IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from May 21

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday May 21 that are worth another look.

The United States’ removal of Section 232 tariffs on Mexican steel products is likely to underpin a slow recovery in Mexico’s ferrous scrap market, market participants said.

News that Hydro’s Alunorte alumina refinery will return to full capacity, after the production embargo was removed, did little to stop the recent increase in alumina prices

The Zambian government has filed an official document to the High Court to liquidate the assets of Konkola Copper Mines, which is majority owned by Vedanta Resources. 

Miner South32 is considering divesting its manganese alloy assets in Australia and South Africa due to “changes in market dynamics,” it said.

Steel trade unions in the United Kingdom have renewed their calls for the UK government and British Steel owner Greybull Capital to reach an agreement to save the troubled long steel producer.

What to read next
US export controls on recycled copper would have unintended consequences that could weaken the country’s domestic recycling and manufacturing ecosystems, the president of the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) said.
The publication of Fastmarkets’ assessments for nickel 4x4 cathode, nickel briquette and nickel uncut cathode premiums in-whs Rotterdam was delayed on Tuesday July 16 because of a reporter error.
Fastmarkets has corrected its alumina index inferred prices, which were published incorrectly on Tuesday July 15.
The United States' copper recycling industry is ramping up pressure on policymakers to impose some form of export controls on high-purity copper scrap, arguing that current trade dynamics – particularly with China – are distorting prices, weakening domestic capacity and undermining national security goals.
Fastmarkets launched two new price assessments for Indonesia’s domestic trade in nickel ore on Tuesday July 15. The two price assessments are for domestic trades of Indonesian laterite ores with 1.6% and 1.2% nickel content. Indonesia now accounts for 60% of the global nickel supplies and while there is an official government reference price, known […]
US copper scrap market participants are shifting from COMEX to LME pricing in response to extreme price volatility and a new 50% copper import tariff. The change is influencing discount formulas, export strategies and long-term trading dynamics across the sector.