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

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday March 5 that are worth another look.

March 6, 2019
By Generic people page
Base metals Copper

The United States Commerce Department launched a Section 232 investigation into titanium sponge imports on Monday March 4 after domestic producer Titanium Metals Corp (Timet) filed a petition in September.

Ferro-chrome prices are likely to be supported in the near to medium term by concerns over South Africa’s power constraints, market sources believe. 

Fastmarkets will host a free web seminar on Monday March 18 at 10am London time, to introduce the new Fastmarkets-settled London Metal Exchange cash-settled alumina and aluminium premiums contracts.

The US spot copper premium, which has held at a four-year high since July 2018, could come under pressure from an anticipated influx of Chinese material, market participants told Fastmarkets AMM.

Domestic iron ore supply in China has limited capacity to ramp up after smaller and higher-cost miners exited the market over the past few years, a local miner said.

What to read next
Copper coils up close
How Gulf port disruptions impact global base metal exports
Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Port of Sohar in Oman are becoming tactical workarounds for base metal exports blocked by the Strait of Hormuz closure, with cargo transiting via land-bridge to other Gulf states, such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates – though capacity constraints and elevated logistics costs limit availability, sources with direct visibility of Gulf supply chains told Fastmarkets.
March 13, 2026
 · 
By Viral Shah
Aluminum ingots
Middle East conflict might create supply constraints, raise in aluminium premiums in Mexico
The Mexican aluminium market might be strongly affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with supply constraints and consequently higher premiums, market participants told Fastmarkets on Tuesday March 10.
March 12, 2026
 · 
By Leticia Simionato
Copper cathode
Lundin, BHP’s Vicuña project targets 395,000 tpy of copper concentrate from Argentina
Lundin Mining and BHP published a preliminary economic assessment on February 16 for their Vicuña joint venture, projecting average annual copper production of 395,000 tonnes over the first 25 years of operation as Argentina’s copper concentrate pipeline continues to build. PSJ Cobre Mendocino separately confirmed on February 14 that its feasibility study was under way.
March 10, 2026
 · 
By Julienne Raboca
Architecture, Building, Cityscape
Chinese lead smelters cautious on concentrates purchases amid silver price volatility
Chinese lead smelters turned more bearish on the procurement of raw materials in the week to Friday February 13, amid heightened price volatility in silver, which is often contained in lead ores as an important by-product and contributor to smelter profits, sources told Fastmarkets.
March 10, 2026
 · 
By Shiyue Zhao
A shipping tanker sailing through the Straight of Hormuz on a sunny day
Strait of Hormuz closure threatens 40,000 t/month copper cathode flows to Gulf as Jebel Ali blocked, Khor Fakkan and Fujairah near capacity
Roughly 40,000 tonnes per month of copper cathode that once flowed smoothly into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through Jebel Ali had few options to reroute after the Strait of Hormuz officially closed on Monday March 2, with the only alternative entry points — Khor Fakkan and Fujairah — already straining under the weight of diverted cargo, market sources told Fastmarkets.
March 5, 2026
 · 
By Julienne Raboca
Mining, Boat, Transportation
Forging uncertainty: How miners can turn market turbulence into strategic advantage
Navigating market volatility with data-driven strategies for resilient mining operations
March 3, 2026