Last week both the European spot and Chinese export ammonium paratungstate (APT) markets saw a rise in interest and associated price jump, amid persistent worries about Chinese tungsten supply disruptions.

A focus on recovery at the Drakelands tungsten project in Devon, in the UK, and the increase in the tungsten price bolstered Aim-listed specialist metals miner Wolf Minerals during the quarter ended March 31.

New research shows how and where tungsten accumulates in bones of mice exposed to the element through drinking water. The findings, by a team of chemists and biologists at McGill University, could add to doubts over the once-universal assumption that tungsten poses little or no health risk to the general human population.

Tungsten Mining says it’s put its foot on more “significant” tungsten and molybdenum mineralisation at a West Australian project known as Mt Mulgine.

Analysis of latest tungsten market from Chinatungsten Online: Opening this week, the trading activity in the whole tungsten market is low, mainly affected by increased shipments of tungsten ore enterprises leading to buys following up slowing last week. High-price transactions are hardly concluded in the previous stage, so under the weak supply and demand, tungsten price lacks strength to rise.

Rare earth market quotation in China: the latest price of lanthanum oxide and dysprosium oxide is unchanged from the previous trading while praseodymium neodymium metal price drops slightly. As downstream customers follow up slowly, rare earth manufacturers face great inventory pressure. Considering high stock-holding cost of sellers, plus the environmental protection cost, traders mainly wait and see. The short-term market would be in heavy short atmosphere and market price maintains weak adjustment.

International molybdenum oxide price rises slightly, which do not active the market in China. At present, molybdenum smelting factories, chemical and product enterprises keep high product prices owing to high production costs. The average price in Chinese molybdenum mines hovers around RMB 1,640/t and mainstream transaction prices of molybdenum concentrate are RMB 1,630-1,640/t. In the short term, the tightening availability of low-price molybdenum raw materials will continue.

Analysis of latest tungsten market from Chinatungsten Online: Domestic tungsten price climbed slightly earlier last week. Tungsten concentrate manufacturers were reluctant to sell, keeping high offers; APT price rose under the stricter environmental protection policy tightening supply of spot goods while prices of terminal tungsten powder and tungsten carbide powder were raised.

Rare earth market quotation in China: domestic rare earth price shows signs of decline opening this week when market trading is thin after the declined listing prices of large rare earth enterprises last week. The supply side is facing pressure and traders are more willing to sell. While the demand side is hard to follow up, with relatively low pressure of purchasing raw materials. On the whole, rare earth market will continue to be in s stalemate.

Chinese molybdenum price remains unchanged opening this week as a subsequence of different mentalities of downstream and upstream of the industry chain and lower international molybdenum price weakening market confidence. Trading volumes are still hard to be increased and steel biddings are the focus of the market.