December 2009

An Open Letter to Santa

by Lisa Reisman on December 25, 2009

Style:    Category: Environment, Macroeconomics

Keywords:

Dear Santa: I am so relieved that it appears you have averted bankruptcy (readers, see previous post).  Perhaps instead of making a bunch of toy requests, I thought you might be able to wield some of your media relations budget this week toward a few items involving metal buyers and producers. But first and foremost, [...]

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Santa Inc Saved From Bankruptcy

by Stuart Burns on December 25, 2009

Style:    Category: Environment, Humor

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Reports last week that Santa Inc is having its loans called in by Global Bank have been confirmed by a company spokesman. Speaking to MetalMiner Mr S.T. Nick said, “We were fine while we operated on a purely voluntary basis, our costs were low and we received a small annual revenue share from the postal [...]

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SAIL of India Facing Tough Domestic Competition from China and the Ukraine

by Stuart Burns on December 24, 2009

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

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It is interesting how the dynamics of a protected market differ from those of an open market. State owned Steel Authority of India (SAIL), the country’s largest steel producer, is predicting rising steel prices in its domestic market from January 2010 largely on the basis that iron ore and coking coal costs have continued to [...]

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Best of MetalMiner: Ferrous Metal

by Lisa Reisman on December 24, 2009

Style:    Category: Best of MetalMiner, Ferrous Metals, Metal Prices

Keywords: , , ,

Steel has had a very interesting year, ending nearly where it started but for steel producers, hope that an upward price trend will continue into 2010. And certainly, the price momentum for key raw material components used in steel-making indeed appear to suggest prices will increase. But demand has remained a persnickety little problem for [...]

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MetalMiner on Forbes Bubble List

by Lisa Reisman on December 23, 2009

Style:    Category: Best of MetalMiner, Green, Macroeconomics

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There is nothing like a little downtime to catch up on some old reading. Headlines that looked interesting a couple of weeks ago but for which one didn’t have the time to review previously now get their due.  So imagine my enthusiasm reading this little headline from Forbes, Seven Looming Financial Bubbles. To save you [...]

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US Economy Perking up Nicely for the Start of a New Decade

by Stuart Burns on December 23, 2009

Style:    Category: Exports, Global Trade, Imports, Macroeconomics

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All of a sudden there are multiple datu points around the US economy that indicate a positive trend. Businesses unexpectedly increased their inventories by 0.2% in October, halting a slide of 13 consecutive months of decline. The small gain was set against an expectation of a 0.3% decline, raising hopes that businesses will begin restocking [...]

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The Cost of Renewables in Germany

by Stuart Burns on December 22, 2009

Style:    Category: Environment, Green

Keywords:

Cleantech German style inevitably involves a substantial amount of government subsidy and as a result investments are made and markets created that would not happen if traditional economics were in play. In a town in north-eastern Germany, 20 giant airtight tanks are filled with corn silage, tons of chopped up stems, grains and leaves, which [...]

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Best of Nonferrous Metals

by Lisa Reisman on December 22, 2009

Style:    Category: Best of MetalMiner, Non-ferrous Metals

Keywords: , , ,

We look at our in-bound mail and gauge inbound phone calls to determine what MetalMiner readers appear most concerned about when it comes to metals. This week, we heard a lot from aluminum buyers concerned about rising prices. Emails like this one from a large consumer products buyer, “Any idea what’s going on with aluminum? [...]

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