IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from May 14

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday May 14 that are worth another look.

ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine’s major long steel producer, has decommissioned the first section of its blooming plant as a part of a strategy for sustainable development, the company said on May 14.

The European Commission’s (EC) prior surveillance of imports of certain aluminium products originating in certain third countries will expire on Friday May 15.

Daye Nonferrous has maintained its mission to construct a brand new copper smelting facility despite the uncertain outlook for commodity demand and price volatility, Fastmarkets understands.

Spot payables for cobalt intermediates moved higher in the first half of this week after buyers in Asia reviewed their nearby stock levels in the context of a slower-than-expected restart in shipping from South Africa, and border closures between Tanzania and Zambia.

Vanadium producer Largo Resources has postponed construction of its ferro-vanadium conversion plant at its Maracas Menchen mine in Brazil due to Covid-19 preventative measures, the company said in its first-quarter earnings release on Tuesday May 12.

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The proposal follows Fastmarkets’ observations that the commodity sees inactive spot liquidity and low volatility in prices. The proposed new specifications for the prices are as follows, with the amendments in italics: MB-NI-0246 Nickel sulfate, cif Japan and Korea, $/tonneQuality: Accepted by buyer for use in battery applications with chemical composition: Ni content, base 22.3% […]
Based on preliminary market feedback, market participants noted that smaller-sized spot market transactions may be skewed and not reflective of the wider market. The aluminium P1020A(MJP), cif Japan, assessment specification which has a minimum tonnage of 100 tonnes will be amended to 500 tonnes after the proposed change. The proposed new specifications are as follows, […]
Fastmarkets consulted the market on the proposed change between April 3 and May 11, 2026. Some feedback was received regarding the publication times of nickel pig iron and laterite ore prices. Fastmarkets will adjust the initially proposed publication times accordingly and proceed with the changes. This decision was first proposed in a methodology note published […]
The price assessments were not affected by the incorrect publication and the correct prices are showing on Dashboard. The price was published at 12.33pm London time instead of the scheduled time of 3-4pm. The following prices were published early:MB-CU-0405 Copper grade A cathode premium, in-whs Shanghai, $ per tonneMB-CU-0383 Copper grade A cathode ER premium, bonded in-whs […]
On Wednesday May 6, a critical minerals panel at Commodities Trading Week in London said metals markets are shifting from an energy transition-led narrative toward security of supply, leaving Europe particularly exposed because of its reliance on imports.
The Canadian government announced on Tuesday May 4 a new financing program worth C$1.5 billion ($1.1 billion) to help mitigate the effect of US metals tariffs and support several of Canada’s tariffed industries.