In The Construction Monthly Metals Index (MMI) increased by 0.6% month over month. US construction spending rose in 2021 U.S. construction spending reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,639.9 billion in December, the Census Bureau reported. The December rate marked a 0.2% increase from the revised rate November. Furthermore, the December figure jumped by […]
Category: Commodities
Bases metals prices with short term volatility followed by medium term falls
Many metals consumers normally buy if not spot then on a three-to-six-month time horizon. Still others book up to a year out. Those that fix for longer periods often publish annual sales price lists. These companies need to fix input costs to protect margins. However, that too comes at a cost. Of course there is […]
This Morning in Metals: Copper prices pick up
This morning in metals news: LME copper prices have ticked up; the U.S. monthly trade deficit increased from October to November; and, lastly, WTI crude prices made some gains this week. You want more MetalMiner on your terms. Sign up for weekly email updates here. Copper prices rise Copper prices had trended firmly in between […]
How much further does the oil price have to run?
Having risen solidly from mid-December, the oil price took a bit of a hit just prior to the new year as worries about the spread of the omicron variant and its possible impact on travel and GDP growth hit prices. The new year has started more optimistically, though. While significant work days are being lost […]
This Morning in Metals: U.S. steel prices continue to cool
This morning in metals news: U.S. steel prices have continued to decline; OPEC will continue its output increase schedule in February 2022; and, lastly, Alcoa at the end of last year announced plans to curtail production at its San Ciprián aluminum smelter in Spain. Does your company have a steel buying strategy based on current […]
This Morning in Metals: Energy costs surge; steel imports rise; aluminum price picks up
This morning in metals news: energy costs surged in 2021; U.S. steel imports picked up in November; and, lastly, aluminum prices rose during the second half of December. All the metals intelligence you need in one user-friendly platform with unlimited usage. Request a MetalMiner Insights platform demo. Energy costs rise in 2021 Energy costs surged […]
Europe’s aluminum smelters in turmoil amid rising power costs
As our colleague Fouad Egbaria noted this week, rising power costs in Europe, almost wholly down to the cost of natural gas, resulted in reduced output at Europe’s largest aluminum smelter, Aluminium Dunkerque Industries France. Losses there ballooned to €20 million ($22 million) during November, as natural gas prices quadrupled this year. Most aluminum smelters […]
This Morning in Metals: Nickel prices consolidate; NAS reduces fuel surcharge; US LNG exports surged in H1 2021
This morning in metals news: nickel prices have consolidated in December; North American Stainless announced a reduction in its fuel surcharge; and, lastly, the Energy Information Administration reported U.S. liquefied natural gas exports reached a record high in the first half of 2021. Are you under pressure to generate stainless steel cost savings? Make sure […]
This Morning in Metals: Steel prices cool to close 2021
This morning in metals news: steel prices continue to cool heading toward the year’s end, MetalMiner Insights data indicate; meanwhile, global crude steel production continued to decline in November; and, finally, the U.S. exported more petroleum and crude oil products than it imported in the first half of 2021. Cut-to-length adders. Width and gauge adders. […]
Europe faces severe energy risks heading into coldest part of winter
It seems perverse to say that COVID could come to the rescue of the European energy market. But the reality is the market is in a precarious state. Restrictions hindering businesses and industries’ power consumption could alleviate the energy crunch by reducing power use. At the height of the 2020 lockdowns, power demand fell by […]
