Friday on the Comex in New York, almost 40,000 contracts traded in a span of 10 minutes. That triggered a sell-off, sending prices down as much as 1 percent.
Trafigura Group provides $200m in funding to Finland's Terrafame nickel mine, which plans to start producing material for electric vehicle batteries by 2020.
Pilbara Minerals has announced a potential joint venture with two South Korean companies to develop a lithium processing facility in the Asian country.
Indonesia's military said on Friday it was prepared to take tough measures against rebels who have threatened to "destroy" mining operations of Freeport-McMoRan Inc in the eastern province of Papua in their struggle for independence.