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May 2017
19 May 2017
The ongoing draconian anti-pollution controls in China continue to disrupt production in a number of minerals, which has lifted prices in bauxite and antimony trioxide. Meanwhile, fused magnesia is no longer available in China; producers announced another rare earth price hike; chromite and silicon carbide prices remained stable; and lithium carbonate spot have risen in China again.
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19 May 2017
Chinese bauxite spot prices increased again in May as the ongoing anti-pollution related production shutdowns caused severe shortages in the market.
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18 May 2017
Industrial Minerals proposed to revise the refractory-grade brown fused alumina specifications at the end of June.
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05 May 2017
Chinese magnesia output disruption worsens; fresh mining restrictions lift bauxite prices; brown fused alumina remains unchanged but raw material cut could support prices.
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05 May 2017
Brown fused alumina (BFA) prices were unchanged over the fortnight, but market sources warned that new bauxite mining restrictions in China could impact BFA production in the near-term. BFA operations remained intermittent due to the ongoing environmental inspections.
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05 May 2017
China-origin refractory-grade bauxite prices have increased for the second time this year as the government ramped up efforts to reduce pollution. Only a tiny minority of plants is still allowed to operate following the environmental inspections, and traders are struggling to find material to fulfil contracts.