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Administrators say that Australia's sole manganese smelter will close.
Administrators announced on Thursday that Australia's sole manganese smelter in Tasmania, the Liberty Bell Bay Smelter will close immediately after a failed sale. The former British billionaire Sanjeev Gupta owned the smelter. It was placed under voluntary administration by March, after it had ceased operations in mid-last. In a'statement, EY stated that "in the absence of a commercially viable?transaction and the required funding to continue operations, the Administrators made the difficult decision to begin the orderly closure?of the?business with immediate effect." GFG did NOT immediately respond to a comment request. The smelter had been experiencing a period in which it was having difficulty supplying ore due to problems caused by cyclones and setbacks experienced at its key supplier Groote Eylandt Mining Company, South32. Tim Ayres, Minister of Industry, said that despite the federal and state governments' support, including A$10m ($6.99m) in wages and a A$20m?startup package and a continuation of a 10 year concessional power contract?struck last year with GFG Group, a serious buyer could not be found.
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Nuclear fuel company Standard Nuclear raises 150 million dollars in US IPO
Standard Nuclear announced on Wednesday that it has raised $150m in its U.S. initial public offering, after cutting its offer size by more than half. Investors remained cautious over 'valuations. The Oak Ridge, Tennessee nuclear fuel company, which sold 10,000,000 shares at $15 per share, valued it at about $2.41 Billion. The shares will begin trading at the New York Stock Exchange under "STDN" on July 16. Originally, the company had planned to sell 18.25 million shares between $18 and $21 per share. The IPO market is gaining momentum despite the geopolitical uncertainties, as the resilient equity markets are encouraging companies to go ahead with their listing plans. Investors continue to examine valuations. Nuclear-sector 'companies listed recently' have struggled to hold onto their debut gains. X-Energy, Deep Fission and other reactor developers are trading below their IPO price. Companies in this sector will benefit from the U.S. Government's push to expand the nuclear power industry. The goal is to quadruple the country's capacity of nuclear power by 2050 to meet the rising demand for electricity from AI-driven data centres, electric vehicles, and cryptocurrency. Standard Nuclear is a producer of nuclear fuels for advanced 'nuclear reactors. This includes small modular reactors as well as microreactors. The company focuses on scaling up domestic capacity. After the offering, Thomas Hendrix's?Class B shares will give him 60.8% of voting power in the company. Standard Nuclear intends to use the IPO proceeds for working capital, corporate purposes, and possible acquisitions - or investments in complementary businesses, technologie, or assets. Underwriters of the offering include Goldman Sachs, Barclays, and UBS Investment Bank.
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Bonds cheer lower inflation, while Asian shares fall on chipmaker drag
Asian shares dropped on Thursday, as chipmakers stumbled before results from bellwether TSMC. Bonds benefited 'from another benign reading of U.S. inflation which?lessened risk of an impending rate hike. As hostilities escalated in the Middle East, oil prices continued to rise. Washington has continued to strike Iran following the re-imposition of a naval blocade on its ports. Meanwhile, Tehran has warned of an "existential conflict" with America. Brent crude futures increased 0.6% to $85.45 per barrel, adding to the 12% gain this week. The quarterly earnings of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), world's leading manufacturer of advanced AI chip, are the focus. The company's net profit is expected to increase by 59% for the period April-June, marking a fifth consecutive quarter of record earnings. Investors are not happy as ASML shares, the dominant global supplier of equipment used to manufacture high-tech computer chip, ended 0.4% lower despite it raising its sales forecasts for 2026 and pledging a capacity increase. Brian Heavey said, in a JPMorgan note, that he was "seeing aggressive pullbacks in Memory/Hardware". Don't believe there is a 'negative headline' that's driving the semis/hardware sale. "I think it just shows how high semis earnings are." The?selling spread to Asia. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific index outside Japan fell 1.7%, while South Korea's KOSPI dropped 6.3% due to SK Hynix's 11% drop and Samsung's 8% decline. Japan's Nikkei dropped 3%. Taiwanese stocks fell by 0.5% while China's Hang Seng Index rose 1.2%. The South Korean central bank increased interest rates to 2.75 percent on Thursday for the first increase in three-and-a half years. This was done to stabilize a falling won and to combat persistent inflationary pressure. The decision was mostly as expected. Wall Street gained overnight, as investors shifted from semiconductors to Magnificent Seven and banks following strong earnings by major lenders. However, Asia is more susceptible to the chip selling-off due to its greater exposure to "semiconductor" stocks. BONDS CHEER COOL INSFLATION The