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

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday March 20 that are worth another look.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, the world’s top producer of cobalt and a key copper producer, has re-enacted an export ban on copper and cobalt concentrates, official documents obtained by Fastmarkets show.

China’s strict restrictions on scrap metal imports from the United States have posed significant challenges, according to an executive at Metal Exchange Corp, which recently announced it was targeting other markets in Asia for growth.

The US ferrous scrap export market has continued to show resilience, with some docks raising buying prices along the East and West Coasts while container prices held steady.

Operations at Mopani Copper Mines’ Nkana mine South Ore Body Shaft in Zambia were suspended on Tuesday March 19 following an explosive incident.

Chinese silicon market participants have downplayed the effect of a planned 10% reduction in electricity prices on silicon pricing despite electricity accounting for around 40% of silicon production costs in the country.

What to read next
Fastmarkets proposes to amend the frequency of the publication of several US base metal price assessments to a monthly basis, including MB-PB-0006 lead 99.97% ingot premium, ddp Midwest US; MB-SN-0036 tin 99.85% premium, in-whs Baltimore; MB-SN-0011 tin 99.85% premium, ddp Midwest US; MB-NI-0240 nickel 4x4 cathode premium, delivered Midwest US and MB-NI-0241 nickel briquette premium, delivered Midwest US.
The news that President-elect Donald Trump is considering additional tariffs on goods from China as well as on all products from US trading partners Canada and Mexico has spurred alarm in the US aluminium market at a time that is usually known to be calm.
Unlike most other commodities, cobalt is primarily a by-product – with 60% derived from copper and 38% from nickel – so how will changes in those markets change the picture for cobalt in the coming months following a year of price weakness and oversupply in 2024?
Copper recycling will become increasingly critical as the world transitions to cleaner energy systems, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a special report published early this week.
Fastmarkets proposes to lower the frequency of its assessments for MB-AL-0389 aluminium low-carbon differential P1020A, US Midwest and MB-AL-0390 aluminium low-carbon differential value-added product US Midwest. Fastmarkets also proposes to extend the timing window of these same assessments to include any transaction data concluded within up to 18 months.
Fastmarkets invited feedback from the industry on its non-ferrous and industrial minerals methodologies, via an open consultation process between October 8 and November 6, 2024. This consultation was done as part of our published annual methodology review process.