Nonferrous

• Low-carbon ferrochrome prices fall Mar 29, 2013

  Low-carbon ferrochrome prices have weakened slightly on light spot demand, aggressive selling by some traders, and the impact of DLA sales.

• Aluminum premiums steady amid tight supply Mar 29, 2013

  Midwest aluminum spot premiums remain steady at between 11.5 and 12 cents per pound as warehousing games continue to keep supply tight.

• LME may list warehouses in Panama City Mar 29, 2013

  Panama City, Florida, could be the next location for the delivery of London Metal Exchange copper.

• AAM touts manufacturing rebound, sets goals Mar 28, 2013

  The U.S. manufacturing sector has undergone a "remarkable transformation" in recent years, the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) said in its five-year progress report.

• Ivernia to restart Paroo Station lead mine Mar 28, 2013

  Ivernia Inc. is restarting processing operations at its Paroo Station lead mine near Wiluna, Western Australia, with plans to ramp up to full production by the end of this year.

• Spot nickel premiums recede to 10-year low Mar 28, 2013

  Melting-grade nickel spot premiums have fallen to their lowest level in more than a decade as an influx of nickel into LME-approved warehouses in Chicago has exacerbated concerns over lackluster demand and domestic oversupply.

• Vale, USW sign labor deal for Sudbury white-collar workers Mar 28, 2013

  Vale SA has struck a deal with United Steelworkers union Local 2020-05 on a four-year labor agreement covering 276 office, technical and professional employees at the company’s Sudbury, Ontario, operations.

• Zinc alloy premiums fall on declining LME prices Mar 28, 2013

  Declining London Metal Exchange zinc prices have pushed U.S. zinc alloy premiums down, although special-high-grade premiums remain firm.

• China’s ferroalloys output to inch up in 2013: Liu Mar 28, 2013

  China’s ferroalloys production will continue growing in 2013 and prices may see a rally in the coming months, according to the chairman of the China Ferroalloys Industry Association.

• Orbite ships first high-purity alumina samples globally Mar 28, 2013

  Orbite Aluminae Inc. started shipping commercial samples of high-purity alumina (HPA) this week from its new plant in Cap-Chat, Quebec, to customers in North America, Asia and Europe, the Montreal-based company said.

• Antofagasta to resume work on Antucoya copper project Mar 28, 2013

  Antofagasta Plc will resume the development of its Antucoya copper project in northern Chile, it said late March 27.

• Chile port strike spreads; Codelco copper shipments hit Mar 28, 2013

  Chilean copper producer Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile (Codelco) is looking for alternative ways to export copper as more ports in the country join the stevedores’ strike, which started at Angamos.

• Constellium cuts ribbon at low-density aluminum alloys casthouse Mar 28, 2013

  Constellium has officially opened its €52-million ($66.4-million) low-density alloys casthouse in Issoire, France. The downstream aluminum producer said the new facility will produce the company’s Airware-brand alloys on an industrial scale.

• Ormet bidding procedures approved Mar 27, 2013

  Bidding procedures for bankrupt Ormet Corp. have been approved, according to documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.

• Cliffs increases Decar stake, mulling more Mar 27, 2013

  A subsidiary of Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. has increased its stake in the proposed Decar nickel-iron alloy project in British Columbia to 60 percent from 51 percent previously following the receipt of a preliminary economic assessment (PEA).

• Aluminum captures some copper market share: General Cable executive Mar 27, 2013

  A major consumer of both copper and aluminum says a battle for dominance presses on between the two markets for certain applications, particularly as pricing differentials make the economics of substitution increasingly attractive.

• General Cable optimistic about 2013 Mar 27, 2013

  General Cable views its prospects as bright following a year in which it made five major acquisitions.

• Asarco seeking lead pollution investigation Mar 27, 2013

  Copper producer Asarco LLC has asked regulators in Washington, Nebraska and Kansas to examine whether Union Pacific Railroad Co. contributed to hazardous lead pollution along its rail lines.

• Heikkila named chairman of NA Tungsten Mar 27, 2013

  Kurt Heikkila has been named chairman of North American Tungsten Corp. Ltd. at an annual and special meeting og shareholders.

• Manufacturers reiterate LNG warning after Cheniere deal Mar 27, 2013

  A nonprofit group that includes major U.S. steel and metal producers has reiterated its warning that further exports of natural gas should be monitored carefully in light of a deal between Houston-based Cheniere Energy Partners LP and British firm Centrica Plc.

• February metal orders, shipments dip Mar 27, 2013

  Shipments and new orders of primary and fabricated metals fell in February, which had two fewer days of operation than January, while inventories inched slightly higher.

• Aperam steps up to settle ferrochrome benchmark Mar 27, 2013

  Ferrochrome suppliers and stainless steel producer Aperam SA have set the second-quarter European benchmark price in the first round of talks since usual negotiator Inoxum Group was acquired by Finnish producer Outokumpu Oyj.

• Royal Nickel targets late ’15 start for Dumont Mar 27, 2013

  Royal Nickel Corp., which fell further into red ink last year, is targeting a start-up of its Dumont nickel project in Quebec in "late 2015."

• Vale New Caledonia ramps up cobalt, nickel output Mar 27, 2013

  Vale New Caledonia (VNC) continues to ramp up production of nickel oxide and cobalt carbonate, which it intends to sell to the Asian market.