Importers of metals and metal components may be seeing a glimmer of light at the end of what has been a very long tunnel of logistics chaos, sky-high freight rates and shipping delays. Freight rates have eased from peaks per 40ft container in the summer for some shippers of up to $15,000 to $9,000 last […]
Category: Logistics
This Morning in Metals: Pre-Labor Day retail gas prices at highest level since 2014
This morning in metals news: pre-Labor Day retail gasoline prices are at their highest level in seven years; meanwhile, payroll employment rose by 235,000 in August; and, lastly, Norilsk Nickel has signed an agreement to build a liquefied natural gas icebreaker. You want more MetalMiner on your terms. Sign up for weekly email updates here. […]
This Morning in Metals: Norsk Hydro to expand capacity at Sjunnen extrusion plant
This morning in metals news: Norsk Hydro plans to expand capacity at its Sjunnen aluminum extrusion plant; the Pilbara Ports Authority reported a decline in throughput in July; and, lastly, the United States International Trade Commission conducted a five-year sunset review on existing duty orders for carbon and alloy steel standard, line and pressure pipe […]
Week in Review: Shipping sector woes; oil prices fall; Toyota announces production cuts
Before we head into the weekend, let’s take a look back at the week that was and some of the metals storylines here on MetalMiner: Receive the latest short-term and long-term outlook for the full range of industrial metals (base and ferrous) at the annual MetalMiner Forecasting Workshop on Aug. 25. Week of Aug. 16-20 […]
Global shipping market deteriorates further
The global shipping market has been a depressing topic to report on this year. We have posted two or three updates on the state of play over the last eight months, each time expecting the situation to improve. Depressingly, by the time we come back to it, it has, if anything, gotten worse. Stay up […]
The global shipping market is getting worse rather than better
The global logistics market has gone through a horrible winter. The pandemic caused massive disruption. US and European ports became gummed up with PPE and medical equipment. This resulted in port delays and tens of thousands of containers being out of position at destination when they are needed at origin, further exacerbating a lack of […]
Supply chain shortages: could one industry’s challenge be another’s solution?
Metal prices have been rising this year, in part because of a rapid recovery in consumer spending and manufacturing following last year’s lockdowns. China led the recovery, but the recoveries have strengthened in North America and, to a lesser extent, Europe. As vaccines have rolled out, particularly in the US, sentiment has improved. Consumers have […]
A year later: Chatting with Josh Gilbert of Temperance Beer Co. on the aluminum can shortage, COVID-19 impacts
A little over a year has come and gone since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the US. In addition to the immense human toll, the pandemic has changed the way many people live their lives. Work situations have changed, as many have switched out commutes to the office for a morning commute to their […]
This Morning in Metals: US steel capacity utilization rate reaches 78.0%
This morning in metals news: US steel capacity utilization reached 78.0% last week; Rio Tinto released its Q1 production results; and the Pilbara Ports Authority reported March shipping figures. The MetalMiner Best Practice Library offers a wealth of knowledge and tips to help buyers stay on top of metals markets and buying strategies. US steel […]
Week in Review: Steel imports; April 2021 MMO; Suez Canal aftermath
Before we head into the weekend, let’s take a look back at the week that was and some of the metals storylines here on MetalMiner, including the Suez Canal blockage, the April 2021 MMO, Western European hot rolled coil prices and much more: Sign up today for Gunpowder, MetalMiner’s free, biweekly e-newsletter featuring news, analysis […]
