Become a Fastmarkets metals and mining customer

Capital is flowing back into junior mining, but selectively. Investment is increasingly favouring development‑stage assets with clearer paths to production, supported by government funding and strategic partnerships. While demand for critical minerals underpins the cycle, early‑stage explorers continue to struggle for capital as investors prioritise discipline, ESG alignment and near‑term cash flow.

Fastmarkets’ April 2026 revision to its global crude steel production forecast underscores how policy actions, geopolitical disruptions and cost pressures are reshaping the near-term steel supply outlook.

The Philippines’ steel industry is entering an inflection point, with the market gradually evolving from import reliance toward a more balanced and supply-secure growth trajectory supported by domestic investment and capacity expansion.

In this episode of Fast Forward, Andrea Hotter speaks with Stella Li, executive vice president at BYD, one of the world’s fastest-growing electric vehicle and battery companies. From ultra-fast charging and vertical integration to global expansion and shifting consumer expectations, Stella explains how BYD is redefining what it means to be a carmaker.

China’s emergence over the past two decades has reshaped global trade. What began as rapid export-led expansion in the early 2000s has evolved into a far more strategic model: one centered on control of intermediate goods, deep integration into global supply chains, and the creation of structural dependencies across industries and regions, according to Mexico’s former ambassador to China, Jorge Guajardo.

Fastmarkets will launch fortnightly bismuth and indium prices on a DDP US basis beginning on Friday May 1, following a consultation period.

Few industrial transformations are as exposed to a single policy signal as green steel — where the EUA price can be the difference between a viable business case and a stranded asset.

North American automotive OEMs are navigating one of the toughest cost pressures today: raw material volatility. As supply chains become more localized through USMCA, the IRA, and reshoring, manufacturers continue to face rising material price risks.

European automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers are facing a period of unprecedented market uncertainty.

The publication of Fastmarkets’ MB-ALU-0002 Alumina index, fob Australia, $/tonne and inferred alumina prices for Thursday April 23 was delayed because of a procedural error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated.