Tungsten

China’s Rare Earths Export Restrictions in Obama’s Crosshairs – Part One

by Taras Berezowsky on March 14, 2012

Style:    Category: Exports, Global Trade, Minor Metals, Public Policy

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Here we go: China’s the bad guy — again. As if recent economic outlook reports for China’s domestic economy haven’t stirred the pot enough, now the country is dealing with the United States, the European Union and Japan banding together to bring WTO action against its restrictions on rare earth metal exports. The rare earths [...]

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How the World’s 7 Billion People Affect Commodities Prices and Metals Demand

by Taras Berezowsky on October 31, 2011

Style:    Category: Commodities, Non-ferrous Metals, Supply & Demand

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Well, today — give or take — the world is 7 billion people big. That, at least, is what the UN has been saying. The fact that the world’s population hit 7 billion is almost less astounding than the fact that it was 6 billion only 12 years ago! That means, of course, that each [...]

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New Tantalum Supply Sources to Ease Some of the Shortages

by Lisa Reisman on October 4, 2011

Style:    Category: Green, Minor Metals, Public Policy, Sourcing Strategies

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Last week we speculated as to whether the conflict minerals legislation within the Frank-Dodd financial reform bill would impact the supply market for tantalum. Certainly supply shortages ensued following the financial crisis in 2008 when three of nine tantalum producers shuttered production. So how can one describe the global tantalum supply market? As a 6 [...]

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The Most At-Risk Metals

by Stuart Burns on September 15, 2011

Style:    Category: Commodities, Ferrous Metals, Non-ferrous Metals, Public Policy, Supply & Demand

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Much has been made — maybe too much — of the dire straits the world will shortly be in when the Chinese finally choke off supplies of rare earth metals, or elements (REE) to the outside world. No one would deny REEs have many critical uses, but you can’t help wondering if there aren’t a [...]

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Will The Dodd-Frank Conflict Minerals Law Ever Do What It’s Supposed To?

by Taras Berezowsky on August 10, 2011

Style:    Category: Minor Metals, Public Policy, Sourcing Strategies

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It seems workers, companies — essentially all parties except the warlords — are getting screwed over by the conflict minerals law in the US Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The latest lament on behalf of Congolese mine workers comes from where else? The New York Times. We’ll get to this in a [...]

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Is There a Rift Between Businesses and Policy Makers on Conflict Minerals Legislation?

by Lisa Reisman on July 5, 2011

Style:    Category: Green, Minor Metals, Public Policy, Sourcing Strategies

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Last week we caught up with our friends at Elm Consulting Group International (you may recall a series of posts published on MetalMiner written by Lawrence Heim of Elm Consulting relating to the conflict minerals provision recently enacted under the Frank-Dodd banking reform bill) to hear about the progress made by SEC in terms of [...]

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The Enough! Project Declares a Victory in the Congolese Conflict Minerals Issue

by Lisa Reisman on July 20, 2010

Style:    Category: Global Trade, Green, Minor Metals, Precious Metals

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Last week, tucked away in the Financial Reform bill that passed both Houses of Congress (and now awaits President Obama’s signature), there appears a key provision that will create a significant supply chain regulatory compliance challenge for any company sourcing materials that contain tin, tungsten, tantalum and yes, gold! In short, these OEM’s (think Apple, [...]

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Conflict Minerals in Congo: Enough! Project’s Mixed Messages

by Lisa Reisman on July 1, 2010

Style:    Category: Global Trade, Minor Metals, Non-ferrous Metals, Precious Metals, Sourcing Strategies

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The DC-based advocacy group Enough! Project is calling on consumers to raise awareness around the fact that their beloved electronics contain the “3Ts (tin, tungsten, and tantalum) as well as gold, all rare earth minerals that are illegally mined in the Congo, where profits go to “armed groups…that regularly commit conscious-shocking atrocities as they jockey [...]

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