BHP reported lower FY27 copper guidance, sanctioned two Spence processing projects, disclosed a disruption at Carrapateena and highlighted progress on an Olympic Dam smelter expansion in its July 16 results package.

New York-headquartered global commodities company Hartree Partners will take the first 330,000 tonnes of copper concentrate from Blue Moon Metals’ Nussir project in Norway, Christian Kargl-Simard, the critical metals developer’s chief executive officer, told Fastmarkets on Monday July 6.

Half a million tonnes of copper is sitting in US warehouses, and the traders who put it there are starting to wonder whether they’ve built a hedge, or a trap.

JX Advanced Metals, Mitsui Kinzoku, Marubeni and Mitsubishi Materials(MMC) inked a deal to integrate MMC’s copper concentrate procurement and related products sales business into Pan Pacific Copper (PPC), marking a significant consolidation of Japan’s copper concentrate purchasing sector amid persistent pressure from weak treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs).

Copper producers, including Atlas Mining, reported higher earnings in the first quarter of 2026 on the back of elevated copper prices, while concentrate output declined at several operations in Chile, Brazil, Colombia and the Philippines due to lower ore grades and disruptions, according to company results reviewed by Fastmarkets.

On Wednesday May 6, a critical minerals panel at Commodities Trading Week in London said metals markets are shifting from an energy transition-led narrative toward security of supply, leaving Europe particularly exposed because of its reliance on imports.