Key transactions & industry news Weekly Update 04/11/2025

Metals & Mining

ALRO invests in new equipment to boost aluminium plates production efficiency. The latest equipment enhances ALRO’s ability to deliver customised aluminium plates with exact specifications. It also ensures greater precision and significantly reduces waste during production. By improving efficiency and output quality, the saw supports ALRO’s broader transition towards premium aluminium solutions. It contributes to sustainable practices and strengthens the company’s long-term operational goals.

Short-term easing of international trade frictions, short-term bullish factors dominate. Last night, the SHFE aluminium 2505 contract opened at RMB 19,780 per tonne, with a high of RMB 19,810 per tonne and a low of RMB 19,670 per tonne, closing at RMB 19,725 per tonne, up RMB 110 per tonne, a 0.56 per cent increase. Last night, LME aluminium opened at USD 2,366 per tonne, with a high of USD 2,376 per tonne and a low of USD 2,366 per tonne, closing at USD 2,373 per tonne, up USD 3 per tonne, a 0.15 per cent increase.

UK to pass emergency laws to take control of British Steel. Britain will pass emergency laws on Saturday to keep British Steel’s blast furnaces open, aiming to save the country’s steel-making capability and thousands of jobs, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. British Steel, owned by China’s Jingye Group, employs 3,500 people at its Scunthorpe plant and supports more in the supply chain. It intended to immediately close the blast furnaces, which are losing 700,000 pounds ($914,760) a day, the government said.

Olympic Steel Recognized as John Deere “Partner-Level Supplier”. Olympic Steel (Nasdaq: ZEUS) has achieved the prestigious Partner-level Supplier status for 2024 in the John Deere Achieving Excellence Program, marking the highest supplier rating from Deere & Company. The recognition comes from Olympic Steel’s outstanding commitment to quality products and services, along with continuous improvement initiatives.

Transportation & Logistics

Could short lines come to the rescue of Class I railroads? There’s a pachyderm of a quandary haunting the executive conference rooms of Class I railroads, and short lines may be the solution. Carload volumes have been falling since 2008-2009, almost a generation’s worth of declines that began with the global financial crisis and accelerated during the fall of coal and the hollowing out of the American manufacturing base.

FMCSA action against 2 doctors threatens licenses of over 15,000 truckers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has voided thousands of medical examiner certificates issued by two Houston-area doctors, putting the livelihoods of over 15,000 commercial drivers at risk. A “high volume” of physical examinations performed by Dr. Jenny Le (Medical Examiner National Registry No. 4762579227) and Dr. Dustin Mai (National Registry No. 7120983977) between March 2023 and March 2025 raised red flags at FMCSA, which referred the matter to the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General, according to the agency.

Is trade fraud about to surge? As the Trump administration’s tariff battle against China heats up, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is gearing up for a major enforcement operation. While the political drama surrounding tariff hikes captures the public’s attention, fears of fraudsters exploiting the tariff system are emerging.

Energy

Trump dumps Biden environmental review for 3,244 oil and gas leases. The Trump administration will forgo an environmental review for thousands of federal oil and natural gas leases, including some in Wyoming, at the center of a 10-year legal and political battle. The Interior Department announced Thursday it will rescind a last-minute Biden-era notification to conduct a full environmental impact statement review for 3,244 oil and gas leases issued between 2015 and 2020 in seven western states. There are other review processes, according to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, to legally satisfy the cumulative court orders and settlement agreements stemming from the years-long battle.

Saudi Arabia discovers 14 new oil and gas fields with small volumes. Saudi oil firm Aramco (2222.SE), has discovered 14 oil and natural gas fields and reservoirs in the kingdom’s Eastern Region and the Empty Quarter, state news agency SPA said on Wednesday, containing small volumes. The six fields and two reservoirs were found to have Arabian oil of different grades totalling 8,126 barrels per day, according to Reuters calculations based on the announcement.

Others

Trump tariffs live updates: China raises retaliatory duties on U.S. goods to 125% as dollar sinks. Beijing signaled that this is likely to be its last increase for the moment as tit-for-tat tariffs reach levels that make trade between the world’s two biggest economies unfeasible.