SMM Ranking by Metal Price Increase (Weekly)2017.5.12

USGS reported US molybdenum concentrate production of 3,390 tonnes of contained molybdenum in July 2026, down 2.6% MoM but up 6.3% YoY. Jan–Jul output totaled 24,330 tonnes, up about 4.2% based on monthly data. July shipments reached 3,730 tonnes, up 4.8% MoM and 17.7% YoY, while YTD shipments rose about 5.7% to 24,600 tonnes. Shipments exceeded monthly output by about 340 tonnes. USGS notes that shipments include domestic sales, exports and transfers to company plants, while some producer data are monthly estimates derived from quarterly or annual disclosures.

A Panamanian ministerial commission has recommended opening formal negotiations with First Quantum Minerals over a potential restart of Cobre Panamá. Under the proposal, the mine could resume operations without expanding its footprint, with operating revenue funding rehabilitation, long-term monitoring and an eventual orderly closure at no cost to the state. Any agreement would require all pending international arbitration claims to be terminated and could not be extended. The report did not specify the scale or duration of a restart. Cobre Panamá previously accounted for around 1% of global copper production. Until an agreement and timetable are confirmed, the near-term impact on copper concentrate supply remains limited.

Sindicato N°2 de Supervisores y Staff at BHP's Escondida copper mine in Chile rejected the company's final wage offer, with 95% voting to authorise strike action. The union of about 1,020 supervisors objected to limited pay improvements, multi-tasking requirements and a proposed 14x14 shift rotation. Chilean law now mandates at least five days of government mediation, extendable by five more, before any legal walkout. The mine produced 1.26 million tonnes in fiscal 2026, down 3% year on year, with fiscal 2027 guidance of 1.0-1.1 million tonnes. Production is currently unaffected, but the vote compounds supply risk after a fatal accident halted operations in late September.