IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from March 16

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday March 16 that are worth another look.

A sharp decline in market sentiment, linked to the spread of the coronavirus (2019-nCoV), has halted activity and reduced prices in the Japanese construction steel sector, steelmaker Tokyo Steel said.

Rio Tinto has slowed work on the underground project at its Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine in Mongolia because of the coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak but it continues to operate and ship copper concentrates from the mine’s open pit.

The seaborne price of manganese ore in China fell to a two-months low in the week ended Friday March 13, after miners cut their offer prices in an attempt to offload material amid deteriorating sentiment.

Galaxy Resources expects to meet its production target of around 14,000-17,000 dry metric tonnes (dtm) of lithium concentrate for the first quarter of 2020 at its Western Australia spodumene project, Mt Cattlin, following the resumption of activities there in February.

The vanadium pentoxide price in Europe tumbled by more than 20% last week amid weakening demand and a falling alloys market, driven by growing fears of a global economic slowdown due to the novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) outbreak.

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The proposal would align the index more closely with physically traded volumes in the region, and enable it to adjust to evolving market conditions. This proposal follows an observed widening of the spread between trader and smelter purchase components of the index and is aligned with a majority of market feedback. Additionally, Fastmarkets seeks feedback […]
Until now, aluminium has been hard to move, not hard to find. Global aluminium supply had remained technically intact, even as output was curtailed in parts of the Gulf, inventory buffers were drawn down or repositioned, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was severely disrupted.
Global aluminium producers face heightened uncertainty over power supplies, with oil and gas prices elevated by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) flows, sources told Fastmarkets.
Fastmarkets is extending the consultation period for the methodology of several of its black mass payables indicators and prices, and is also proposing changes to the names of CIF South Korea and EWX Europe black mass prices.
Rio Tinto Aluminium is expanding its footprint beyond its historic hydro-powered Canadian base, targeting Europe, Asia and Latin America as part of a deliberate diversification strategy, according to the unit’s chief executive officer.
Fastmarkets has corrected its copper concentrates treatment and refinement charge indices, which were published incorrectly on March 20 2026 due to a technical error.