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Commodities News

Up-to-date news on raw materials


FT Mercati provides subscribers with a dedicated commodities news bulletin to stay up-to-date.
Here is a selection of the latest news:

12/16/2025

KOREA ZINC PLANS US SMELTER AFTER BUYING NYRSTAR’S CLARKSVILLE PLANT

Korea Zinc is working with the US Department of Defense and Department of Commerce to redevelop the US's only zinc smelter, at Clarksville in the southern state of Tennessee, and plans to expand the facility to handle 13 non-ferrous metals, including copper, zinc and lead, along with critical minerals, such as antimony, gallium and germanium.
Announcing a $7.4 billion investment in the project, Korea Zinc said that it has agreed to buy the Clarksville zinc smelter, which has been in operation for almost five decades, from Nyrstar (a unit of commodity trader Trafigura).
The redeveloped smelter will have an annual capacity of 540,000 tonnes, Korea Zinc said, with commercial production expected to commence in 2029.
Work is scheduled to start in 2026 and will help the US curb its reliance on critical mineral imports.
Separately, Nyrstar confirmed that it had reached an agreement to sell the smelter to Korea Zinc for an undisclosed sum.

12/16/2025

TOP 5 OPERATING COPPER MINES BY CAPACITY in april 2025

TOP 5 OPERATING COPPER MINES BY CAPACITY in april 2025 (in thousand metric tonnes):
1) ESCONDIDA (Chile) capacity 1350
2) GRASBERG (Indonesia) capacity 800
3) COLLAHUASI (Chile) capacity 600
4) KAMOA-KAKULA (Congo) capacity 600
5) MORENCI (US) capacity 570

12/16/2025

EU - SCRAP EXPORT RESTRICTIONS COULD UNDERMINE CIRCULAR TRADE - BIR

The Bureau of International Recycling warned that proposed EU restrictions on Aluminium scrap exports could disrupt global recycling flows. Industry associations argue that policymakers have not provided sufficient evidence of a real 'leakage' of scrap. Scrap trade is considered essential for both European recyclers and international circular supply chains. Restrictions could increase costs and reduce the competitiveness of downstream users.


12/16/2025

BASKET OPEC PRELIMINARY PRICE

OPECNA, the news agency of OPEC, announced the OPEC Basket preliminary price
15 december = $ 60.80 /b (down from previous daily value)
(The OPEC Reference Basket (ORB) introduced on 16 June 2005, is currently made up of the following: Algeria, Angola, Congo, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia , UAE and Venezuela.

12/16/2025

EU - CONCERNS FOR THE FUTURE OF EUROPEAN AUTOMOTIVE - FORD

Ford's CEO warned that frequent and inconsistent changes in EU policies on electric vehicles risk undermining the competitiveness of the European automotive industry. Uncertainty over regulations, incentives and emission targets makes long-term investment planning difficult. According to Ford, Europe is losing ground to other regions with more stable regulatory frameworks. The lack of predictability could slow down the transition to electric power and put jobs and production capacity at risk.


12/16/2025

EU - WITH CBAM, ALUMINIUM AND CEMENT IMPORTS WILL FACE HIGHER COSTS

A draft proposal of the European Commission envisages a tightening of CBAM benchmarks, lowering CO? intensity thresholds for unprocessed Aluminium and increasing import costs. More stringent emission benchmarks would lead to higher CBAM charges - for example, for some origins, costs could reach around ?168/tonne. The aim is to level the playing field between EU producers, subject to strict climate policies, and imports from countries with looser regulations. Discounts could be applied where importers already pay a domestic carbon price. Benchmarks should be finalised in early 2026.