IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from September 26

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday September 26 that are worth another look.

Traded volumes and open interest have remained high for the CME’s aluminium premiums futures contracts even after spot market volatility eased this year, Sean Kessler, manager of metals products at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange said on Wednesday September 25.

China’s domestic stainless steel prices rose late last week on costlier nickel, and maintained those gains over the first three days of this week.

The global refined copper market was in a deficit of 220,000 tonnes in the first half of 2019, up from a deficit of 177,000 tonnes in the same period in 2018, the International Copper Study Group (ICSG) said this week.

Mining and metallurgical group OM Holdings has warned that third-quarter manganese ore production at its Bootu Creek mine in Australia’s Northern Territory will drop by 103,000 tonnes following a fatality in August.

Current seaborne market conditions have prompted Vale to cut its iron ore pellet production guidance for 2019 to 43 million tonnes from 45 million tonnes previously, the Brazilian mining company said on September 26.

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 […]