Roughly 1/3rd of all US exports rely on freight transport. Food, wood, coal and metal all move across the US’ 140,000 miles of freight routes. Because of this, many US goods providers are worried about the possibility of yet another major railway strike. In September, two of the 12 major US railway unions rejected negotiations, […]
Jennifer Kary
Construction MMI: High Interest Rates Haunt US Construction
The October Construction MMI (MetalMiner Monthly Index) dropped 6.96%. Not only did the construction cost index fall recently, but high interest rates have seriously impacted the US housing construction sector. Billings are on the rise in both the US commercial construction sector and on the consumer end. Meanwhile, new housing construction continues to cool due […]
Renewables MMI: Battery Metal Markets Hold Sideways Trend
The October Renewables MMI (Monthly MetalMiner Index) dropped yet again, but by less than in previous months. All in all, prices fell by 3.28%. The demand for battery metals due to the growing EV market largely kept the index afloat. Still recovering from August’s steep drop, Cobalt traded sideways between September 1 and October 1, […]
Automotive MMI – Car Demand Growing, but Steel Supply Strained
The MetalMiner Automotive MMI (Monthly MetalMiner Index) dropped substantially in October, dipping by 9.08%. Manufacturing limitations due to energy shortages and smelter shutdowns remain the ongoing trend in car manufacturing. However, consumer demand for cars, especially in the US, still holds firm. This leaves many in the automotive industry trying to find a balance between […]
Tin Price Swings in 2022 and Anticipations for 2023
After a nearly two-year-long bullish trend in the tin market, the tin price recently took a bearish turn. Fed by the pandemic, the tin price reached an all-time high. However, buyer exhaustion soon overtook the market, leading to price drops. Like many metals, tin remains volatile for the moment, having bottomed out in July. But […]
Construction MMI: Industrial Metal Supplies Low, Prices High
The September Construction MMI traded sideways, falling a modest 2.56%. However, this trend will likely not continue. Supply and energy shortages continue to weigh heavily on the industrial metal and construction industries. Strains on US Construction Smelter shutdowns and industrial metal slow-downs in China were not kind to the Construction MMI last month. Back in […]
Rare Earths MMI – Chinese Supply Stifled and “Dirty” Mining
The September Rare Earths MMI (Monthly MetalMiner Index) fell drastically by 9.87%. Alternatives to Chinese Rare Earths In last month’s MMI, MetalMiner reported how nations all around the globe were searching for alternatives to rare earth exports from China. After all, the ongoing Chinese property crisis and limited industrial output continue to strain the country’s […]
Automotive MMI – Supply Shrinks, Demand Rises
The September Automotive MMI (Monthly MetalMiner Index) traded sideways, falling a modest 2.13%. The same issues continue to affect manufacturing: rising demand and too few resources. Car Manufacturing Supply Chain Woes Supply chain shortages remain a persistent problem for the global automotive industry. Indeed, many companies are still struggling to find the necessary parts and […]
Renewables & GOES MMI – Power Generation Problems Limit Energy Resources
The September Renewables MMI (Monthly MetalMiner Index) dropped by 6.3%. Like previous months, energy limitations was the biggest factor in the drop as high temperatures and limited energy resources strain power generation systems around the globe. Power Generation and the “Green Bottleneck” At the end of August, President Biden officially signed the Inflation Reduction Act […]
Could Metal Recycling Help Alleviate Supply Chain Shortages?
Faced with supply chain shortages, metal squeezes and smelter shutdowns, metal buyers and manufacturers continue to look for supply solutions. Some theorize that recycling and reusing metals could help. However, global construction and metal markets currently need more than the current metal recycling industry can provide. Is there a way that metal manufacturers can achieve […]
