IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from May 30

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday May 30 that are worth another look.

Antimony prices have dropped significantly in both Chinese and European markets so far this year due to weak demand and bearish sentiment caused by factors led by rising trade tensions between China and the United States, the world’s two largest economies.

Opportunities to lock in long-term sales of cobalt hydroxide – and diversify a customer base outside of China in the process – are too appealing to pass by in a market still feeling the effects of a ramp-up in intermediates supply.

Workers belonging to three trade unions at Codelco’s Chuquicamata division voted to go on strike when they rejected the latest contract proposal from the Chilean state-owned copper miner, the unions said on May 29.

The Mexican government has begun to unblock some of the frozen bank accounts owned by steelmaker Altos Hornos de México, the company said late on Wednesday May 29.

Surging iron ore prices have narrowed steelmaking margins in China, although the country’s long steel producers are unlikely to lower their prices anytime soon to stimulate sales, sources told Fastmarkets MB this week.

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The proposal would align the index more closely with physically traded volumes in the region, and enable it to adjust to evolving market conditions. This proposal follows an observed widening of the spread between trader and smelter purchase components of the index and is aligned with a majority of market feedback. Additionally, Fastmarkets seeks feedback […]
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Fastmarkets has corrected its copper concentrates treatment and refinement charge indices, which were published incorrectly on March 20 2026 due to a technical error.