surprising softness of the U.S. consumer inflation data in June was added to the positive figures for the previous day. Markets now price out the likelihood of a rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve within the next month to only 10% from 43% at the beginning. The pullback in inflation will likely only be temporary as oil prices are expected to rise due to renewed Middle East hostilities. The Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump was leaning toward expanding U.S. operations in Iran and sending ground forces. Bond investors are however focused on the cooler inflation data. The yields on two-year Treasury bonds increased by 2 basis points, to 4.1493%. They had fallen 14 bps in the previous?two days. Ten-year yields remained at 4.5593% after falling 7 basis points over the last two days. The dollar fell against all currencies except the yen. The dollar index was steady at 100.48 after dropping 0.4% overnight, to the lowest level since June 18. The yen was hovering at 162.08, not far from its 40-year low 162.84, as speculators remain cautious of Japanese intervention. The pound reached a two-month high on the expectation that Andy Burnham will choose a fiscally conservative Finance Minister, if he is named Labour Party leader this Friday. The pound rose 0.1% to $1.3538 after a 1% surge overnight. Gold remained at $4,055 per ounce.
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El Nino could affect growth, warns Peru's central banking chief after weak May GDP
The chief of Peru's central banking Julio Velarde warned on Wednesday that El Nino would "likely" weigh on economic activity in the coming months, as it did in May when the country recorded its lowest growth rate for the year. According to data released by the national statistics agency INEI in May, Peru's GDP grew 1.8% from a year earlier. This is below the 3.2% predicted in a survey and slower than April's 3.73% growth. Velarde stated that "Perhaps, the figures we will see in 'the coming months won't be as?good because they are derived?from an existing natural phenomenon." He added that the overall economic climate remained favorable due to the "exceptional" price of the minerals exported by the country. The 73.1% drop in fishing output was the main factor behind 'the slowdown'. Warmer surface waters, linked to El Nino, pushed fish like anchovies deeper into the water. INEI reported that the manufacturing output fell by 10.7% as climate change affected the production cycle of textile?industry. Industry groups have warned that a strong El Nino can affect cotton production and lower the demand for winter clothing. It could also complicate logistics due to flooding and rains.
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BHP's quarterly iron ore price rises despite China's purchasing curbs
BHP Group reported record iron ore production and higher realised prices on Friday, despite the purchasing restrictions imposed by China Mineral Resources Group during tense contract talks earlier this summer. BHP's Western Australia iron ore operations produced 291.2 Mt of iron ore on a 100 percent basis, which is higher than the 290 Mt. In fiscal 2026, the average realized price for iron increased by 3% to $84.56 a wet ton. BHP didn't mention any price impacts from its annual negotiation with China's State Buyer, after reporting in April that?its biggest client had lifted its prohibition on certain products. China's state-owned buyer is flexing his muscles in annual price negotiations with big iron ore miner companies. It wants to take advantage of its size and pay less for the ore to lower costs for its steelmakers. The miner expects to produce between 284 and 296 Mt of ore in fiscal 2027 from its Western Australia operations. Visible Alpha's consensus for the quarter ending in 2026 was 75.1 Mt. The 77.5 Mt production of the same period last year was based on the Visible-Alpha consensus. BHP's Port Hedland Iron Ore Operations, which handles $80 million in iron ore per day, is set to strike later on Thursday. Negotiations are expected to resume next Tuesday. COPPER PERFORMANCE & OUTLOOK The quarterly production of Copper, which BHP views as a source of long-term value growth, reached 491,900 tonnes in the quarter ending June 30. This was largely in line?the Visible Alpha estimation of 492,700 tones and less than 516,200 tones reported last year. Major miners are focusing more on copper as the demand for it increases, driven by the rapid growth of power consumption by AI data centers and the transition to cleaner energies. The underground conveyor belt at Carrapateena was unable to function properly last quarter due to a 'unexpected failure'. This process of recovery and replacement is expected to affect mine production for eight weeks. The copper production is expected to fall by as much as 15% next year, due to a predicted grade decline at Escondida. BHP projected that unit costs for fiscal 2026 would be lower than its forecast range. This shows a strong cost management, and resilience to a challenging macroeconomic climate. Separately the miner announced approval of $900 million for the Ministers North Iron Ore?project, in Pilbara. First output is expected in fiscal year 2029. Early trade saw shares fall more than 1%, while the sub-index for mining fell by a little over 1%. BHP will release its annual results on 18 August.
