IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from June 7

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday June 7 that are worth another look.

The outlook for continuing Chinese demand for copper scrap from the United States, especially No2 copper (birch/cliff), is cautiously optimistic among market participants.

In base metals, the ongoing trade war between the US and China is dampening investor interest in the primary copper industry, executives said at Fastmarkets’ 5th Annual Copper Seminar on Wednesday June 5 in New York. Additionally, disappointing US job growth figures hung over the commodity markets and sent the three-month lead price on the London Metal Exchange lower at the close of trading on June 7, with the metal failing to sustain gains made earlier in the week but staying above its nearby $1,800-per-tonne support level.

A customer of Konkola Copper Mines has been informed that it will not be receiving copper deliveries in June after the Zambian government’s recent liquidation order on the supplier.

Fastmarkets examines the disconnect between manganese ore and alloy prices, which has led to squeezed margins for alloy producers.

Cobalt prices have continued to slide amid weak buying activity.

What to read next
The Mexico Metals Outlook 2025 conference explored challenges and opportunities in the steel, aluminum and scrap markets, focusing on tariffs, nearshoring, capacity growth and global trends.
China has launched a coordinated crackdown on the illegal export of strategic minerals under export control, such as antimony, gallium, germanium, tungsten and rare earths, the country’s Ministry of Commerce announced on Friday May 9.
Fastmarkets proposes to amend the frequency of Taiwan base metals prices from biweekly to monthly, and the delivery timing for the tin 99.99% ingot premium from two weeks to four weeks.
The US-China trade truce announced on May 12 has brought cautious optimism to China’s non-ferrous metals markets, signaling a possible shift in global trade. Starting May 14, the removal of additional tariffs has impacted sectors like battery raw materials, minor metals and base metals such as zinc and nickel, with mixed reactions. While the improved sentiment has lifted futures prices and trade activity, the long-term effects remain unclear due to challenges like supply-demand pressures and export controls.
The publication of Fastmarkets’ assessments of Shanghai bonded aluminium, zinc and nickel stocks for April 30 were delayed because of a reporter error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated. The data effective for April 30 was published on May 7 as a result. The following assessments were affected:Shanghai aluminium bonded stocksShanghai zinc bonded stocksShanghai nickel […]
Global physical copper cathodes premiums were mixed in the week to Tuesday April 15, with US market moving down, Europe rising and Asia holding largely steady.