IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from March 18

Bulk alloy suppliers are reporting increased prompt demand from British consumers amid concerns about potential supply disruptions when the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.

A preliminary decision from a court in Brazil’s Itabira city, in the country’s southeastern Minas Gerais state, has ordered Vale to suspend activities at two of its tailings dams following a request from the Minas Gerais state prosecutors’ office, MPMG.

Growing fears of a bauxite supply disruption are putting alumina traders on alert for a potential price increase, sources have told Fastmarkets.

Treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) for spot copper concentrates dropped sharply in early March, with Chinese smelters entering the market in earnest for units while a lack of supply from the blockaded Las Bambas mine in Peru has also prompted spot buying.

Revenue garnered from the United States’ Section 232 tariffs – in place for almost a year – stood at $4.3 billion for steel and $1.4 billion for aluminium as of Thursday February 21, 2019, according to data from US Customs and Border Protection. But there are some ways that companies can better manage trade under Section 232, sources told Fastmarkets AMM.