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Sources say that China refineries are opting for less expensive crude oil in order to reduce their fuel oil consumption.
Industry sources say China's fuel demand will take a long time to recover after its imports hit a record low. Refiners reduced production and opted for cheaper crude as a result of the U.S. - Iran war. China's low demand for high-sulphur oil (HSFO), one of Asia’s largest importers, is expected to limit prices. This is despite the fact that the market has strengthened after Washington and Tehran intensified their attacks on the Middle East disrupting Gulf supply through the Strait of Hormuz. LSEG data show that the Asian refiners' margins for 380 centistoke HSFO rose to a discount of less than $2 a barge to Brent on March 13, which was the highest since more than a year. The?380cst HSFO crack for Dubai has risen to a premium of over $3.25 a barrel. A trading source at a Chinese refiner who refused to be identified due to commercial sensitivity said that "Regular crude oil currently trades at ICE levels between minus $5 and minus $8 a barrel." Fuel oil is no longer able to compete. In June, China's refinery run rates plummeted by a decade due to a weak domestic market and the export restrictions on refined oil products that followed the outbreak of conflict. The conflict has lowered the demand for fuel oil as an alternative to crude oil. Imports hit a record low in May According to LSEG data dating back to 2004, China's total imports of fuel oil in May fell to a monthly record low of approximately 559,000 metric tonnes (115,000 barrels). HSFO is a fuel that can be refined or used in marine fuel. According to Vortexa's ship-tracking data, June fuel oil imports totaled 700,000 to 800,00 tons. This is a slight increase from May, but still well below the typical import volume. In the first quarter 2026, China's fuel imports were about 2.29 millions tons per month compared to 1.8 million tons in 2025. Analysts and traders said that fuel oil imports may have recovered slightly in June and into July. However, they mainly used to refuel ships, not refineries. Chinese refineries import fuel oil primarily from Russia, as well as the Singapore and Malaysia trading hubs. According to Asian trading sources and refinery, the price of crude oil has also become more competitive. Traders said that spot offers for Russian straight-run oil fuel are currently muted due to low interest in buying. Russian fuel exports also fell as Ukraine intensified its attacks on Russian infrastructure. Chinese refiners are turning to discounted crude to take advantage of the additional?crude importquotas that were issued this year. Analysts said that while Beijing has eased the export restrictions for refined products, it is not clear whether this will lead to a rapid recovery in run rates or feedstock purchases.
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The fourth day of rising oil prices as a result of US strikes against Iran has raised fears about wider conflict
The price of oil rose on?Thursday for a forth consecutive day after a wave of U.S. strikes?on Iranian installations fueled fears of a full-scale conflict and supply?disruptions? in the Strait of Hormuz. After reimposing its naval blockade, the United States hit?Iran?s?coastal defenses and missile sites, on Wednesday. Iran, meanwhile, threatened to cut off regional energy exports by saying that it was in a "existential conflict" with America. Brent crude futures were up 33 cents or 0.4% to $85.28 a barge by 0026 GMT. U.S. West Texas intermediate futures were up 42 cents or 0.5% to $80.02 a barrel. Both benchmarks rose about 0.3% Wednesday, and hovered near the one-month highs?touched Tuesday. Hiroyuki Kikukawa is the chief strategist at Nissan Securities Investment. He said that "while mediation efforts are continuing by neighbouring nations and the consensus is that a full-scale conflict is unlikely," WTI could rise to between $85-$87, depending on the outcome of the conflict. The oil prices rose this week, as the Strait of Hormuz was a major supply hub for oil and natural gas before the war. Last week, hostilities between Iran and the U.S. re-emerged, threatening to undermine a fragile truce that had been reached in June following several months of fighting. Analysts claim that Iran may have signalled its intention to use Houthi allies to close the Bab el-Mandeb Red Sea gateway through?Yemen, opening a front against Washington. This would put two of 'the most vital energy arteries in the world at risk. Goldman Sachs stated that Brent could reach $110 if the Gulf exports continue to stagnate, but could drop into the $60s at year's end if tensions ease and production recovers more quickly than expected. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that crude inventories dropped by 1.7m barrels during the week ending July 10 compared to analysts' expectations of a 2.6m-barrel draw. (Reporting and editing by Shri Navaratnam.)
