Nonferrous

• China refined copper exports rise for 3d month Dec 21, 2012

  China’s refined copper exports climbed for a third consecutive month in November as smelters there were said to have increased sales of toll-rolled product after a tax cancellation and improved export arbitrage.

• Antimony smuggling lands 3 arrests: report Dec 21, 2012

  Three people have been arrested in China for allegedly smuggling antimony, according to a Dec. 21 report in Guangzhou Daily.

• High-carbon ferrochrome prices firm Dec 21, 2012

  High-carbon ferrochrome prices have risen for the second week in a row as producers push to lift prices off historically low levels.

• Schapiro's SEC retirement may affect ETF vote Dec 21, 2012

  The resignation of Mary Schapiro as chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission this past week could have interesting consequences for the regulator’s decision on the proposed BlackRock Inc. physical copper exchange-traded fund (ETF).

• Rio Tinto Alcan must drop licensing link Dec 21, 2012

  Rio Tinto Alcan has been ordered to stop insisting that companies licensing its Aluminium Pechiney smelting technology must also buy pot-tending assembly handling equipment from subsidiary Electrification Charpente Levage.

• Christmas, New Year's holiday notice Dec 20, 2012

  AMM’s offices will be closed Dec. 24, 25 and 26 and Jan. 1 for the Christmas and New Year holidays, and no issues will be published on Dec. 25, 26 and 27 and Jan. 2.

• Lead-acid battery share in grid storage mart to shrink Dec 20, 2012

  Lead-acid batteries will account for just 30 percent of the grid storage market by 2018, with the commercialization of new technologies, such as sodium-sulfur batteries, set to make further inroads, according to a new study.

• Sen. Levin slams SEC’s copper ETF approval Dec 20, 2012

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s approval of JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s physical copper exchange-traded fund (ETF) is "misguided" and will cause higher copper prices and volatility, according to one elected official.

• Aluminum extruders eye 2013 uptick Dec 20, 2012

  Aluminum extrusion demand is expected to grow in the range of 6 to 10 percent in 2013, market participants and analysts said, although they cautioned that some end-markets—notably truck trailer—could experience a slowdown in growth.

• Newedge names new heads of global, US metals Dec 20, 2012

  Newedge Group SA has named Peter Barrowcliff as global head of metals and Brian Flaherty as U.S. head of metals, the company said Wednesday.

• Challenges mar copper projects in ’12 Dec 19, 2012

  It has been a year of project delays and deferrals for the copper market, underlining the continued challenges in bringing supply up to speed with demand.

• Curtailed supply seen bolstering silicon tags Dec 19, 2012

  U.S. silicon market participants expect an uptick in prices early next year as more supply is taken out of the domestic market.

• SCM increases conversion price Dec 19, 2012

  Service Center Metals LLC (SCM) has announced a conversion price increase of 4 cents per pound on all products.

• Eti Krom anticipates higher chrome ore prices in 1st qtr. Dec 19, 2012

  Eti Krom AS expects higher chrome ore prices in the first quarter of 2013, the Turkish producer said as it announced prices for January through March.

• European ferrochrome benchmark rises Dec 19, 2012

  The first-quarter European benchmark price for charge and high-carbon ferrochrome has risen 2.5 cents to $1.125 per pound.

• DLA offers high-, low-carbon FeCr Dec 19, 2012

  DLA Strategic Materials on Tuesday offered 1,000 tons of high-carbon ferrochrome, along with 420 tons each of 0.15- and 0.11-percent low-carbon ferrochrome, according to its website.

• JCI cites ‘national security’ in sale appeal Dec 18, 2012

  Johnson Controls Inc. has filed an appeal against the sale order of A123 Systems Inc. to Wanxiang America Corp. while reiterating its concerns about "national security questions" arising from such a sale.

• Warehouse system still broken: Luvata’s Kickham Dec 18, 2012

  The London Metal Exchange’s warehousing system is still broken, despite efforts to fix delays in accessing metal, according to major copper consumer Luvata UK Ltd.

• DLA offers 724,019 lbs. tungsten Dec 18, 2012

  DLA Strategic Materials offered a total of 724,019 pounds (bulk) of tungsten ores and concentrates of varying qualities from its Hammond, Ind., Scotia, N.Y., and Warren, Ohio, depots Tuesday, it said on its website.

• Orbite starts to commission high-purity alumina facility Dec 18, 2012

  Orbite Aluminae Inc. is close to completing construction of its high-purity alumina plant in Quebec and has initiated commissioning on many sections of the facility, the Montreal-based alumina start-up said Tuesday.

• China removes taxes targeted by WTO case Dec 18, 2012

  China has apparently decided to heed a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling by removing a range of raw material export taxes that were the target of a successful complaint.

• Most metals see PPI fall in Nov. vs. Oct. Dec 18, 2012

  Most metals products saw their producer price indices (PPI) move lower in November compared with October and a year earlier, although iron and steel scrap bucked the monthly trend, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Norsk Hydro names Kallevik finance chief; Rostrup exits Dec 18, 2012

  Norsk Hydro ASA has named Eivind Kallevik as executive vice president and chief financial officer effective Feb. 15.

• Quanex to acquire window, door manufacturer Alumco Dec 18, 2012

  Quanex Building Products Corp. will acquire the assets of window and patio door screen manufacturer Alumco Inc.