A relatively swift exit from pandemic lockdowns and the impact of stimulus-led infrastructure investment have powered China’s metals rebound. Furthermore, the Shanghai Futures Exchange has continued its summer disconnect from the London Metal Exchange aluminum price, which started in April of this year. The resulting arbitrage window has sucked in imports of aluminum primary and […]
Stuart Burns
The nickel market is set for major disruption
There is a looming crisis in the nickel market. Some would argue it’s a good problem to have. Demand is set to rise on the back of increasing uptake of electric and hybrid vehicles through this decade. More and more governments will mandate the production of electric vehicles (EVs) over internal combustion engine (ICE) autos. […]
Oil majors struggle in low-price, low-demand environment
The oil majors are not having a great pandemic. Consumers reacted to earlier lockdowns and continued pandemic restrictions, leading to a massive drop in demand. On the other hand, prices initially collapsed after Saudi Arabia led an assault on the U.S. shale market and engaged in a spat with Russia over prices. Set that against […]
U.A.E., Bahrain expected to get Section 232 aluminum tariff exemptions
Just the rumor that producers in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain could win a Section 232 aluminum tariff exemption was enough to ease prices for U.S. consumers. The Trump administration imposed the 10% tariff under Section 232 back in March 2018. Now, however, the removal ostensibly comes as a reward for the two Arab […]
Amid rising metals export profile, could India be the next China?
No, we don’t mean that much-vaunted but still distant dream of India becoming a second China economically — the disparity expands rather than contracts with time — but rather could India become a pariah state after China in terms of feeling the pain of anti-dumping duties, quotas, and tariffs (particularly with respect to Indian metal […]
The case for globalization is on shakier ground
The widely, if not universally, held belief that globalization is a win-win panacea for growth has never looked shakier. While President Donald Trump has led the charge on calling out the failings of unfettered engagement with China and all that entails in terms of loss of manufacturing capability and sharing of hard-won technology, he is […]
European steelmakers are at a challenging crossroads
Europe’s steel industry appears to be at a crossroads. Hurting before the coronavirus pandemic-induced lockdowns, the industry struggled with overcapacity, high costs, weak demand and competition from lower-cost sources (like China and Russia). The lockdowns decimated demand. Major consumers, like the automotive sector, which takes something like 20% of European production of flat-rolled steel, according […]
Automotive giants Fiat Chrysler, PSA to merge
It is not often the world’s largest carmakers engage in mergers and acquisitions among themselves. Fiat Chrysler and Renault Nissan announced a $35 billion plan to merge back in May 2019. The merger would have created the third-biggest carmaker, behind Volkswagen and Toyota. But within 10 days of the announcement, FCA pulled out and it […]
U.K. car manufacturing on the rocks
We may be coming out of the first pandemic lockdown and business does, broadly, appear to be picking up; however, but some sections of manufacturing, including U.K. car manufacturing, are still suffering badly. The MetalMiner 2021 Annual Outlook consolidates our 12-month view and provides buying organizations with a complete understanding of the fundamental factors driving […]
Import costs continue their relentless rise as U.S.-Asia trade surges
We have written in previous posts about volatility this year in the logistics market adding to buyers’ delivery and import cost uncertainty. At other times, we have also written about the decoupling of U.S.-China trade or supply chains. Events in recent months, however, suggest the two combined are likely to continue to create significant cost […]