Canada has officially designated select minerals - including graphite, scandium, and rare earths - as national security priorities under the country's Defence Production Act, providing guaranteed buyers for some domestic producers and signalling a move closer to government-backed price floors.

Vedanta Resources’ Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) in Zambia is set for a major revival, after years of under-investment and political uncertainty. The move is being driven by a convergence of capital, government support and shifting geopolitics, according to a senior executive at CopperTech Metals.

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.

Despite the current headwinds, strategic partnerships and continued investment in the right areas, coupled with the underlying strong long-term demand fundamentals, will pave the way for success for lithium producers, according to the participants of the executive panel during the Fastmarkets Lithium Supply and Battery Raw Materials Conference, which took place from June 23-26 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The near-term prospects for Chinese copper smelting capacity amid near-zero treatment charges (TCs) will, to a certain extent, depend on plants’ exposure to spot TCs, the chief executive officer of Rio Tinto’s copper division said on Tuesday, April 16

As global smelting margins weaken, a quiet revival is taking shape in the United States as new copper smelting and refining projects gather momentum. Policy shifts, strategic incentives and the push for industrial resilience are driving investment that could close America’s long-standing processing gap and reshape its role in the global copper market.

Chile’s energy transition is reshaping its mining sector, renewable energy mix, and climate strategy, with lithium and copper production at the centre of global supply chains. Policy reforms, infrastructure expansion and green technologies are positioning the country as a leader in sustainable energy development.

Explore how changing rules on minor metals from China are impacting traders and driving new strategies in the market.

The global iron ore market is at a turning point as quality becomes a critical focus. While steelmakers race toward cleaner production methods that require higher-grade ore, the supply side tells a different story. Declining grades and rising impurities are forcing market participants to reassess traditional benchmarks and adopt new pricing methodologies that reflect the realities of today’s traded material.

A US Congressman has alleged that aluminium producers including Alcoa, Century Aluminum and Rio Tinto have engaged in anti-competitive price collusion by not offering duty-free aluminium to buyers in the country’s beverage industry