LME Week

Freeport-McMoRan is in the process of ramping up its new copper smelter in Gresik, Indonesia, in a move that has seen the company switch away from being a marketer of concentrates as it becomes a fully integrated producer in the country, the company’s chief executive officer Kathleen Quirk told Fastmarkets in an interview during the London Metal Exchange (LME) Week 2024.

Long-term demand trends in the copper sector may reduce cyclical price moves driven by short term factors impacting sentiment, Freeport-McMoRan’s chief executive officer Kathleen Quirk told Fastmarkets in an interview during the London Metal Exchange (LME) Week 2024.

Chilean copper producer Codelco has not yet concluded negotiations for its 2025 premium offer to European customers but remains optimistic that the recent stimulus in China will provide a further boost to demand, the company’s chairman told Fastmarkets.

The process to pick a partner for Codelco’s lithium properties in the Maricunga salt flat is highly competitive, with a result due at the start of 2025, the company’s chairman told Fastmarkets.

The copper concentrates market was suffering from a dislocation that would probably lead to smelting cuts, the chairman of Chilean state-owned producer Codelco has said.

Ferro-chrome markets in Europe have changed in 2024, and not just because the European quarterly benchmark finally ended in June: other changes have also taken place, in terms of pricing structure, sources of material and end-user demand, or lack thereof.