Nonferrous

• Judge suspends Rogers funds' suit vs. Refco Dec 12, 2005

  The judge overseeing the bankruptcy proceedings of Refco Inc. has put the brakes on legal action against the New York-based brokerage by two commodities funds backed by Jim Rogers, a fund entrepreneur.

• Speculators turn up SHFE aluminum volume Dec 12, 2005

  Speculators have shifted part of their focus from copper to aluminum on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE), a move that has multiplied trading volume for the most active March aluminum contract fivefold within seven trading days, market participants said.

• Hellas Gold completes shipment of zinc concentrate from Stratoni Dec 12, 2005

  Hellas Gold SA has completed its first shipment of zinc concentrate from the company's Stratoni Mine in northern Greece, according to European Goldfields Ltd., which owns 65 percent of Hellas Gold.

• Big River fishing for buyer but gets no bites Dec 12, 2005

  Executives of Big River Zinc Corp. are working to keep their plant in Sauget, Ill., open, but so far their efforts haven't had much success.

• Goodbye aluminum smelting, hello fabrication and extrusion Dec 09, 2005

  Shanxi Yangquan Aluminium Co., a midsize Chinese smelter with ambitions to grow, made a strategic switch earlier this year that reflects a growing trend in China's aluminum industry.

• Why the wheels fell off at Amcast and what it means for aluminum Dec 09, 2005

  The struggles of the U.S. automotive industry have taken another scalp, leaving aluminum die casters under increasing pressure to figure out how to survive as their biggest customer shrinks its stateside business.

• Rail strike unnerves copper miners in Chile Dec 09, 2005

  Chilean copper miners are becoming increasingly nervous as a strike by workers at rail company Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia (FCAB) entered its third day Friday with both the union and railroad managers refusing to talk to each other.

• China readies new aluminum, copper rules Dec 09, 2005

  China will introduce new policies for aluminum and copper producers in 2006, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said Friday in a notice that provided a summary of the government's plans for the industries.

• Alcan completes chlorine facility Dec 09, 2005

  Alcan Inc. has completed construction of an $840,000 chlorine storage and distribution facility at its rolling mill in Ravenswood, W.Va., that the company said will improve efficiency in casting operations and reduce on-site chlorine storage by 90 percent.

• Inco extends deadline on Falconbridge offer Dec 09, 2005

  Inco Ltd. will extend its previously stated deadline to acquire Falconbridge Ltd. by more than a month to allow more time to receive regulatory clearances for the proposed takeover.

• Inco exec says big Goro nickel project will be 'cash machine' Dec 08, 2005

  Inco Ltd.'s Goro ferronickel project in New Caledonia "will be a cash machine," chairman and chief executive officer Scott Hand told investors Thursday at Bear Stearns' Commodities and Capital Goods Conference in New York.

• US copper premiums steady on good demand from users Dec 08, 2005

  U.S. copper premiums are firm thanks to surging freight rates and strong consumer demand for cathode, trade sources said.

• Outokumpu Copper name change coming Dec 08, 2005

  The fabricated copper products division of Outokumpu Oyj, which was sold to private equity firm Nordic Capital in April, will get a new name early next year, according to a source close to the company.

• Alcan inks agreement to extend electric service for Sebree plant Dec 07, 2005

  Alcan Inc. has signed a memorandum of understanding with Big Rivers Electric Corp. and Kenergy Corp., both based in Henderson, Ky., to restructure and extend its existing electricity contract for the Sebree primary aluminum smelter in Kentucky from 2007 through to 2023.

• Copper TCs settle near $95 a tonne traders Dec 07, 2005

  Benchmark copper treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) for 2006 have settled at about $95 a tonne/9.5 cents a pound, according to traders.

• Nymex rejects stockholder plea for more info on 10% stake sale Dec 07, 2005

  The New York Mercantile Exchange has declined a stockholder's request to inspect a broad array of documents and records related to the proposed minority investment by private equity firm General Atlantic LLC.

• Rail strike threatens Chile copper deliveries Dec 07, 2005

  A strike by workers at Chilean rail company Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia (FCAB) has cut shipments to 90 percent of normal levels, threatening copper deliveries from Chile's largest copper mines to the country's ports.

• Selenium to fall deeper into deficit Dec 07, 2005

  The price of selenium will remain firm going into next year as strong Chinese demand is expected to drive the market further into deficit, traders said.

• Mopani signs deal to take copper concentrate from Zambia project Dec 07, 2005

  Zambia's Mopani Copper Mines Plc, a majority-owned subsidiary of Swiss trading group Glencore International AG, has signed a letter of intent with Equinox Minerals Ltd. to take copper concentrate from the Australia-based company's 140,000-tonne-per-year open-pit Lumwana copper-gold mine in northwest Zambia.

• Cerro ups brass rod alloy, buyback Dec 06, 2005

  Cerro Metal Products Co., Bellefonte, Pa., plans to increase the metal value of brass rod alloy 360 by 10 cents to $1.81 a pound, effective Dec. 9. Cerro also will increase the published buyback price for customer turnings by 10 cents to $1.70 a pound.

• Olin, unions reach new labor deal Dec 06, 2005

  Olin Corp. has reached a three-year labor agreement with the five bargaining units that represent nearly 3,000 hourly paid workers at its East Alton, Ill., facility.

• Oversupply has China facing drop in '06 iron ore prices, agency says Dec 06, 2005

  Iron ore prices should fall in 2006 as growth in supply will outstrip increased demand by 12 million tonnes, China's Ministry of Commerce said.

• TMD raps Asarco over aborted zinc unit sale Dec 06, 2005

  TMD Acquisition Corp., Benson, Ariz., has filed a complaint in U.S. Bankruptcy Court seeking compensation from Asarco Inc. over a mine sale that went sour.

• Refco details unregulated assets, user records Dec 06, 2005

  New York-based futures brokerage Refco Inc. said it has complied with a bankruptcy court order to list schedules of certain assets and client accounts from its unregulated Refco Capital Markets Ltd. (RCM) subsidiary.