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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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, […]
Copper producers, including Atlas Mining, reported higher earnings in the first quarter of 2026 on the back of elevated copper prices, while concentrate output declined at several operations in Chile, Brazil, Colombia and the Philippines due to lower ore grades and disruptions, according to company results reviewed by Fastmarkets.
The amendment follows the decision made on May 14, after a consultation period for the proposed changes which took place between April 3 and May 11. The changes were first proposed in a pricing note published on April 3.  The purpose of the changes is to align the publication times to the activity in the […]
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