August 2010

Turkey – Part of Europe or Part of the Middle East?

by Stuart Burns on August 31, 2010

Style:    Category: Ferrous Metals, Macroeconomics, Non-ferrous Metals

Keywords: , ,

The debate about whether Turkey should join the European Union has raged ever since the idea was first raised in 1963, along with a dozen sub arguments about if they join, when they join, on what terms and so on. Turkey’s membership is both an enormous opportunity for Europe and an enormous risk, and the [...]

{ 6 comments }

Should I or Should I Not Buy a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle That is the Question

by Lisa Reisman on August 31, 2010

Style:    Category: Green, Humor, Sourcing Strategies

Keywords:

I’m going to apologize up front and state that this post is not a post but in fact a rant. I’m going to chalk it up to “it’s still summer time so we can get away with a few of these.  Yesterday, I casually flipped to the Wall Street Journal (I try to do that [...]

{ 4 comments }

US Opens the Door on Shale Bed Gas Development

by Stuart Burns on August 31, 2010

Style:    Category: Green, Macroeconomics, Product Developments

Keywords:

The US has certainly put the cat among the pigeons of the natural gas world! Hosting a 2 day conference in Washington, some 20 nations fell over themselves to attend as the US offered its full cooperation to develop shale gas and coal bed methane projects around the world. Press articles in the Economic Times [...]

{ 0 comments }

Obama Administration Strengthens Trade Reform Rules Good For US Manufacturing?

by Lisa Reisman on August 30, 2010

Style:    Category: Anti-Dumping, Commodities, Ferrous Metals, Global Trade, Non-ferrous Metals

Keywords: ,

Last week (admittedly I was on vacation) a major development occurred with potentially large ramifications on metal buying organizations as well as industrial product manufacturers. Specifically, last Thursday, US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced a series of trade measures that, “¦will strengthen trade enforcement and help keep U.S companies competitive. In addition, these rules coincide [...]

{ 1 comment }

Cars Should Make More Noise

by Stuart Burns on August 30, 2010

Style:    Category: Automotive, Green, Product Developments

Keywords:

When is car noise pollution and when is it a necessity? Well at either end of the extremes it seems. Anyone living near a major auto route must be praying for the day still somewhat distant when we all drive around in near silent electric cars but there are those for whom the small but [...]

{ 3 comments }

New ThyssenKrupp Alabama Plant Seen as a Threat to Local Producers?

by Stuart Burns on August 30, 2010

Style:    Category: Commodities, Ferrous Metals, Metal Prices, Sourcing Strategies, Supply & Demand

Keywords: ,

Disclaimer: MetalMiner has not discussed pricing trends with any of the mills mentioned in this article. The opinions in this piece are either attributed to other sources or our own. ThyssenKrupp’s Alabama steel mill was always going to put pressure on incumbent domestic mills, bringing as it does some 5 million tons of capacity into [...]

{ 0 comments }

Russians Keen to Build Nuclear Enrichment Plant in US

by Stuart Burns on August 30, 2010

Style:    Category: Global Trade, Green, Macroeconomics, Product Developments

Keywords:

My colleague Lisa Reisman wrote a piece in early August that proved both very popular and as it turned out somewhat prescient. Raising questions about the desirability of a Chinese state controlled steel company building a major new steel mill in the US added to a debate that had started a few days before between [...]

{ 2 comments }

New Ferrari Sets More Than the Track Alight

by Stuart Burns on August 27, 2010

Style:    Category: Humor, Product Developments

Keywords:

Some months ago we received rather a lot of irate press when we covered reports that the Tata Nano had a propensity to burst into flames. Tata has continued to churn out the Nano and we have not received any further reports of them spontaneously combusting so we expect the faulty switchgear causing the problem [...]

{ 1 comment }

← Previous Entries