Nonferrous

• New Alma labor pact could boost expansion plans Dec 28, 2006

  A labor agreement recently approved by workers at Alcan Inc.’s Alma smelter in Quebec could provide fresh impetus for a future expansion of the smelter.

• Tin strong, other metals rangebound in light trading Dec 28, 2006

  Tin prices continued to hover around modern highs amid supply concerns as most other metals showed little movement in light Christmas week trading on the London Metal Exchange.

• Asarco labor talks continue as contract expiration looms Dec 28, 2006

  Labor negotiations at U.S. copper producer Asarco LLC are set to go down to the wire as the current contract expiration date nears.

• LME stocks for North American A380.1 rise sharply Dec 28, 2006

  A London Metal Exchange warehouse inflow of $5.2 million worth of metal suitable for the North American Special Aluminum Alloy Contract (Nasaac) boosted LME holdings by 1.7 percent to a record 136,020 tonnes during the Christmas holiday.

• Colombia looking to improve mining access Dec 27, 2006

  Colombian authorities want to present a bill to Congress in March that would improve access to land for miners and discourage speculators, Beatrice Duque, director of mines at Colombia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy, said.

• Lack of fixed-price contracts could be painful for North American Consumers Dec 27, 2006

  New Chinese export taxes on indium and other metals will almost certainly increase costs for North American consumers, one U.S.-based indium trader said.

• Freeport awaits Papua’s decision regarding stake in Indonesian unit Dec 27, 2006

  Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., New Orleans, said it was still awaiting a decision by government authorities in Papua, Indonesia, to exercise an option to buy a 9.36-percent stake in its PT Freeport Indonesia unit.

• Peru zinc mine to start up in May Dec 27, 2006

  Peruvian miner Cia. Minera Milpo SAA expects to open its Cerro Lindo zinc mine by May 2007, João Bosco Silva, director-superintendent of Brazil’s Votorantim Metais, said Wednesday.

• LME tin price reaches all-time high on supply disruptions in Indonesia Dec 27, 2006

  Tin prices could go even higher after setting records Wednesday as disruptions to Indonesian exports persist with no immediate end in sight.

• Freeport talks with Japanese hit a roadblock Dec 27, 2006

  Negotiations for annual copper treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) between Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. and Japanese smelters have hit a brick wall because of the copper producer’s refusal to modify several side terms, according to trade sources.

• Workers ratify labor deal at Alcoa’s Cleveland Works Dec 27, 2006

  Alcoa Inc. said late Wednesday that Local 1050 of the United Auto Workers union has ratified a new four-year agreement covering approximately 830 employees at the Pittsburgh-based company’s Cleveland Works.

• Refco emerges from bankruptcy protection Dec 27, 2006

  New York-based commodities brokerage Refco Inc. has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and is expected to start paying creditors by the end of the year.

• Air quality near PD site gets passing grade Dec 27, 2006

  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has redesignated the Miami, Ariz., area, home to a large Phelps Dodge Corp. mining and smelting operation, as attaining the federal standard for sulfur-dioxide emissions.

• LME tin hits all-time high on supply worries Dec 27, 2006

  Tin prices could go even higher after setting records Wednesday as disruptions to Indonesian exports persist with no immediate end in sight.

• New zinc mine in Peru to start up in May Dec 27, 2006

  Peruvian miner Cia. Minera Milpo expects to open its Cerro Lindo zinc mine by May 2007, João Bosco Silva superintendent director of Brazil’s Votorantim Metais (VM), said Wednesday.

• Freeport hits roadblock with Japanese smelters Dec 27, 2006

  Negotiations for annual copper treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) between Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. and Japanese smelters have hit a brick wall because of the copper producer’s refusal to modify several side terms, according to trade sources.

• Freeport awaits Papua decision over stake in Indonesian unit Dec 27, 2006

  Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., New Orleans, said it was still awaiting a decision by government authorities in Papua, Indonesia, to exercise an option to buy a 9.36-percent stake in its PT Freeport Indonesia unit.

• Nymex to halt trading following death of Gerald Ford Dec 27, 2006

  The New York Mercantile Exchange said Wednesday it will halt trading for two minutes in memory of former U.S. president Gerald Ford, who died yesterday.

• Alcoa nets tentative agreement in Cleveland Dec 26, 2006

  Alcoa Inc., Pittsburgh, said Sunday that it had reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with 830 striking members of United Auto Workers Local 1050 at its Cleveland Works plant, potentially ending a seven-week strike.

• Comex copper rebounds in thin holiday mart Dec 26, 2006

  Copper on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rebounded Tuesday as a recent softening in prices sparked renewed buying interest.

• Freeport offer for Phelps Dodge receives US antitrust clearance Dec 26, 2006

  U.S. antitrust authorities have approved Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.’s takeover bid for fellow copper producer Phelps Dodge Corp.

• Novelis adds independent directors Dec 26, 2006

  Novelis Inc., Atlanta, has appointed Patrick J. Monahan and Sheldon Plener as new independent directors to its board, effective immediately.

• Alcoa to consider alternative sites for $1.5B Trinidad smelter project Dec 26, 2006

  Alcoa Inc. will consider alternative sites in Trinidad for its planned $1.5-billion, 341,000-tonne-per-year smelter project after Cap-de-Ville, the site initially proposed, was eliminated by the government of Trinidad and Tobago for environmental reasons.

• Wolverine faces NYSE delisting for market capitalization decline Dec 26, 2006

  Wolverine Tube Inc., Huntsville, Ala., said Tuesday it will move quickly to facilitate trading of its shares on the OTC Bulletin Board after being notified by the New York Stock Exchange that its stock would be delisted for failure to meet exchange rules,