Base metals
Overview
From vehicle lightweighting to increased demand for copper to wire our connected world, base metals are used widely in manufacturing industrial and consumer products, and demand is only going to increase. Base metals are the most connected to the futures market already so what does even more demand mean for commodity investments?
Argus provides base metals premiums in the most active trading regions around the world, in addition to data from the world’s metals exchanges on a real-time (additional fees apply) or 30-minute delay basis.
Base metals coverage
Argus delivers price data on over 300 base metals through the LME, CME and COMEX, as well as proprietary assessments. Our market news and analysis spans copper, aluminium, nickel, lead, tin, zinc and other base metals crucial to commercial and industrial enterprises.
Track premiums in the most active trade regions and use our daily analysis to better understand the link between the physical and paper markets to better navigate futures, options and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Investors that do take positions on the financial markets can use Argus tools to highlight arbitrage opportunities and receive alerts when prices reach upper and lower threshold limits on their contracts of interest.
Highlights of Argus global base metals coverage
- Value-added exchange data tools offer a deeper level of insight to the standard exchange feed windows (calculated derived cash, global view of all exchanges on a single screen, threshold alerts).
- Full suite of non-ferrous scrap prices can be analysed to detect correlations or leading indicators for base metals prices.
- Currency and unit of measure conversions allow easy comparison of exchange data in different regions of the world to identify arbitrage opportunities.
- Base metals workspaces facilitate an holistic view of each individual market’s performance.
Latest base metals news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global base metals industry.
Syrah restarts graphite production at Mozambique mine
Syrah restarts graphite production at Mozambique mine
Sydney, 19 June (Argus) — Australian minerals producer Syrah Resources has resumed graphite production at its 350,000 t/yr Balama mine in Mozambique and will restart large-volume shipments in September-December, following months of disruptions owing to protests. Syrah declared a force majeure on sales from Balama in December because of protests at the site, and this remains active, the company said today. But it has restarted production and intends to ramp up output at the mine to restock inventories for shipments in September-December, Syrah said. Its graphite exports in September-December will be shipped to customers outside China. The company is aiming to have a greater presence in ex-China markets and to increase sales from Balama this year, Syrah chairman Jim Askew told investors on 23 May. Syrah sold around 1,300t of natural graphite in January-March, using existing inventories. But the company failed to meet some sales obligations over the quarter. Non-violent protesters blocked access to Balama in September, citing farming resettlement grievances. The demonstrations worsened in October, after Mozambique's disputed general election triggered major protests across the country. Most protesters left the mine in April, after reaching a deal with Syrah, the company said last month —although some remaining demonstrators had to be removed by Mozambique authorities a month later. Syrah regained access to Balama on 3-4 May. Balama's operating infrastructure has not been impacted by the protests and is in good condition, Askew said in late May. By Avinash Govind Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
G7 sets strategy for critical minerals supply
G7 sets strategy for critical minerals supply
London, 18 June (Argus) — G7 leaders have agreed a strategy to protect and diversify critical mineral supply chains in the interest of shared national and economic security, at the group's annual summit in Canada. The group established a Critical Minerals Action Plan, which focused on anticipating shortages of critical minerals, co-ordinating responses to deliberate market disruptions, and diversifying and onshoring mining, processing, manufacturing and recycling where possible. The group also pledged to support mineral-rich emerging and developing countries by building local processing capacity, improving artisanal mining practices and addressing investment barriers. G7 members agreed to develop a roadmap to promote standards-based markets for critical minerals to be completed by year end, which will establish criteria for standards-based markets in partnership with key stakeholders, with a goal of improving traceability. "We have shared national and economic security interests, which depend on access to resilient critical minerals supply chains governed by market principles," the group said on 17 June. "We recognise that non-market policies and practices in the critical minerals sector threaten our ability to acquire essential minerals, including rare earth elements needed for magnets, which are vital for industrial production," the group added. "We will collaborate with partners beyond the G7 to swiftly protect our economic and national security." This agreement came at a time when China has restricted much of the world's access to key critical minerals. Over the past two years, China has introduced export controls for metals including gallium, germanium, antimony, bismuth, tellurium, tungsten and rare earths, resulting in tighter supply and price spikes. Many of these metals are essential to cutting edge defence technology as well as civilian industries. Banks urged to invest in critical minerals G7 leaders also emphasised the urgent need for "immediate and scaled investment" to secure future supply chains, calling on lenders to increase their support for derisking projects and to mobilise private capital. "We encourage multilateral development banks as well as private-sector lenders to make additional capital available for investment in standards-based critical minerals projects, including through innovative financing," the group said. The G7 also committed to collaborating with partners in emerging markets and developing countries to build quality infrastructure, and working to address investment barriers for critical minerals projects. By Cristina Belda Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Poland wraps up CBAM changes with European Parliament
