Xinfa Group won't have to cut metal production in its home city of Liaocheng this winter and will only have to reduce alumina output by 10% for two months.

"Our main difficulty is finding workers," said Gustavo Werneck, the chief executive officer, referring to its U.S. plants.

That deal is expected to end years of wrangling over ownership rights to Grasberg, the world's second-biggest copper mine.

It was supposed to be a year of mine disruptions, with the market anticipating that multiple labour contract expiries would result in at least one strike.

Local gold prices were trading near their lowest since Oct. 1, as an appreciation in the rupee made buying overseas cheaper.

About 500,000 electric vehicles (EVs) were sold globally in 2016, a figure that is expected to jump sevenfold by 2022 - U.S. Energy Information Administration

Analysis shows oil consumption growing in coming decades, due to rising petrochemicals, trucking and aviation demand but meeting this growth in the near term means that approvals of conventional oil projects need to double.

South Africa's Sibanye has proposed to buy Lonmin for about 285 million pounds ($365 million) to create the world's No. 2 platinum producer.

Given the tightness in zinc metal availability, smelter supply currently trumps mine supply.

Chinese production dropped sharply last month, and unless the Shanghai market can break out of its downtrend, more smelter casualties seem likely.

Mining companies operating in Zambia include NFC Africa, majority owned by China Non-ferrous Metals Company Limited (CNMC), Canada’s First Quantum Minerals, Glencore, Barrick Gold and Vedanta Resources.

Expectations of a supply avalanche hitting the nickel market next year due to new capacity in Indonesia have sent prices to seven-month lows, but analysts doubt the plans spearheaded by Chinese firms can be carried out so quickly.