The Copper Monthly Metals Index (MMI) held sideways, although the upside bias appeared to accelerate. In total, the index rose 1.64% from January to February, supported by rising U.S. copper prices. Keep up with the latest tariff news impacting copper prices. Subscribe to MetalMiner’s free weekly newsletter. Copper Prices Bullish as Exchange Delta Grows Traders […]
Category: Commodities
Trade War Starts Between World’s Two Leading Economies
The so-called “Trump Tariffs” imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump caused uncertainty in the global metals market earlier in the week. Though he did pause imposing tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada for one month, there could still me plenty more chaos down the road. The current tariffs include a 25% levy on goods […]
Raw Steels MMI: Mills Push For Steel Price Increases, Tariffs on Deck
The Raw Steels Monthly Metals Index (MMI) remained sideways, with a modest 0.78% increase from January to February. However, steel prices could still be in for significant volatility. Mills Push for Price Increases After Weak Q4 As Q4 financial results started to pour in, they reflected a challenging end to 2024. While data from Cliffs […]
Automotive MMI: Market Witnesses Volatility with Tariff Concerns
The Automotive MMI (Monthly Metals Index) held sideways for the third month in a row, moving up a mere 0.62%. In January, the U.S. automotive industry faced significant developments affecting metals prices and manufacturing processes. Key factors included proposed tariffs, strategic investments in steel production and notable market reactions among automotive stocks. Tariff Panic and […]
Port Talbot’s Next Chapter: Can Port Talbot’s EAFs Reshape UK Steel?
Tata Steel recently appointed its main contractor for the installation of two planned electric arc furnaces at its Port Talbot works in Wales. As the largest steel industry production site in the UK, Port Talbot is a critical part of the country’s steel industry. As a result, analysts and buyers have been watching the overhaul […]
Rare Earths MMI: 10% Chinese Tariff – How Much Will it Impact Rare Earths?
The Rare Earths MMI (Monthly Metals Index) held sideways from January to February, moving up a slight 2.88%. Rare earths prices have proven more volatile in the past year than other metal products like steel. Now, it seems the rare earth market could witness more volatility in 2025. President Trump recently imposed a 10% tariff […]
After Global Steel Production Dipped in 2024, What’s Next for the Industry?
According to the World Steel Association, global crude steel production in 2024 declined by about 1% year-on-year. With the data released, organizations now want to determine where steel prices might go for the rest of 2025. On January 24, the Brussels-based association stated that total volumes for the year were just over 1.88 billion metric […]
Aluminum’s Paradox: Prices Hold Strong Despite Global Economic Slump
GDP growth in China and the United States, the world’s two largest aluminum consumers, has slowed for months. Meanwhile, Europe and Japan continued to struggle with stagnant growth for much of 2024. Though still fluctuating within a range, aluminum prices have pushed toward the top in recent weeks. For this reason, many consumers continue to […]
China’s Steel Sector Faces Uncertain Future Amid Economic Challenges
The output of the world’s largest steel industry, China, fell 1.7% last year, a fact that continues to raise many questions about its future direction. This drop continued the downward trend from the 2020 peak of 1.065 billion tons, bringing the 2024 output down to 1.005 billion metric tons. However, even as China’s own steel […]
Trump’s Tariff Talk Sparks Fear: Will US Steel Imports Face the Axe in 2025?
“The import market is slow right now. We have seen a lot of pressure on imports,” one trader said on January 24. They were referring to the anti-dumping investigation on HRC imports from Japan, Egypt, India and Vietnam, which the European Commission started in August. The move followed a request by the European Steel Association, […]