July 2008

Nobody Likes A Sideways Copper and Aluminum Market

by Lisa Reisman on July 28, 2008

Style:    Category: Commodities, Ferro Alloys, Sourcing Strategies, Supply & Demand

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As any steel buyer can tell you, the direction of the market has gone only one way, up. Nickel is down significantly this year and lead and zinc have also headed south. But what to make of these “sideways” markets in aluminum and copper for example? First, what is a sideways market? I like this [...]

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Forgings Market Strong, Castings Weak

by Stuart Burns on July 28, 2008

Style:    Category: Macroeconomics

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US manufacturing is doing badly when you look at automotive and construction. One would expect the spill-over into other sectors to have had a severely negative impact. But, after a few months of dire warnings of recession, the Chicago PMI Index popped back up above 50 supporting a widespread belief that US manufacturing is continuing to [...]

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US Steel Producers Accused of Anti-Dumping?

by Lisa Reisman on July 25, 2008

Style:    Category: Anti-Dumping, Ferrous Metals, Global Trade

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My learned colleague Stuart mentioned to me yesterday that he saw an article in a trial subscription of Steel Business Briefing, that steel producers in the US “were exporting finished products overseas at under domestic prices.” Now if that wasn’t a hoot given all the squawking by US steel companies over foreign material entering the [...]

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What a Bellwether Tells Us About the Economy

by Lisa Reisman on July 25, 2008

Style:    Category: Commodities, Macroeconomics

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How could a company (I can’t reveal the name now just to be sure you took the quiz) with a COGS (cost of good sold) mostly made up of metals and metal components turn in this kind of a result on top of increased freight costs, increased SGA expense and increased R&D expense? In short, [...]

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Which Way For Oil?

by Stuart Burns on July 25, 2008

Style:    Category: Commodities, Ferrous Metals, Non-ferrous Metals, Supply & Demand

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The price of oil has come down significantly over the last week or so falling from over $147/barrel to $126/barrel as of this writing. Is this the top of the chart and if it continues to fall what can we expect for metals? Some are still predicting $250/barrel for oil next year, though others have called $50/barrel. Both [...]

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Johnson Controls Goes After Steel Suppliers’ Surcharges

by Lisa Reisman on July 24, 2008

Style:    Category: Ferrous Metals, Sourcing Strategies

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In a rather shocking story that came out late last week, Johnson Controls, the interiors and seating system Tier 1 automotive supplier, sued four suppliers for levying steel surcharges on them, alleging the suppliers had violated their purchasing contract. The story is rather shocking not because automotive suppliers have been squeezed considerably since the start [...]

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Wonder Welders: Polio Victims Create Scrap Metal Treasures

by Lisa Reisman on July 24, 2008

Style:    Category: Product Developments

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Although worldwide immunization efforts have resulted in a steady decline of polio cases, the disabling disease is still a fact of life in a small number of countries. More than 1,000 cases were reported in Africa in 2004. A viral disease, polio can damage the nervous system and even cause paralysis, and in several countries, [...]

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Does Magnesium Justify Protectionism?

by Stuart Burns on July 24, 2008

Style:    Category: Anti-Dumping, Ferro Alloys, Ferrous Metals, Global Trade

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MetalMiner has always held a strong free market philosophy. Our belief is that in most cases, the benefits of lower-cost material to consumers outweighs the damage to domestic producers that global trade can bring. In our experience, calls for anti-dumping fines, import tariffs or quotas are nearly always brought by large industrial producers.  The losers are [...]

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