IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from March 3

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday March 3 that are worth another look.

Chinese steel company Hebei Jingye Group will complete the acquisition of British Steel on Monday March 9, the UK steel trade union Community said on March 3.

Copper concentrate treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) rose at the end of February, having stalled in the previous week.

Brazil’s iron ore exports plunged year on year in February, while heavy rains in the southeastern region adversely affected production and transportation, higher average prices also partly offset the drop, the country’s ministry of economy said on Monday March 2.

A buildup of manganese ore at Chinese ports is set to escalate in the coming weeks when a jump in fresh imports adds to a spillover of material into minor ports, manganese market sources predict.

Germanium demand has surged thanks to its use in infrared thermometers for fever screening which have been installed at airports, railway stations, long-distance bus stations and ferry terminals across China as part of measures to control the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

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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.
Fastmarkets has corrected its copper concentrates treatment and refinement charge indices, which were published incorrectly on February 27 2026 due to a backend calculation error. Fastmarkets has also corrected the indices' rationale and all related inferred indices.