Centinela Strike Ends at 94% Approval, Gold Fields Takes Northern Star Bid to Investors, and Banks Back Mineral Processing

Centinela Workers Ratify Deal at 94.49% and the Strike Ends: First, Chile, where the strike at Antofagasta's Centinela copper mine is over. Reuters reports workers from the two unions, Distrito Centinela and Minera Esperanza, ratified an agreement with Antofagasta Minerals on a new collective bargaining contract, and that the company confirmed the deal. A total of 94.49 percent of participating workers voted to approve it.
Gold Fields Takes Its Northern Star Bid Directly to Investors: Next, Australia, where the contest for the country's largest gold producer has moved to the shareholder register. The Sydney Morning Herald reports Gold Fields chief executive Mike Fraser spent the week meeting Northern Star institutional investors in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, after Northern Star's board rejected the approach.
Development Banks Adopt a Joint Framework to Back Mineral Processing: Meanwhile, a policy move with long-dated consequences for supply chains. The European Investment Bank reports multilateral development banks have established a collaboration framework to increase joint support for critical raw materials value chains in developing countries, covering mining, processing, manufacturing and recycling. The Asian Development Bank says the heads of the banks met in Manila on October 17 and adopted it.
Week Ahead: The Fed Goes Quiet, the Dollar Slips and Oil Climbs: Finally, the setup for the week ahead. Shanghai Metals Market reports the U.S. dollar index fell 0.19 percent overnight to 101.78, down 0.44 percent on the week, ending a four-week winning streak. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh made no comments on policy at the International Monetary Fund meeting in Bangkok on Friday, and the Fed entered its quiet period on Saturday ahead of its October 27 and 28 meeting, according to Capital Street FX.
Sources:
- Reuters via Fidelity — Centinela Workers Ratify Deal at 94.49% and the Strike Ends: https://www.fidelity.com/news/article/default/202610180037RTRSNEWSCOMBINED_KBN3VY04C-OUSTP_1
- Reuters via MarketScreener — Centinela Workers Ratify Deal at 94.49% and the Strike Ends: https://au.marketscreener.com/news/striking-unions-at-antofagasta-s-centinela-copper-mine-reach-preliminary-deal-ending-strike-ce785cdade8af123
- Finimize — Centinela Workers Ratify Deal at 94.49% and the Strike Ends: https://finimize.com/content/chiles-centinela-copper-mine-strike-ends-with-new-deal
- The Sydney Morning Herald — Gold Fields Takes Its Northern Star Bid Directly to Investors: https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/the-38b-battle-for-australia-s-top-gold-miner-may-be-just-beginning-20261018-p6167t.html
- Dow Jones via Morningstar — Gold Fields Takes Its Northern Star Bid Directly to Investors: https://www.morningstar.com/news/dow-jones/202609281074/northern-star-rejects-27-billion-takeover-proposal-from-gold-fields-3rd-update
- HeadTopics (compiled from SMH reporting) — Gold Fields Takes Its Northern Star Bid Directly to Investors: https://au.headtopics.com/news/gold-fields-targets-australia-s-largest-gold-producer-in-88926064
- European Investment Bank — Development Banks Adopt a Joint Framework to Back Mineral Processing: https://www.eib.org/en/press/news/news-development-banks-establish-collaboration-framework-on-critical-raw-materials
- Asian Development Bank — Development Banks Adopt a Joint Framework to Back Mineral Processing: https://www.adb.org/news/joint-statement-mdb-heads-advancing-joint-action-amid-global-uncertainty
- CanadianMiningReport — Development Banks Adopt a Joint Framework to Back Mineral Processing: https://www.canadianminingreport.com/blog/major-development-banks-back-critical-minerals-processing-could-rare-earth-stocks-benefit
- Shanghai Metals Market — Week Ahead: The Fed Goes Quiet, the Dollar Slips and Oil Climbs: https://news.metal.com/newscontent/104162943-us-dollar-ends-4-week-winning-streak-metals-show-mixed-performance-lme-nickel-leads-gains-ny-and-shfe-silver-fall-weekly-crude-oil-climbs-overnight-market
- Capital Street FX — Week Ahead: The Fed Goes Quiet, the Dollar Slips and Oil Climbs: https://www.capitalstreetfx.com/market-analysis/daily-commodity-report-17-10-2026/
- Westmetall (LME official prices) — Week Ahead: The Fed Goes Quiet, the Dollar Slips and Oil Climbs: https://www.westmetall.com/en/markdaten.php?action=show_table&field=LME_Cu_cash
- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — Week Ahead: The Fed Goes Quiet, the Dollar Slips and Oil Climbs: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-live-blog-trump-middle-east/33803414.html
- Anglo American — Tomorrow's Flashpoint: https://www.angloamerican.com/investors/results-centre-and-presentations/quarterly-production-reporting