Poland wraps up CBAM changes with European Parliament
Brussels, 18 June (Argus) — Poland has concluded negotiations on behalf of EU member states with the European Parliament for a revised carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), ahead of handing over the bloc's six-month rotating presidency to Denmark at the end of June. But Warsaw will not lead discussions on the EU's emissions cut target for 2040 and the bloc's updated nationally determined contribution (NDC) to the Paris climate agreement. Leading negotiations for EU states with parliament, Poland's deputy climate minister Krzysztof Bolesta said the revised CBAM would exempt 90pc of originally covered EU companies from reporting obligations, while 99pc of emissions embedded in imported products would remain covered. The agreement on CBAM now has to be formally approved by parliament and EU ministers. Once published in the bloc's official journal, the revised CBAM text will exempt importers that do not exceed a new single mass-based threshold of 50 t/yr of imported goods. Bolesta admitted that progress has been held up on concluding the EU's NDC during Warsaw's presidency of EU ministerial meetings. CBAM was also listed by Bolesta as one of the points for flexibility in discussions on the 2040 climate target, alongside carbon credits under Article 6 of the Paris agreement, additional funding and flexibility between climate sub-targets. At a meeting of environment ministers yesterday, Bolesta indicated that most states still favour the European Commission linking its submission of an EU NDC to the UN — which includes a 2035 emissions cut target — with the bloc's planned 2 July proposal for a 2040 EU climate target. The CBAM yesterday contributed to delays in technical negotiations held in Bonn, Germany, for the UN Cop 30 climate conference in Brazil. The Like-Minded Group of Developing Countries, including countries such as Bolivia, China, Saudi Arabia, Cuba and Vietnam, had urged the need to address concerns "with climate change-related trade-restrictive unilateral measures". Despite "very, very divergent views", EU member states agree that it "is absolutely urgent to come up with an NDC before the end of September", Bolesta said. The Polish presidency of the EU, chairing climate ministers' meetings, has advanced NDC work as much as possible in the absence of the commission's proposal to revise the bloc's climate law. "We really have only a couple of months to come up with something. What lacks in the NDC draft is now the headline target," Bolesta said. Countries have not yet discussed the quality of Article 6 offsets, Bolesta added. "Everyone in the room realises that we need to be very stringent on what kind of offset will be let into the system," he said. EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra is "cautiously optimistic" that a landing ground can be found on the 2040 climate target. He called for more assertive climate diplomacy, as a large part of the problem lies outside Europe. For China, Hoekstra noted unfair trade practices and "serious" concerns about plans to build additional coal-fired plants. "It's a mixed bag. And we invite them to step up their ambition," he said. By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Australia's Lynas produces terbium oxide in Malaysia
Australia's Lynas produces terbium oxide in Malaysia
Sydney, 18 June (Argus) — Australian mineral producer Lynas Rare Earths has produced terbium oxide at its Malaysian rare earth plant, adding to its line of rare earth products, the firm announced today. The company produced the oxide using 1,500 t/yr heavy rare earth separation circuits it built in January-March. It previously used the circuits to produce separated dysprosium at the plant in May, becoming the first producer of separated heavy rare earths outside China. Lynas plans to eventually expand its rare earth product line to include dysprosium, terbium, and holmium concentrate, alongside unseparated samarium/europium/gadolinium and unseparated mixed heavy rare earths. Lynas supplies its Malaysian plant with rare earth feedstock from its Mount Weld mine and Kalgoorlie processing plant in Western Australia (WA). But it may expand its feedstock sources in the future. The company signed an initial agreement with Malaysian investment agency Menteri Besar in late May to buy mixed rare earth carbonates from developing Malaysian ionic clay deposits. It did not disclose supply volumes. Lynas' product line expansion comes soon after US and European automakers warned that rare earth export controls could lead to assembly line shutdowns. Lynas is developing a rare earth production plant in the US with the same capabilities as its Malaysian plant. Lynas plans to produce 2,500-3,000 t/yr of heavy rare earth products and 5,000 t/yr of light rare earth products at the site when it opens. The US government helped fund the project in 2019 through a presidential directive under the Defence Production Act . By Avinash Govind Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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