The temporary suspension of the Ambatovy project may barely impact the near-term supply of nickel briquette supply in China. Nonetheless, it will increase China’s dependence on nickel briquette from other sources of imports such as Australia and South Africa, given current low inventories of such materials in China. 

Malaysia has launched an antidumping investigation into flat-rolled products of non-alloy steel plated or coated with aluminum and zinc originating in or imported from China, South Korea and Vietnam.

This is in response to the central government’s call to build "new infrastructure" projects to counter the economic fallout due to the coronavirus and boost the country's economy in the long term. New infrastructure, different from traditional infrastructure construction such as railways, roads, and airports, can be understood as new public facilities serving the needs of new industrialisation. 

Canadian miner Teck Resources and smelter Korea Zinc have reportedly agreed zinc concentrate treatment charges (TCs) for 2020 supply at $299.75/dmt, the highest since 2008. The deal, which has zero price participation, marks a substantial increase from $245/dmt for 2019. The two major players in the metals sector had been widely expected to set annual zinc concentrate TC for 2020 at $300/dmt.  

Alphamin Resources (TSXV:AFM) (JSE: APH) has upped the ante at its Mpama tin complex in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in Q1 of 2020 with a new mining method at Mpama North, plans to initiate exploration drilling at its adjacent Mpama South deposit, and a strong focus on increasing production and free cash generation.

SMM data showed that stocks across eight consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, decreased 3,000 mt from last Thursday March 26 to 1.664 million mt as of Monday March 30.

SMM expects China’s silicon metal exports to rebound in March as deliveries for short-term orders struck after the CNY holiday were mostly fulfilled in March.

The US dollar fell against a basket of currencies for a fourth straight day on Friday, posting its biggest weekly decline in four years, as trillions of dollars worth of stimulus efforts by governments and central banks during the coronavirus epidemic helped temper a rout in global markets.

Operating rates across Chinese lead-acid battery plants extended their increase this week as producers in Hubei, the epicentre of the COVID-19, accelerated their resumption of production lines. An SMM survey showed that operating rate across lead-acid battery producers in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hebei provinces averaged 65.24% in the week ended March 27, up 4.39 percentage points from last week. Chinese lead-acid battery plants in areas besides Hubei maintained stable operations this week. 

Nickel ore inventories across all Chinese ports decreased 400,000 wmt in the week ended March 27 to 10.26 million wmt, compared to a decline of 670,000 wmt in the previous week, showed SMM data.