The Renewables Monthly Metals Index (MMI) fell one point this month for an MMI reading of 103. Need buying strategies for steel? Request your two-month free trial of MetalMiner’s Outlook The Hunt for Cobalt As noted routinely in this installment of the MMI series, cobalt is a coveted material for its use in a wide variety […]
Category: Green
This Morning in Metals: U.S. Trade Deficit with China Reaches Record High in 2018
This morning in metals news, the U.S.’s trade deficit with China reached an all-time high in 2018, one analyst says there’s a 35% chance U.S.-China trade talks will break down and aluminum maker Norsk Hydro’s technology pilot is up for a Green Award in the category of Innovation of the Year. Buying Aluminum in 2019? […]
Energy Industry at a Crossroads in the Face of Climate Change
Cutting through the polarized hype on climate change is one of the toughest challenges for firms trying to position themselves and their enterprises for the future. Need buying strategies for steel? Request your two-month free trial of MetalMiner’s Outlook On the one hand there is a broad green or environmental lobby, which rightly shouts out […]
Renewables MMI: Advocacy Group Shines Light on State of DRC Cobalt Mines
The Renewables Monthly Metals Index (MMI) fell two points this month, down to a November MMI reading of 101.Need buying strategies for steel? Request your two-month free trial of MetalMiner’s Outlook Cobalt Mining According to the head of commodities trader Trafigura, unregulated cobalt mining cannot be “wished away,” the Financial Times reported last month.In 2017, nearly […]
Wind Blows Away the Opposition in the Energy Market
Who would have thought wind’s transformation from subsidy-supported to self-financing power source would happen so quickly – not this publication, that’s for sure. Apart from diehard environmentalists, most consumers have been opposed to renewables on the basis they cost significantly more and turbines are an eyesore on the landscape. Need buying strategies for steel? Try […]
How ‘Green’ Will the Elysis JV’s Aluminum Really Be?
Full disclosure – I am an owner of an iPhone, iPad and Macbook — and I don’t mind admitting it, a longtime fan of Apple’s products — but even I cringe when the firm claims to have “worked with other metal companies to develop the proprietary technique, which allows for the generation of ‘green’ aluminium […]
Floating Solar Plants Gain Momentum in India
There’s a new trend on the solar energy harnessing front in India. Like in China and a few of the Southeast Asian nations, India is seeing a spurt in what are called “floating solar plants.” Need buying strategies for steel? Try two free months of MetalMiner’s Outlook In late 2017, the country inaugurated its largest […]
Renewables MMI: Cobalt, U.S. Steel Plate Post Big Price Jumps
The Renewables Monthly Metals Index (MMI) rose seven points on the month, hitting 107 for our April reading.
Need buying strategies for steel? Try two free months of MetalMiner’s Outlook
Within the basket of metals, Korean, Chinese and U.S. steel plate posted price increases, while Japanese steel plate traced back slightly. U.S. steel plate jumped significantly, posting a 13.6% increase for the month.
U.S. grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES) coil fell on the month, while neodymium picked up by 0.7%.
The always volatile cobalt price shot up significantly last month, rising 10.6%.
Tesla Strategy Places Premium on Neodymium
As we mentioned earlier this week, growing demand for neodymium from electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla will put even more pressure on what is already a constrained market.
In short, that means rising prices for the material, reflected in this month’s activity.
Tesla is looking to neodymium for magnetic motors in its Model 3 Long Range cars, as mentioned in the Reuters report we cited Tuesday. Last year, supply fell short of demand by 3,300 tons, according to that report.
DRC Looks to Shake Up 2002 Mining Charter
When it comes to anything cobalt, the Democratic Republic of Congo is typically at the center, being the source of the majority of the world’s cobalt.
Earlier this week, MetalMiner’s Stuart Burns wrote about President Joseph Kabila’s move to readjust the nation’s 2002 mining charter to, essentially, secure a bigger piece of the pie vis-a-vis the country’s vast mineral resources.
It comes as no surprise that the multinational miners doing business in the DRC aren’t exactly thrilled by the proposition of increased royalties and levies. However, as Burns noted, value of materials like cobalt and the demand they draw, combined with their relative scarcity, means such multinationals will continue to do business there, no matter what happens with the charter.
“If the state takes a little more of the pie, it will probably be reflected in prices,” Burns wrote. “But with limited alternatives for products like cobalt, it is unlikely to dent mining companies’ enthusiasm for investing in the DRC.”
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Actual Metal Prices and Trends
Week in Review: Section 232, Cobalt Price Volatility and Indian Solar
Before we head into the weekend, let’s take a look back at the week that was and some of the headlines here on MetalMiner: Need buying strategies for steel? Try two free months of MetalMiner’s Outlook In non-Section 232 news from the Department of Commerce, the government body issued a preliminary affirmative determination in its […]
India Contributes $27M for International Solar Alliance Campus
India’s trying to do an OPEC in solar energy, screamed some headlines in Indian newspapers after the founding ceremony of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was held here recently, witnessed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. Need buying strategies for steel? Try two free months of MetalMiner’s Outlook It was […]