IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from November 27

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday November 27 that are worth another look.

Brazilian steelmaker Gerdau has agreed to buy 96.4% of Siderúrgica Latino-Americana (Silat) shares from Spanish group Hierros Añón for $110.8 million, in a shift from its divestment strategy of the past four years.

Shifting London Metal Exchange zinc and lead prices have dictated premiums this past week, overriding fundamental shortages from key suppliers.

Miner-trader Glencore suspended operations at its Mutanda copper-cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) early this week – a month earlier than previously expected.

The London Metal Exchange’s cash-settled alumina futures contract, which is settled against a basket of prices that includes Fastmarkets’ index, has seen a flurry of activity on the January 2020 prompt date.

Nickel premiums have fallen in the United States over the past week on a year-end push for sales while rates in China are mixed and those in Europe are flat.

What to read next
Roughly 40,000 tonnes per month of copper cathode that once flowed smoothly into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through Jebel Ali had few options to reroute after the Strait of Hormuz officially closed on Monday March 2, with the only alternative entry points — Khor Fakkan and Fujairah — already straining under the weight of diverted cargo, market sources told Fastmarkets.
Navigating market volatility with data-driven strategies for resilient mining operations
The publication of several of Fastmarkets' copper concentrates indices was delayed on Friday February 27 because of a technical error. Fastmarkets' pricing database has been updated.
Discover how fear, deglobalization and AI are transforming the copper market. Insights from the Fast Forward podcast's interview with David Lilley of Drakewood Capital.
Fastmarkets has corrected its MB-BX-0016 Bauxite, cif China, price assessment, which was published incorrectly on Friday February 20.
Fastmarkets invited feedback from the industry on the pricing methodology for its non-ferrous materials and industrial minerals prices, via an open consultation process between January 6 and February 6. This consultation was done as part of our published annual methodology review process.