IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from September 9

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday September 9 that are worth another look.

European authorities have approved an adjustment to the safeguard quota system, lowering the annual quota increase amount to 3%, as part of a review of the existing safeguard mechanism on September 4, market sources told Fastmarkets on Friday September 6.

Spot copper concentrates treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) edged up in the first week of September with Chinese smelters adhering to the pricing floor and traders bidding less aggressively due to a cautious fourth-quarter outlook.

Strong gains in nickel prices since the start of the month and the expectation that this strength will persist are likely to slow the pace of nickel-rich battery adoption in the electric vehicle (EV) market in the near term, market participants told Fastmarkets.

European aluminium scrap prices universally dipped on September 6 with the effects of China’s moratorium on non-ferrous scrap imports finally being felt amid a loosening scrap supply picture.

Manganese ore prices continued to soften over the past week, after a reduction in the September prices for silico-manganese further damped sentiment in the market.

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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.
On Thursday October 24, the US Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released the final rules regarding the Section 45X credits under the US Internal Revenues Code. The final rules clarify definitions and confirm credit amounts for eligible components, including solar and wind energy, inverters, qualifying battery components and applicable critical minerals. […]
Nickel premiums remained stable worldwide, with the London Metal Exchange's three-month nickel price hitting its lowest point since mid-September.
Imports of cobalt intermediates have continued to rise in China, with January-September volumes already exceeding that of the entire previous year. This excessive inflow has led to an enduring oversupply in the domestic cobalt market, sources have told Fastmarkets
Market participants disagreed over the cause of the long queues to withdraw aluminium from London Metal Exchange-registered warehouses at Port Klang in Malaysia, Fastmarkets heard on Thursday October 17
Copper concentrate treatment charges (TCs) are expected to remain low in 2025, with the market likely to remain tight, sources from across the industry told Fastmarkets.