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BHP misses quarterly copper output estimates, flags lower Chilean production
BHP Group announced a larger-than-expected decrease in fourth-quarter copper production on Thursday. This was due to lower production in 'Escondida' and 'Pampa Norte. The Visible?Alpha estimate for the quarter ending June 30 was 492.7 Kt. The same period last years, 516.2 Ktreported. The unexpected failure of an underground conveyor belt in Carrapateena has impacted the production at Copper South Australia. It is expected that the recovery process will result in a mine 'production impact of up to 8 weeks. The copper production for fiscal year 2027 is forecast to range between 1,650 Kt to 1,800 Kt. This will be below the fiscal output of fiscal 2026, which was 1,952.8 Kt. BHP's Western Australia iron ore operations produced 74.8 Mt of iron ore on a quarterly basis, which is below Visible Alpha's consensus of 75.1 Mt and the 77.5 Mt that was produced during the same quarter a year ago. In fiscal 2026, the average realised price for iron increased?3%, to $84.56 wet metric tons. The miner announced that $900 million had been approved for the Ministers North Iron?Ore Project in Pilbara. First production is expected to begin in fiscal year 2029. Reporting by Sneha Kumar and Sherin Sun in Bengaluru, editing by Pooja Deai
Battery storage is the new focus for lithium producers as the demand shifts away from EVs
Leading producers said this week that the lithium industry has become more optimistic about a recovery in the market as booming battery storage systems help offset a slowdown on some 'electric vehicle markets. Electric vehicles were the main drivers of lithium demand in recent years. However, changes to regulations in the United States as well as elsewhere have led to a cooling in sales on some key markets. This slowdown coincided in tandem with an overproduction of lithium, which pushed prices down sharply.
The market is changing due to the growing demand for stationary batteries storage systems. This is largely driven by artificial intelligence, and the efforts made to improve power grids.
The period of overcorrection in the market is over, said?RajuDaswani, CEO at consultancy Fastmarkets. Energy storage is now the primary growth driver in this market.
He said that Fastmarkets estimated the lithium demand for battery?systems was growing by 40% each year.
Daswani said at the Fastmarkets Global Lithium, Battery and Critical Materials Conference, held in Las Vegas.
The organizers reported that attendance at the conference -- which is considered to be the "world's largest gathering of lithium executives, investors and consumers" -- increased by 10% this year, reaching approximately 1,100 attendees. The mood was markedly different from the 'dark one that pervaded 2025's conference. Since then, lithium prices have tripled. Jerome Pecresse is the head of Rio Tinto’s aluminum and Lithium business unit. The company aims to increase lithium production capacity to 2028. Albemarle is the world's biggest lithium producer. It noted that battery storage has been growing steadily, as opposed to the fluctuating demand for EVs.
Eric Norris - the chief commercial officer of the company - said on the sidelines of the conference that "grid storage is much more evenly distributed throughout the world." It's a very interesting demand driver. As a sign of increased market demand, ioneer announced?on Monday that it had signed a Letter of Intent with Hyundai Engineering and a South?Korean Government arm to support its 'Nevada Lithium Project.
GOVERNMENT PRICING SUPPORT IS STILL NEEDED Despite an improving market, executives have urged governments do more to support lithium processing - a segment dominated largely by low cost Chinese?companies. Last week, G7 leaders, for example, agreed to improve coordination efforts in order to boost Western lithium and nickel markets. What are governments willing pay for supply security? "There's a tax that needs to be paid, but it hasn’t been paid," said Dale Henderson, CEO of PLS - Australia's biggest independent lithium producer.
Audrey Robertson, U.S. Assistant Energy Secretary, encouraged the industry to focus on technology innovations that could change the way the markets for lithium, and other critical minerals, function.
Robertson said on the sidelines of the conference that the way lithium is processed today will not be the same in five years. (Reporting and editing by Ernest Scheyder)
(source: Reuters)