The West African state of Guinea recently approved a joint development deal between the government, Rio Tinto/Simfer, and the Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS) consortia to develop the Simandou iron ore mining project. The National Transition Council (NTC), Guinea’s legislative body under the interim regime, announced the deal’s approval on February 3. “In short, this agreement […]
Category: Global Trade
Rare Earths MMI: Is China Moving Down the Rare Earths Totem Poll?
The Rare Earths MMI (Monthly Metals Index) experienced a pretty significant drop month-on-month, falling 24.73%. Save for cerium oxide, all components of the index either fell or moved sideways. Weaker than anticipated downstream demand ended up hitting certain metals related to rare earth magnets particularly hard, causing a plummet in the index. Another significant factor […]
Indian Steel Demand Battles Influx of Chinese Imports
In July, India became a net importer of steel for the fourth time in the last year. And therein lies a tale of tariffs, changes in steel prices, and supply and demand. However, before discussing those issues, it’s important to revisit the facts. A recent report by India’s Steel Ministry revealed the country became a […]
EU Commission Reviews Request for 25% Extension of Steel Safeguard
The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, is due to examine a request to extend a 25% safeguard on a range of steel imports. Steel news reports that the EC received a request from 14 member states of the 27-member bloc on January 12. This request aimed to establish if an extension of […]
Indonesia’s Nickel Dominance Spells Trouble for Global Industry
The global nickel mining industry is under stress, and the primary reason is an oversupply of low-cost nickel from Indonesia. Moreover, this constant supply continues to support a major global surplus, placing downward pressure on the nickel price. At this point, the Southeast Asian nation has already cornered more than half of the world’s supply […]
China’s Aluminum Exports to EU Plunge 30% Under Carbon Tariff
Earlier this week, the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association reported a 30% decline in the volume of aluminum products exported from China to the European Union. Aluminum manufacturing analysts quickly pointed out that this most likely resulted from the bloc’s 2023 carbon border tariff. The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) represents a new way […]
China’s Iron Ore Imports Surge Despite Evergrande Crisis
The first month of 2024 saw iron ore kick-off to a strong start, mainly due to increasing prices and substantial imports by China. Looking at iron ore futures, many investors were optimistic that the world’s largest purchaser of ore would continue implementing sufficient stimulus measures to enhance demand. Iron ore is a critical ingredient in […]
Rare Earths MMI: Prices Drop, Huge Rare Earths Reserve Discovered in Wyoming
Month-on-month, rare earths prices exhibited sharp downward movement. While weaker downstream demand could potentially prove one culprit in the dropping prices, another potential factor is an increase in global rare earth production outside of China. If true, China could find itself bumped down the totem pole in terms of rare earth magnets dominance. Meanwhile, China’s […]
Copper MMI: Copper Prices Remain Sideways as China Uncertainty Looms
Copper prices today remain trapped in a sideways range. Prices lack enough bearish or bullish momentum to establish a strong trend in either direction. Prices declined during the first weeks of January, falling to their lowest level since November. However, they rebounded in the second half of the month. This brought them a mere 0.52% […]
Steel Production Declines in December 2023: Factors Impacting the Global Steel Market
Data from the World Steel Association (Worldsteel) released on January 25 indicates that global crude steel production remained largely unchanged year on year. Indeed, steel market analysis says poured liquid steel totaled 1.88 billion metric tons last year, which is similar to the volume poured in 2022. The association also stated that crude steel production […]