The nickel price remained within a strong downtrend throughout November, hitting its lowest point since April 2021. While prices appeared to stabilize during the first half of December, the nickel market has overwhelmingly proven itself the worst-performing base metal, with a roughly 45% year-to-date drop. Overall, the Stainless Monthly Metals Index (MMI) moved sideways, falling […]
Nichole Bastin
Aluminum MMI: Aluminum Prices Sideways as UK Sanctions Leave Market Uncertainty
Aluminum prices continued to trade sideways during November and the first three weeks of December. Amid the long-term consolidation, prices sit only 6% beneath where they stood at the start of the year. Overall, the Aluminum Monthly Metals Index (MMI) remained sideways, with a modest 0.34% decline from November to December. MetalMiner’s 2024 Annual Metals […]
Copper MMI: Possible Deficit Shifts Copper Price Outlook
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) […]
Stainless MMI: Stainless Market Bearish, Nickel Prices Prove Worst-Performing Base Metal of 2023
Nickel prices remained within a strong downtrend throughout November, hitting their lowest level since April 2021. While prices appeared to stabilize during the first half of December, the nickel market has overwhelmingly proven itself the worst-performing base metal with a roughly 45% year-to-date drop. Overall, the Stainless Monthly Metals Index (MMI) remained bearish, with a […]
Raw Steels MMI: Steel Prices Bullish as HRC Price Break $1,000/st
While the Raw Steels Monthly Metals Index (MMI) rose 6.43% from November to December, U.S. flat rolled steel prices remain decidedly bullish. By mid-December, hot rolled coil prices broke above the $1,000 per short ton mark for the first time since June. To date, HRC prices have risen almost 53% this year, outperforming all base […]
Copper MMI: Is The “Supercycle” Narrative For Copper Prices Falling Apart?
Although they appear on the rebound from last month’s lows, copper prices have yet to break out of their long-term sideways range. Nonetheless, following an almost 2% overall decline throughout October, prices have now retraced to their highest levels since September. For the second consecutive month, all prices within the index edged lower. That said, […]
Aluminum MMI: Aluminum Prices Sideways as Premiums Remain Bearish
Although they fell 4.29% throughout October, aluminum prices remain trapped within a sideways trend established back in July. Prices retraced from their late-September spike but failed to create a lower low. Therefore, they continue to move within a tight range. Overall, the Aluminum Monthly Metals Index (MMI) remained sideways, with a modest 0.72% decline from […]
Stainless MMI: Stainless Market, Nickel Price Remain Bearish
Nickel price data continued to decline during the month, dropping a total of 4.06%. While prices remain above their pre-squeeze historical average, they recently fell to their lowest level since October 2021 as they continue to slip below short-term support. All components declined during the month, which saw the Stainless Monthly Metals Index (MMI) fall 4.56% […]
Raw Steels MMI: How Long Can Steel Prices Rise?
The Raw Steels Monthly Metals Index (MMI) rose 2.53% from September to October. Roughly six weeks ago, U.S. steel prices found a bottom at the close of September. However, in October, the market shifted, leading to a nearly 17% rise in HRC prices as they retraced back to their August range. Both CRC and HRC […]
Aluminum MMI: Aluminum Prices Lose Last Month’s Gains as U.S. and EU Discuss Tariffs
Overall, the Aluminum Monthly Metals Index (MMI) moved sideways, with a modest 1.92% rise from September to October. Indeed, a short-lived spike at the end of September saw aluminum prices rise over 6% month over month. However, prices began to retrace throughout October. They not only lost all of last month’s gains but returned to […]