From a major slump in both demand and prices just twelve months ago, copper has made an amazing recovery to where it is today. The fundamentals remain relatively solid for copper. China demand kicked off initially through SRB-led re-stocking. As the year progressed, stimulus supported investment took over driving demand and in the second half [...]
The London Metal Exchange started trading today of the long awaited cobalt and molybdenum contracts. A lot is riding on them; the exchanges previous new products, plastics and steel have been respectively a failure and at best a muted success. Plastic was removed from open cry trading this month and steel billets, currently traded as [...]
As much time as we like to spend discussing specific metals markets, we find ourselves paying extra close attention to certain key economic indicators because at the end of the day, these economic indicators make for excellent dashboard indicators when assessing supply and demand. For nearly every one of our price forecasts we outline a [...]
Over on PurchasingBizConnect, blogger Dave Hannon poses the question, “Commodity prices are up hedge or source? According to a recent Corporate Executive Board survey, Hannon explains commodity prices remain the number one risk for January 2010, “Fluctuations in commodity prices have disrupted companies’ forecasts and organizations are increasingly turning towards financial hedging strategies to manage [...]
From a major slump in both demand and prices just 12 months ago, aluminum has made an amazing recovery. All the more amazing because at the same time as achieving a near doubling in price, inventory levels have also doubled since late 2008. Prices have increased more than many forecasters anticipated 12 months ago as [...]
We may not have heard much about it but the Shanghai 2010 Expo is nearly upon us. Costing an estimated US$45bn and covering an area of 35 acres the Expo is said by China to rival the Beijing Olympics as an extravaganza according to the Telegraph. Certainly in terms of cost and participants it will [...]
At this year’s Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, one group of competitors at the podium is the Medals. Vancouver-based industrial design firm Omar Arbel Office won the project to co-design the coveted objects. Arbel collaborated with Corrine Hunt, a Vancouver-based artist of Komoyue and Tlingit heritage. When undertaking a creation that is highly charged with [...]
ArcelorMittal didn’t get where they are without having the strength of their convictions. Their investments in markets like Romania were not for the faint hearted but have proved to be far-sighted and sound as those economies have turned around. Now the company could be embarking on its riskiest venture yet if they beat Jindal Steel [...]
