The Rare Earths MMI (Monthly Metals Index) managed to reverse and pull up by 8.66% after experiencing steady declines since May. Numerous parts of the rare earths index reversed price action, including neodymium and terbium oxide. China’s recent crackdown on rare earth supplies has caused a shift in the global market, creating significant bullish sentiment […]
Category: Commodities
Trade War Heats Up: India Targets China with Heavy Aluminum Foil Duties
This week brought news of one more anti dumping proposal against China. This time around, a department under India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry proposed imposing an anti dumping duty on the imports of Chinese aluminum foil. This follows multiple complaints by members of the domestic aluminum industry regarding cheap foil flooding the market. Aluminum […]
Cobalt Mining: A ‘Dirty’ Truth
The cobalt mining industry, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has received backlash in both the past and present for human rights concerns. In the DRC, children as young as seven are sometimes employed to work in hazardous conditions to collect cobalt, a crucial material for electric car batteries, smartphones and other modern […]
Liberty Steel’s Polish Plant Faces Uncertain Future as Court Declares Bankruptcy
Big changes seem on the way for the Polish steel industry. Recently, local steel news outlets reported that several companies have expressed interest in leasing Polish plate producer Huta Częstochowa, which Liberty Steel acquired in 2021, after a local court declared the plant bankrupt in July. Among the potential suitors for the plant is the […]
Has China Lost its Grip on the Global Steel Industry?
Amidst continuing reports of an economic downturn with little or no sign of improvement now comes a report that the Chinese Government has suspended the system allowing approval of new steel plants. It is a move that could have significant implications for the Chinese steel industry and global steel manufacturing as a whole. According to […]
Why Are Aluminum Prices Up Despite Ample Supply?
Falling exchange prices and rising LME inventories this year indicate that primary aluminum is currently in ample supply. So far, aluminum prices have slightly increased since the beginning of the month as inventory levels have steadily declined. However, while the metal leaving the exchange has been Indian, a good, deliverable brand, the metal arriving has […]
Global Precious Metals MMI: Gold Prices Continue to Fly High, but for How Long?
The Global Precious Metals MMI (Monthly Metals Index) narrowly missed trading flat, only budging down a mere 0.01%. Precious metals prices experienced an array of volatility in both directions, which held the overall index firmly in a sideways trend. Gold prices continue to rise while other precious metals like palladium and silver dropped (price trends […]
China’s Steel Dumping Finally Under Global Scrutiny
China’s direct dumping of steel in foreign markets and indirect dumping via proxy countries are finally under the global lens. According to the Malaysian Trade Ministry, the country recently launched an investigation into whether or not to impose anti-dumping duties on flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products imported from China as well as India, Japan […]
Copper MMI: Mining Resumption, China Pose Risk to Copper Prices
Overall, the Copper Monthly Metals Index (MMI) fell 4.56% from July to August. Aside from a short-lived rise at the start of July, copper prices today remain in a downtrend, with prices falling 5.76% from the previous month. Prices did manage to rebound in August, although not enough to signal a trend reversal. (Follow copper […]
Lithium Market: Continued Growth, or Red Herring?
Lithium has rapidly become a critical element in the race to dominate the tech and energy sectors, resulting in a powerful and profitable global lithium market. This is mainly because the element plays an indispensable role in lithium-ion batteries, which don’t just “charge” our smartphones and laptops but also power electric vehicles. As the global […]
