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.

What to read next
Market reactions to the soon-to-be-implemented US copper tariff are driving short-term volatility and supply imbalances while fuelling long-term efforts to expand domestic production, recycling and infrastructure.
US export controls on recycled copper would have unintended consequences that could weaken the country’s domestic recycling and manufacturing ecosystems, the president of the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) said.
The publication of Fastmarkets’ assessments for nickel 4x4 cathode, nickel briquette and nickel uncut cathode premiums in-whs Rotterdam was delayed on Tuesday July 16 because of a reporter error.
Fastmarkets has corrected its alumina index inferred prices, which were published incorrectly on Tuesday July 15.
The United States' copper recycling industry is ramping up pressure on policymakers to impose some form of export controls on high-purity copper scrap, arguing that current trade dynamics – particularly with China – are distorting prices, weakening domestic capacity and undermining national security goals.
Fastmarkets launched two new price assessments for Indonesia’s domestic trade in nickel ore on Tuesday July 15. The two price assessments are for domestic trades of Indonesian laterite ores with 1.6% and 1.2% nickel content. Indonesia now accounts for 60% of the global nickel supplies and while there is an official government reference price, known […]