Nonferrous

• Liberty extends loan agreements Dec 31, 2012

  Junior nickel miner Liberty Mines Inc. has extended the maturity date of two loan agreements with Ottawa, Ontario-based Jien International Investment Ltd. to March 14, 2014.

• Former RG workers start up logistics operation Dec 31, 2012

  MoveTran LLC, founded by former RG Steel LLC employees, is launching a transloading and logistical services operation in a high-end steel warehouse.

• Horsehead, Shell amend site deal Dec 28, 2012

  Horsehead Corp. and Shell Chemical LP have amended their option and purchase agreement to extend for six additional months the period of time Shell has to evaluate Horsehead’s Monaca, Pa., site, where it is considering building an ethane plant.

• Baja taps Kirkwood as new finance chief Dec 28, 2012

  Baja Mining Corp. has appointed Nigel Kirkwood, former mergers and acquisitions director for Citigroup Inc., as its chief financial officer.

• Secondary aluminum prices stay steady Dec 28, 2012

  Secondary aluminum prices held steady this past week as smelters reported limited scrap purchases and ingot sales.

• M&A activity to stay quiet in ’13: PwC Dec 28, 2012

  Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity slowed dramatically in the global metals and mining industry in 2012, and that trend is unlikely to change in 2013 as companies throughout the supply chain maintain a cautious outlook, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) executive.

• Copper Mountain production outlook lower Dec 28, 2012

  Copper Mountain Mining Corp. will produce an estimated 80 million pounds of copper in 2013, according to the company’s most recent production guidance.

• Aluminum plate sector said facing supply glut Dec 28, 2012

  Excess capacity is likely to act as a major restraint on the market for 6061 aluminum plate in 2013, according to a number of service centers active in the market.

• American Vanadium submits Gibellini mine plan Dec 28, 2012

  American Vanadium Corp. has submitted the plan of operations for its Gibellini vanadium project to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

• Copper brake restriction may be new normal Dec 28, 2012

  A Washington state law set to take effect Jan. 1 will restrict copper usage in automobile brake pads and likely affect copper and brake manufacturing across the country, industry leaders said.

• Novelis eyes closed loop for auto sheet scrap Dec 28, 2012

  Novelis Inc. is looking to set up closed-loop scrap supply chains with its North American automotive aluminum customers to meet an anticipated increase in automotive sheet demand in 2013.

• Manganese ore prices to rise in first qtr. Dec 28, 2012

  Global manganese ore prices will continue to rise in the first quarter on strong Chinese demand, tighter supply and low inventories, market participants predict.

• Trucking regulations worry ferroalloys market Dec 28, 2012

  New trucking regulations scheduled to come into effect in 2013 have some ferroalloys market participants concerned about logistics.

• Taseko, union reach deal at Gibraltar copper-moly mine Dec 27, 2012

  Taseko Mines Ltd. has reached a labor agreement with the Canadian Auto Workers union at its majority-owned Gibraltar copper-molybdenum mine in British Columbia.

• No deal yet as 14-port strike deadline looms Dec 27, 2012

  The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) are continuing labor contract negotiations with just days to avert a strike that would affect containerized cargo along the East and Gulf coasts.

• Lisa Jackson quitting EPA leadership Dec 27, 2012

  Lisa P. Jackson has announced plans to step down as administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency following President Obama’s State of the Union address in January.

• ITA plans to expand global presence: Paddock Dec 27, 2012

  With its first overseas conference in 15 years slated for 2013, the International Titanium Association (ITA) is looking to live up to its name and build its brand as a worldwide organization.

• China sets antimony, tin export quotas Dec 27, 2012

  China has approved an export quota of 40,672 tonnes of antimony and antimony products for the first half of next year, according to its Ministry of Commerce.

• Don’t expect many M&As in 2013, says GE Capital exec Dec 27, 2012

  The metals industry is ripe for consolidation, but 2013 will not likely be the "breakthrough" year for merger and acquisition activity, according to an executive in GE Capital’s corporate finance division.

• SEC delays decision on BlackRock copper ETF Dec 27, 2012

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has delayed its decision on whether to allow asset manager BlackRock Inc. to list and trade shares in a physical copper exchange-traded fund (ETF).

• New Year's holiday notice Dec 27, 2012

  AMM’s offices will be closed Jan. 1 for the New Year holiday, and no issue will be published on Jan. 2. The London Metal Exchange and the New York Mercantile Exchange also will be closed Jan. 1.

• Nichols logs $17.1M annual operating loss Dec 21, 2012

  Quanex Building Products Corp., parent of Nichols Aluminum LLC, said that this year’s protracted strike hit its fiscal 2012 results, with the Nichols segment recording a $17.1-million operating loss for the year.

• Rio Tinto Alcan union OKs four-year labor agreement Dec 21, 2012

  Union workers at a number of Rio Tinto Alcan facilities in Saguenay, Quebec, have ratified a new four-year labor contract, the company says.

• Ferromolybdenum prices down, molybdic oxide rises Dec 21, 2012

  Domestic ferromolybdenum prices have fallen as producers were said to be aggressively chasing a handful of consumers that came into the spot market this past week.