Steel, Aluminum, Copper, Stainless, Rare Earth, Metal Prices, Forecasting | MetalMiner

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“The king is dead, long live the king” — or so the headline may read if Jim Ratcliffe, founder and CEO of one of the U.K.’s largest companies, is successful in his bid to create an entirely new and modern Defender following the demise of the old Land Rover Defender in 2016.

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Fans of the long-running Defender bemoaned its loss when Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) finally called time on the model last year. Reports that they intend to bring out a replacement in two years are dismissed by Ratcliffe as likely to be more Chelsea Tractor (British slang for a road-only 4×4) than a real Defender. JLR will go for more of a volume SUV, not a vehicle totally committed to the off road, he believes.

Judging by the firm’s gradual expansion of its range into more road-focused models, he may well be right.

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This morning in metals news, the International Trade Commission rules that imports of solar cells are hurting U.S. manufacturers, iron ore enters a bear market and the UN proposes that businesses take responsibility for environmental pollution.

A Bear Market for Iron Ore

The price of iron ore has undergone the biggest weekly fall in 16 months, Bloomberg reports. Having slipped into a bear market, the metal was trading at $63.56/ton on Friday, more than 20% lower than its August 21 high of $79.93/ton.

Benchmark Your Current Metal Price by Grade, Shape and Alloy: See How it Stacks Up

We may see this price slump to continue for the near future. Some expect the price of iron ore to drop to the $50s in the fourth quarter. If China’s steel production cuts do go into effect as planned this winter, the country’s steel output may decrease as much as 30 million tons, thus cutting iron consumption by 50 million tons.

End of the U.S. Solar Boom?

The U.S. International Trade Commission voted in a 4-0 decision on Friday that the U.S. solar energy industry is being hurt by foreign overcapacity and cheap solar cell imports, the Washington Post reports. However, the proposed 40-cent-per-watt tariff on solar cells would double the price of solar panels, putting pressure on the rest of the U.S. solar industry.
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