IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from October 2

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday October 2 that are worth another look.

Estimated arbitrage opportunities between Southeast Asian warehouses and the US Midwest were little changed in September, on a steady US aluminium market.

The US copper cathode premium fell to its lowest level since July 2018 due to weakened demand and United States-China trade war concerns in the week to Tuesday October 1, while sufficient stocks kept European market activity – and the premium – subdued.

A judge in the United Kingdom has ruled that broker Marex Spectron must pay up to $32 million in losses to French bank Natixis stemming from a case of forged warehouse receipts more than two years ago.

Spot activity for both zinc and lead remained minimal in the week to October 1, while premiums across other global markets were left unchanged.

Taiwan will defer the imposition of anti-dumping and countervailing duties on five Chinese steel and stainless steel products, the island’s customs administration said last week.

What to read next
Aluminium market participants in the US anticipate stable business supported by continued tariffs and potential interest rate cuts, while industry sources in Europe and Latin America are watchful of potential new trade restrictions.
Chinese authorities officially announced that they will be expanding the range of permitted recycled copper and aluminium imports from mid-November, but market participants Fastmarkets spoke to at a conference this week are not convinced that this will mean more material will be imported into the country in the short run.
Li-Cycle announced on Thursday October 31 that it had entered an agreement with Glencore to sell 100% of the premium nickel-cobalt mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) production at its stalled hub in Rochester, New York – a step that could support Li-Cycle’s efforts to finalize a loan with the US Department of Energy (DOE).
Unprecedented supply tightness and record low treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) are likely to challenge copper smelters in 2025 – even more than in 2024, sources told Fastmarkets.
The publication of Fastmarkets’ MB-PB-0086 lead 99.99% ingot premium, cif India and MB-PB-0087 lead 99.97% ingot premium, cif India assessments for Tuesday November 5 were delayed due to a reporter error.
Quarterly figures released by global miner Glencore on Wednesday October 30 showed that zinc concentrate output was dropping in a tight market while overall nickel output was down despite an increase in briquettes.