 Copper grade A cathode premium, in-whs Shanghai, $ per tonneMB-CU-0383 Copper grade A cathode ER premium, bonded in-whs […]
On Wednesday May 6, a critical minerals panel at Commodities Trading Week in London said metals markets are shifting from an energy transition-led narrative toward security of supply, leaving Europe particularly exposed because of its reliance on imports.
The Canadian government announced on Tuesday May 4 a new financing program worth C$1.5 billion ($1.1 billion) to help mitigate the effect of US metals tariffs and support several of Canada’s tariffed industries.
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.