IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from April 24

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday April 24 that are worth another look.

OM Manganese will spend as much as Australian $7.3 million ($5.2 million) to establish a manganese ore joint venture in western Australia with copper-gold-manganese explorer Bryah Resources, Fastmarkets heard on Wednesday April 24.

Carmaker BMW has locked in supply of cobalt metal produced at the Murrin Murrin mine in western Australia and the CTT mine in Morocco for the production of electric vehicles, market sources confirmed to Fastmarkets.

Primary aluminium production in western Europe dropped by 36,000 tonnes, or 3.9% year on year, in the first quarter of 2019 while demand from the automotive sector has been weakening in all major EU markets.

The slowdown in the Brazilian economy is putting estimates for aluminium product consumption in the country at risk, president of sector association Abal Milton Rego told Fastmarkets on April 23.

Egypt, the largest producer of direct-reduced iron (DRI) in northern Africa, will increase its output further in 2019, Fastmarkets heard at the North Africa Iron & Steel Summit in Cairo on April 16-17. The country, the largest consumer of direct-reduced (DR) grade pellets in North Africa, could face a short-term pellet shortage as a result of Vale’s production cuts, Fastmarkets heard separately at the summit.

What to read next
The publication of Fastmarkets’ MB-CO-0021 Cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China assessment on Wednesday December 12 was delayed because of an approver error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated.
Fastmarkets’ iron ore DR-grade pellet premium indicator was published earlier than scheduled due to an error on Wednesday December 11.
The publication of Fastmarkets’ Japan export steel scrap assessments for Wednesday December 11 was delayed because of a reporter error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated.
The publication of Fastmarkets’ price assessments for MB-SN-0011 tin Grade A min 99.85% ingot premium, ddp Midwest US, $/tonne; MB-SN-0036 tin 99.85% ingot premium, in-whs Baltimore, $/tonne; and MB-ZN-0005 zinc SHG min 99.995% ingot premium, ddp Midwest US, US cents/lb for Tuesday December 10 was delayed due to an editor error.
Japan’s government has announced plans to make carbon trading, a system of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions quotas, mandatory for high-emission firms from the 2026 fiscal year, which could have far-reaching consequences for Asian steelmakers, sources told Fastmarkets in the week to Friday November 29.
There are five major challenges facing China’s green ferro-alloys premiums, multiple sources told Fastmarkets at the 40th International Ferro-alloys Conference held in Istanbul, Turkey, on November 10-12.