The Crucible: June 2024

Dear MMTA Members, Welcome to the June issue of the Crucible, the magazine of the Minor Metals Trade Association. Looking ahead to LME Week Before we dive into the news…

An extreme supply shortage since April has led to the sharpest price rally ever recorded in the antimony market since Fastmarkets started pricing the metal back in the early 1980s. …

New US and EU tariffs on Chinese EV supply chains look to further isolate China from its EV ambitions Against a backdrop of slowing electric vehicle (EV) demand growth, the…

Notes from the Other Side Retired metal merchant, Anthony Lipmann, illuminates trading for the young entering the world of metals.   When I was young in the 1960s our schoolteacher…

 Proposed Modifications to the Section 301 Actions (Docket Number USTR-2024-0007) In June the US Trade Representative consulted on proposed additions to the USTR’s Section 301’s 25% import duties, including HTS…

Mongolia+ Dear Members, You may remember that, in my last missive, I indicated that I was off to Mongolia with my son (his graduation present). Well, 20,000 miles of international…

 As we reported in the May Crucible, MMTA members ICD Europe and Advanced Alloy Services became proud recipients of the King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. Now in their…

The MMTA was delighted in June to welcome AMG Chrome Limited as its member. Part of the AMG Critical Materials NV group, AMG Chrome is a world-renowned supplier of specialty…

Amid the perilous egg-and-spoon race for seabed exploration, we don’t often get a chance to focus on a more traditional kind of hunting for precious metals on the seabed. Associated…

London calling Notice provisions should not become a “technical minefield to be navigated”   Contracts often include provisions barring claims unless no-tice is given within a specified time limit, thereby…

The EU CRM Act entered into force on 23 May 2024 Following its entry into force on 23 May 2024, the European Commission has published an FAQ on the Critical…