Wild markets gatecrash London Metal Exchange Week party

Atlas Copco’s shares fell 9 percent at 1149 GMT, dragging Nordic industrial peers such as Sandvik and SKF lower, and also hitting German vacuum gear rival Pfeiffer Vacuum.

The first spot transaction sees 3,000 tonnes of alumina change hands at $437.23 a tonne.

The company has set up a representative office in Machala, capital of Ecuador's El Oro province, historically a gold-producing region, and will use this as a base to participate in South American projects.

China’s switch from industrial-led to consumption-led growth seems to be showing up everywhere except the production numbers of iron-ore miners.

The company's gold output will be flat or a little lower than last year, Zijin Chairman Chen Jinghe told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference in Tianjin.

Total volume reached 252 million yuan ($36.3 million).

A rebound in mining mergers and acquisitions is set to continue into 2019, as a dearth of exploration spending leaves the industry in need of fresh investment.

World salt exports rose to 64 million tonnes in 2017, up 10 million tonnes from 2016.

Government promises action, raising fears of consolidation.