June 2008

Za Vas – Severstal Wins Esmark!

by Lisa Reisman on June 26, 2008

Style:    Category: Ferrous Metals, M&A Activity

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In late afternoon news on Wednesday my Crain’s Chicago alert came in with the headline “Russan Suitor Wins Esmark”. We have been reporting on this story for a couple of weeks now because the battle for Esmark has been well, rather exciting and interesting.  To recap, two companies bid for Esmark, Essar of India and OAO [...]

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Metals Theft Makes the Oregon Legislative Agenda – The Right Solution?

by Lisa Reisman on June 25, 2008

Style:    Category: Macroeconomics, Supply & Demand

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I’d like to welcome guest editor Jason Busch of SpendMatters who contributed this blog post. In the name of full disclosure, Jason is also Lisa Reisman’s husband. It’s difficult to find a recent day that’s gone by without metals theft hitting the headlines. From stolen statues to lifted catalytic converters to hot air conditioning condensing units, [...]

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The Bets are ON for Indium

by Stuart Burns on June 25, 2008

Style:    Category: Non-ferrous Metals, Product Developments

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Ever heard of Indium? Me neither. Well, not entirely true, I had heard of it but never taken much interest. According to Wikipedia it is a soft white rare metal, similar to aluminum or gallium and produced as a by-product of zinc. And therein lies the problem. Indium is the magic ingredient in making LCD [...]

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How Updated Are Your Supplier Score-Cards and Total Landed Cost Models?

by Stuart Burns on June 24, 2008

Style:    Category: Sourcing Strategies

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Have you noticed as the summer vacation period approaches the level of activity tends to gradually decline? Maybe this week is worse because we have a (well deserved!) July 4 Friday coming up and the prospect of a long weekend. It’s times like this when business is a little slack that good sourcing practitioners take [...]

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Iron Ore Prices Wreaking Havoc – Go China Go!

by Lisa Reisman on June 24, 2008

Style:    Category: Ferrous Metals, Global Trade, Supply & Demand

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Several big iron ore contracts are set to expire at the end of this month. According to a recent Financial Times article, “Macquarie, the Australian bank, said Rio was committed to securing a price in excess of the 85-95 per cent the market is expecting. That stance suggests investors should be prepared for an extended [...]

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Wind Drives Metal Demand

by Stuart Burns on June 23, 2008

Style:    Category: Commodities

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We just love it when a developing technology opens up a new demand for metals. Wind power cannot be said to be new, but advances in technology are rapidly making wind power a viable alternative to conventional power generation. The critical point will come, according to an Economist report this week, when a carbon tax [...]

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Chinese Gold Producers Bid to Develop Mine

by Lisa Reisman on June 23, 2008

Style:    Category: Commodities, Precious Metals

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In a move that analysts consider a bullish sign for the industry, four Chinese gold producers are battling over rights to develop the promising Yangshan Gold Mine. China now produces more gold than any other country, even South Africa, and the mine is rumored to be China’s largest gold bullion deposit. Although full financial details [...]

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Keeping An Eye on Metals Anti-Dumping Cases

by Lisa Reisman on June 23, 2008

Style:    Category: Anti-Dumping, Global Trade

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A couple of months ago we wrote several pieces on a metals anti-dumping case involving uncovered mattress innersprings from China, South Africa and Vietnam. The case is still on-going with a postponement of the preliminary determination to July 30, 2008. An extension was granted to petitioners Leggett & Platt by the ITC so that the [...]

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