IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from March 23

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday March 23 that are worth another look.

ArcelorMittal is idling two blast furnaces, in Indiana and Canada, due to the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and its impact on end markets.

South Africa will enter a 21-day nationwide lockdown from midnight on Thursday March 26 and ordered the country’s metals and mining operations to be placed on care and maintenance.

The copper price is coming off its worst week in almost a decade, but analysts feel there could be more downside for the metal as novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) lockdowns globally wreck demand prospects.

Argentina’s lithium brine industry have announced that they will suspend their on-site project works until the end of March after the Argentinian government imposed a nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the country.

The spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outside China has brought with it logistical restrictions, a reconsideration of raw material requirements and concerns over possible disruptions to supply in the coming weeks

What to read next
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.
How much Canadian aluminium is being diverted from the US to Europe, when will it arrive and what impact will it have on premiums? The market appears to be split, but that could all change at the end of June, sources told Fastmarkets in the week to Thursday April 17.