June 12, 2026 Following a four-day sell-off of over $400, triggered by unexpectedly strong U.S. labor market and inflation data, the price of gold made a sharp turnaround on Thursday. A robust job market and persistent inflation had previously significantly dampened hopes for imminent interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. As a result, the non-interest-bearing precious metal lost nearly 10% of its value, breaking below the technically critical 200-day moving average for the first time since October 2023. However, this massive selling pressure came to an abrupt end late Thursday with a price jump of $140. The trigger was a report from Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump had called off a planned military strike against Iran in favor of new diplomatic approaches. At first glance, the recovery in the gold price seems paradoxical in this context, as geopolitical détente typically dampens demand for safe-haven assets. The price rise is therefore primarily attributable to short-covering. Short sellers took advantage of the news to quickly close out their positions in light of the unpredictable geopolitical environment. Despite the strong rebound, the chart picture remains weak for now. For a sustainable trend reversal, the precious metal must reclaim the 200-day moving average—which now acts as a key resistance level—on a closing price basis. Only then will the market signal that buyers are regaining control. Until then, investors are navigating a complex landscape: On the one hand, restrictive U.S. monetary policy is capping upside potential; on the other hand, a failure of diplomatic talks in the Middle East could trigger new flight-to-safety moves into gold at any time. Source: https://goldinvest.de/en/goldpreis-vor-trendwende-200-tage-linie-wird-zum-schluessel

At 4:15 PM on June 8, 2026, a ladle explosion at the SMS-1 steelmaking shop of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) — operated by Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) — unleashed molten metal at over 1,500°C onto the working platform below Caster-2. According to a preliminary report by India's Chief Inspector of Factories, the cause was a sudden release of gas entrapped within the liquid steel, which ruptured the ladle seal before the sliding gate was opened, triggering a catastrophic spill.

Aurubis has commissioned a new exhaust-gas collection and treatment system at its Hamburg smelter. The company describes it as the most powerful exhaust system in the global copper industry. The investment supports lower emissions and strengthens Aurubis' environmental performance.

Glencore Canada has welcomed the Québec government's passage of Bill 11, which establishes a stable regulatory framework for the Horne Smelter through 2033. The legislation extends the timeline for compliance with stricter arsenic emission standards, providing greater certainty for ongoing operations and investment planning. As a result, Glencore plans to gradually resume approximately C$300 million in environmental improvement projects that had previously been placed on hold due to regulatory uncertainty. The company said these projects are expected to position the Horne Smelter among the world's leading copper smelters in terms of environmental performance. Horne remains Canada's only operating copper smelter and plays a strategic role in the country's critical minerals and refining supply chain.

In May 2026, the operating rate of secondary copper rod was 14.7%, higher than expectations of 12.17%, up 1.91 percentage points MoM and down 15.22 percentage points YoY. During May, China's secondary copper rod market as a whole remained caught in a combination of high copper prices, sharp fluctuations, and regulatory compliance pressure. The month was marked not by a one-sided shortage or surplus, but by a more intractable structural stalemate

Yangquan Yuanming Building Materials Co., Ltd. plans to build a bauxite processing project, which is currently in the public notice stage for the approval decision of environmental impact assessment documents. The total investment of the project is 1.8 million yuan, and after completion, it will process 50,000 mt of bauxite scrap annually.