Glencore's MARA (Agua Rica–Alumbrera) copper project in Argentina secures RIGI approval

North American Stainless (NAS), part of Acerinox, said Type 316 cold-rolled products shipped from Oct. 1 would carry a higher base price through a two-point reduction in the functional discount. All active requests for quotation are subject to the adjustment. This is a base-price mechanism change rather than a monthly alloy surcharge.

Industeel, part of ArcelorMittal had recently updated its October stainless alloy surcharges. 316L/316LN fell 0.9% MoM to €3,684/t, 316LMo 0.7% to €4,115/t, 317L 0.7% to €4,758/t and 904L 1.0% to €6,768/t. 2205+ and 2507 were nearly flat at €3,724/t and €4,389/t, while UR 254 eased to €7,147/t. The schedule excludes energy surcharge.

South Africa is advancing amendments to its Second-Hand Goods Act that would further tighten controls on scrap trading, including copper, brass, bronze, aluminium, zinc, lead, nickel, tin and cobalt. Under the proposed framework, recyclers acquiring controlled metals from individuals would be explicitly required to make electronic payments and maintain detailed transaction records, while purchases from scrap-metal waste pickers would require names and identification numbers to be recorded. Public comments on the bill remain open until November 2. The legislation targets widespread cable and infrastructure theft, with copper cable theft alone estimated to cost Eskom around R5–7 billion annually, plus roughly R2 billion in replacement costs. While South Africa has already been moving toward cashless scrap transactions, the amendment would strengthen the statutory framework around traceable electronic payments, seller identification and transaction records. If enacted, compliance requirements across South Africa's copper scrap collection, recycling and trading chain would tighten further, potentially restricting the flow of anonymous or informal material into the legitimate market.