This morning in metals news, thousands of Ford Motor Co. employees who have been working remotely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic might be allowed to continued doing so during the remainder of the year, Chinese coal imports dropped in May and Chinese steel rebar prices lost some ground on oversupply concerns.
Category: Automotive
Despite backdrop of ethical conundrum, Tesla goes to the Congo, Glencore for cobalt
An interesting article in the Financial Times this week explores the conundrum electric car makers have in balancing their ethical policies with the need to source critical raw materials, like cobalt, to produce the most powerful version of today’s electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
This Morning in Metals: U.S. steel capacity utilization ticks up to 54.0%
This morning in metals news, the U.S. steel sector’s capacity utilization rate moved up from the previous week, Australia’s Pilbara Ports Authority recently released shipping data for May and Tesla reportedly plans to expand its cobalt supply relationship with Glencore.
Renewables/GOES MMI: Central U.S. sets spring wind power generation records
The Renewables Monthly Metals Index (MMI) fell 2.1% this month. (Editor’s Note: This report also includes coverage of grain-oriented electrical steel.)
This Morning in Metals: Union workers at Ilva steel plant to go on strike over reported job cuts plan
This morning in metals news, workers at Italy’s Ilva steel plant will go on strike to protest a reported job cuts plan by plant owner ArcelorMittal, Alcoa has begun to lay off workers at its Ferndale, Washington aluminum smelter and President Donald Trump renewed a previous threat to impose tariffs on automobiles imported from the […]
Week in Review: U.S.-China tensions; aluminum prices; aerospace struggles
Before we head into the weekend, let’s take a look back at the week that was and some of the metals storylines here on MetalMiner:
This Morning in Metals: U.S. goods and services trade deficit hits $49.4B in April
This morning in metals news, the U.S.’s trade deficit in goods and services rose in April, the China Iron and Steel Association expects Vale to ramp up iron ore exports to China this year and General Motors CEO Mary Barra expects the automaker’s production levels to return to nearly pre-coronavirus levels by the end of June.
Automotive MMI: U.S. automakers restart production after two-month suspension
The Automotive Monthly Metals Index (MMI) held flat this month.
This Morning in Metals: GM to ramp up production of pickups, SUVs
This morning in metals news, General Motors is planning to increase production of its popular pickups and SUVs, U.S. Steel announced a long-term iron ore supply deal, and copper prices have made some gains today.
Public transportation concerns amid COVID-19 pandemic drive renewed automotive interest
From a position of nearly crushing the automotive industry, the coronavirus pandemic could ironically be its savior. A recent article in the Financial Times explores the issues driving — no pun intended — an increase in buyer activity as lockdowns around the world are gradually eased and the impact imperatives of social distancing and virus […]
