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

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

China’s top copper concentrate buyers are in a fix. On Thursday July 18, the historically powerful China Smelter Purchase Team will gather for a quarterly meeting that traditionally is an arena for members to share information on trade flows and maintenance schedules, and to set a quarterly purchasing price floor for copper concentrate treatment and refining charges. This time, however, things could be different.

Insurer AON and software developer Gen10 have joined Dutch bank Rabobank, international trading firm Concord Resources and warehousing firm PGS in the development of the blockchain trading platform for the metal repo financing business.

The United States Senate’s passage of a tax treaty protocol with Spain will unlock large investments in North American Stainless’ (NAS) facility in Ghent, Kentucky, the company said on Tuesday July 16.

A multi-year low in the cobalt metal price in China triggered the speculative buying witnessed over the week to July 12, which is likely to be followed by restocking activity in the spot market, Fastmarkets learned.

The price for antimony has softened due to stalled demand, with lower offers for cadmium failing to find resistance.

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China's planned sulfuric acid export ban from May 1, historic lows for copper concentrates treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) and a fragmenting 2026 benchmark system dominated CESCO Week 2026 in Santiago from April 13-17.
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