Category: Supply & Demand

Automotive MMI: Automotive Market Improves, but Bears Show Up for Steel Prices

Automotive MMI: Automotive Market Improves, but Bears Show Up for Steel Prices automotive news

Month-over-month, the Automotive MMI (Monthly Metals Index) dropped by 3.03%. While the automotive market continued to improve overall, bearish pressure on certain steel prices like hot-dipped galvanized steel, ultimately forced the index down. Experts anticipate this bearish pressure to continue impacting both steel prices and automotive manufacturing in the short term. Despite this, the automotive […]

Automotive MMI: Hot-Dipped Galvanized Prices Flatten, EV Market Moving Too Quickly?

Automotive MMI: Hot-Dipped Galvanized Prices Flatten, EV Market Moving Too Quickly?

All components of the Automotive MMI moved sideways or down month-on-month. Moreover, January saw prices flatten out across the steel market, causing hot-dipped galvanized steel prices to trend close to support zones. Meanwhile, China’s wavering economy continues to prove a concern for global markets because the country is such a large steel demand driver. Many […]

Copper Demand: Australian Exports to China Surge to Record High, Signaling Thaw in Relations

Copper Demand: Australian Exports to China Surge to Record High, Signaling Thaw in Relations

The frosty relationship between China and Australia continues to thaw, as evidenced in the bi-lateral trade indices indicate. Now, thanks to China’s growing copper demand, the world possesses one more indicator. According to recently released data, Australia exported 27,500 metric tons of copper ores and concentrates to China in November last year. At U.S. $44.5 […]

Copper MMI: Deep Market Contango, Index Moves Sideways

Copper MMI: Deep Market Contango, Index Moves Sideways

Copper prices saw a 1.90% increase during the final month of the year. By late December, this managed to bring them to their highest level since August, leading to mixed copper price forecasts for 2024. However, prices began to retrace from their 5-month peak by the start of 2024. By mid-January, they remained trapped within […]

Rare Earths MMI: China Bans Export of Rare Earth Metals Technology

Rare Earths MMI: China Bans Export of Rare Earth Metals Technology Chinese Trade Embargo

Overall, 2023 proved volatile for the Rare Earths MMI, with the sector experiencing sharp declines at the beginning of the year. This mainly stemmed from decreased Chinese production, supply chain disruptions, and the numerous nations seeking non-Chinese sources of rare earth metals. During Q2 and Q3, price action remained sideways, but global supply dynamics continued […]

Conflicting Reports Signal Chinese Aluminum Supply Uncertainty

Conflicting Reports Signal Chinese Aluminum Supply Uncertainty aluminum smelting aluminum supply

Conflicting reports continue to emerge from China regarding aluminum supply, demand, and production. Some information notes that the downturn in the country’s economy is largely due to the ongoing real estate crisis. As demand wanes, this poses questions regarding the internal pickup of aluminum and other base metals. However, other reports talk of the country […]

Copper MMI: Possible Deficit Shifts Copper Price Outlook

Copper MMI: Possible Deficit Shifts Copper Price Outlook Copper mine shaft

Still short of a breakout, current copper prices lifted off their October lows during November and have yet to see a major downside correction. Nonetheless, copper prices remain sideways and sit only 1.5% above where they stood at the start of 2023. An increase among all of its components helped the Copper Monthly Metals Index (MMI) […]

Rare Earths MMI: Prices Move Sideways Amid Potential Rare Earth Magnets Trade War

Rare Earths MMI: Prices Move Sideways Amid Potential Rare Earth Magnets Trade War

The global rare earth magnets game continues to heat up. Indeed, China, the top global rare earths supplier, seems eager to tighten its hold on the marketplace, especially with trade tensions rising between the country and the West. Meanwhile, the U.S., Australia, and many other nations continue to look for homegrown solutions to rare earths […]

Cobalt Crash: The Cobalt Price Index Hits Record Low Amid “Perfect Storm”

Cobalt Crash: The Cobalt Price Index Hits Record Low Amid “Perfect Storm”

Analysts once hailed cobalt as a commodity whose price would rise forever. Used in the cathodes of many lithium-ion batteries to extend the life of the battery cell, investors and mine operators eagerly anticipated high returns on all cobalt investments. However, cobalt prices recently dropped to record lows amid global oversupply and a widespread slowdown […]

Renewables/GOES MMI: Index Goes Up, Lithium-Ion Battery Dilemmas

Renewables/GOES MMI: Index Goes Up, Lithium-Ion Battery Dilemmas

The Renewables MMI (Monthly Metals Index) saw a welcome boost month-on-month, rising 6.27%. Grain-oriented electrical steel, silicon, and neodymium were the main factors that increased the index, while the lithium-ion battery market remains a point of contention. In the case of silicon, futures initially rose back in June due to production cuts within China, the […]

Scroll to Top