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

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

Chinese stainless steel prices dived over the past week amid a sustained downtrend for nickel futures on the London Metal Exchange.

Press Metal, the largest aluminium producer in Southeast Asia, has finalized a shareholder agreement with Bintan Alumina Indonesia (BAI) for 25% of the company, which will allow the former to “secure a long-term supply of alumina.”

Copper miner Freeport-McMoRan and Chinese smelter Jiangxi Copper have agreed 2020 full-year contractual treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) at $62 per tonne/6.20 cents per lb, Fastmarkets learned on Thursday November 21.

The Chinese cobalt sulfate price fell again in the latest pricing session, under constant pressure since mid-October from significantly shrinking buying appetite amid a bearish near-term outlook for electric vehicle development.

After a busy few days of meetings and annual contract negotiations, here are nine key takeaways from Fastmarkets’ International Ferro-alloys Conference in Budapest, Hungary.

What to read next
Market reactions to the soon-to-be-implemented US copper tariff are driving short-term volatility and supply imbalances while fuelling long-term efforts to expand domestic production, recycling and infrastructure.
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 […]