IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from July 20

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday July 20 that are worth another look.

Steel products output in Ukraine reduced by 4.6% year on year in January-June 2020 to 9.03 million tonnes, according to a report published by national steel union Ukrmetallurgprom on Thursday July 16.

Brazilian copper and brass products manufacturer Termomecanica is set to take its internationalization plans further and to increase the focus on its recent investment in the aluminium business, while its chief executive officer of 22 years hands over to its former industrial operations director.

Mexico’s federal government will not cancel a $200 million debt owed to public authorities if Grupo Villacero goes ahead with the acquisition of domestic steelmaker Altos Hornos de México (Ahmsa), Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said in a press conference on Friday July 17.

Cobalt metal is trading at the time of publication in mid-July at prices around an 11-month low since breaking through a price floor just above $15 per lb that had been set in December 2019.

Low and high-grade manganese ore prices in the Chinese seaborne market continued to extend losses in the week to July 17, despite the fact that the lower-than-expected offer prices for August shipments provoked improved liquidity, Fastmarkets understands.

What to read next
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.
Navigating market volatility with data-driven strategies for resilient mining operations
The publication of several of Fastmarkets' copper concentrates indices was delayed on Friday February 27 because of a technical error. Fastmarkets' pricing database has been updated.
Discover how fear, deglobalization and AI are transforming the copper market. Insights from the Fast Forward podcast's interview with David Lilley of Drakewood Capital.
Fastmarkets has corrected its MB-BX-0016 Bauxite, cif China, price assessment, which was published incorrectly on Friday February 20.
Fastmarkets invited feedback from the industry on the pricing methodology for its non-ferrous materials and industrial minerals prices, via an open consultation process between January 6 and February 6. This consultation was done as part of our published annual methodology review process.