It seems all you have to do is make a couple of billion and the world hangs on your every word. Well maybe more than a couple and it helps if you have been proved right over many years. But the adage certainly holds true for George Soros, said by the Telegraph to be arguably [...]
Cathy McClure’s artistic statement reveals her clear preference in materials: “As a multi-media artist with a strong background in metal design, I am seduced by the limitless potential of silver, copper, and stainless steel. My enthusiasm for the techniques and traditions of metalsmithing is rivaled only by a wild preoccupation with mechanical toys and the [...]
President Obama’s actions to reign in the activities of the banks and China’s increase in bank reserve requirements have had a sobering effect on the markets. Both equity and metal markets have come off their highs and made investors pause for thought. The approaching Chinese New Year is also casting a damper on the Asian [...]
For those of you who missed it, the Wall Street Journal ran a fascinating supply chain management piece yesterday entitled, “Bullwhip Hits Firms as Growth Snaps Back. The notion of bullwhip refers to the effect of trying to determine inventory levels based on a forecast. The article, which I highly recommend reading, discusses how Caterpillar [...]
Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco), China’s leading aluminum producer has shifted its investment emphasis to copper according to reports in the Telegraph newspaper. The reason given for the move is copper holds greater development potential said company Vice-President Lu Youqing in an interview with Reuters. Chinalco is no stranger to copper; the company owns 49% [...]
I always get a chuckle when I read the mainstream press accounts on any company’s earnings announcements. Take a look at a few that came out no sooner than five minutes after Nucor’s announcement yesterday, “Nucor 4th Quarter Profit Drops 44%, Less Than Feared, Revenue Drops Off 29% or this one, “Steelmaker Nucor 4Q Profit [...]
Gold, the darling of 2009 appears to be the ugly duckling of 2010 as investors’ focus switches to platinum and palladium. In spite of incessant broker promotion the gold price has stagnated over the last month after reaching a peak of nearly $1220/oz in December before becoming range bound either side of $1120/oz. Investor interest [...]
Trying to read the Rune’s on the future oil market must be a tough proposition for North American oil refiners. They not only have to predict the direction of oil prices and of likely demand but also second guess the pace and direction of environmental legislation impacting their industry. That may seem like a no-brainer. [...]
