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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from March 25

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday March 25 that are worth another look.

March 26, 2019
By Generic people page
Base metals Copper

A motion to undo United States President Donald Trump’s blanket tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium has been denied, the US Court of International Trade (CIT) said in a ruling dated Monday March 25.

A ramp-up in Chinese zinc production is expected to accelerate in the second quarter of this year. This will be driven by the completion of upgrades at smelting facilities across the country and a surge in treatment charges amid a relatively oversupplied raw materials market, sources told Fastmarkets.

Vale’s Brucutu iron ore mine in Brazil will not resume normal operations as early as intended, the Brazilian miner said on Monday March 25.

China’s copper scrap imports dropped by 63% month on month in February and were half the level recorded in February 2018, Chinese customs data released on March 25 showed. 

Fastmarkets AMM hosted its 12th Steel Tube & Pipe Conference in Houston on March 20-21. Our reporters have summarized six key takeaways from the event.

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Proposal to amend frequency of some US base metals premiums
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.
December 2, 2024
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Possible Trump tariffs on Canada, Mexico spur alarm in US aluminium market
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November 27, 2024
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How global copper, nickel markets will drive the outlook for cobalt in 2025
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?
November 26, 2024
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By Angeline Shi
Copper recycling must accelerate to meet green energy demand, IEA says
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.
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By Carman Chew
Proposal to reduce frequency, increase timing window of US low-carbon aluminium differentials
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.
November 21, 2024
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Final decision on open consultation on non-ferrous methodology
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.
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By Janie Davies