(MB) Good morning from Metal Bulletin’s offices in Asia as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Monday June 4. Copper prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange rose during Asian morning trading on Monday, benefiting from supply-side concerns, while the rest of the complex was little changed to stronger. The recycling of lithium-ion batteries is critical in a growing electric vehicle battery market, although advancements are still necessary in the recycling arena, according to an industry expert. The US Treasury Department has extended the deadline for investors to divest their holdings in sanctioned Russian companies, allowing them until 12:01 am August 5 to offload their debt, equity or other holdings. The global nickel market is expected to record a modest 70,000-tonne deficit in 2018 on the back of strong stainless steel production growth, Denis Sharypin, Nornickel’s head of market intelligence, said at Metal Bulletin’s International Nickel Conference in Toronto, Canada. Nickel is likely to remain the material of choice in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, but automobile manufacturers could be forced to consider alternatives if prices rise too high, according to an industry expert. The volatility in global copper stocks this year has benefited trading volumes across both the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and SHFE, while the London Metal Exchange’s inventory has fluctuated widely and dropped to a four-month low this week.
