IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from November 13

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday November 13 that are worth another look.

The London Metal Exchange is seeking to launch a new cash-settled main Japanese ports (MJP) aluminium premium contract settled against a Fastmarkets price, the exchange said on November 13.

Low demand for long steel products such as rebar was at the root of the problems facing the steel industry, according to the International Rebar Producers & Exporters Association (Irepas).

Shanghai copper cathode premiums continued to soften in the week ended Tuesday November 12 as a result of low buying interest and a poor import arbitrage, while rates in Europe and the United States were unchanged week on week.

Prices for seaborne low-grade and high-grade manganese ore were on divergent paths in the week ended Friday November 8, with the former continuing to trend downward on persistently weak market sentiment while the latter experienced a slight rebound following a number of large-volume deals.

A cutback in chrome ore production is needed to rebalance the surplus affecting the ferro-chrome supply chain, delegates claimed at this week’s ICDA Chromium 2019 conference in New Delhi, India.

What to read next
The European Union’s Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), published on Wednesday March 4, was a new step in the bloc’s efforts to decarbonize heavy industry and to support strategic supply chains in sectors such as steel, cement and aluminium.
Fastmarkets will increase the frequency of its two existing CIF China port copper scrap prices and add three new grades on Monday March 16.
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.
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.
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.
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.