The nickel price remained within a strong downtrend throughout November, hitting its lowest point since April 2021. While prices appeared to stabilize during the first half of December, the nickel market has overwhelmingly proven itself the worst-performing base metal, with a roughly 45% year-to-date drop. Overall, the Stainless Monthly Metals Index (MMI) moved sideways, falling […]
Category: Inventory Stock Levels
Copper MMI: Possible Deficit Shifts Copper Price Outlook
Still short of a breakout, current copper prices lifted off their October lows during November and have yet to see a major downside correction. Nonetheless, copper prices remain sideways and sit only 1.5% above where they stood at the start of 2023. An increase among all of its components helped the Copper Monthly Metals Index (MMI) […]
Stainless MMI: Stainless Market Bearish, Nickel Prices Prove Worst-Performing Base Metal of 2023
Nickel prices remained within a strong downtrend throughout November, hitting their lowest level since April 2021. While prices appeared to stabilize during the first half of December, the nickel market has overwhelmingly proven itself the worst-performing base metal with a roughly 45% year-to-date drop. Overall, the Stainless Monthly Metals Index (MMI) remained bearish, with a […]
Stainless MMI: Stainless Market, Nickel Price Remain Bearish
Nickel price data continued to decline during the month, dropping a total of 4.06%. While prices remain above their pre-squeeze historical average, they recently fell to their lowest level since October 2021 as they continue to slip below short-term support. All components declined during the month, which saw the Stainless Monthly Metals Index (MMI) fall 4.56% […]
CMC Poland Opens New Rolling Mill, London Metal Exchange Explores New Nickel Contract Options
According to an official with the bourse, the London Metal Exchange (LME) is not ruling out the prospect of introducing contracts connected with Category II nickel. This comes despite the incident with the LME nickel contract back in March 2022. “We are focusing on the contract as we have it,” said Robin Martin, the bourse’s […]
Renewables/GOES MMI: Index Goes Up, Lithium-Ion Battery Dilemmas
The Renewables MMI (Monthly Metals Index) saw a welcome boost month-on-month, rising 6.27%. Grain-oriented electrical steel, silicon, and neodymium were the main factors that increased the index, while the lithium-ion battery market remains a point of contention. In the case of silicon, futures initially rose back in June due to production cuts within China, the […]
Rare Earths MMI: Burmese Mining Suspension Causes Prices for Rare Earth to Shoot Up
The Rare Earths MMI (Monthly Metals Index) witnessed yet another steep increase month-over-month. Indeed, supply disruptions remain a massive concern in the rare earths industry, so rare earth magnets and other materials witnessed renewed bullish strength across the board over recent months. In August, market worries arose prior to a planned environmental inspection of China’s […]
Copper MMI: Copper Prices Trapped in Sideways Trend as Inventories Triple
The Copper Monthly Metals Index (MMI) moved sideways from August to September, dropping just 1.36%. Copper prices continue to trade sideways within a tight range. Amid a lack of bullish or bearish momentum, prices have failed to establish a breakout. Following a 3.34% decline throughout August, prices slid merely 0.53% during the first three weeks […]
Stainless MMI: Stainless Inventories High, Mill Lead Times Low as Base Prices Hold Firm
The nickel price index continued to trend downward, as it fell to its lowest level since July 2022 by mid-September. Following an over 7% decline during August, prices fell nearly 3% during the first two weeks of September. As prices drop toward historical support zones, they come close to wiping out nearly all gains from […]
Stainless MMI: Outokumpu Looks to Expand After Q2 Drop, Nickel Prices Find Lower High
Although nickel prices rose more than 8% during July, prices found a peak at the beginning of August and fell to create a higher high. Indeed, prices began to retrace downward as bearish patterns became apparent in price action. While prices have yet to substantially break below monthly support or create a new lower low, […]
