The West African state of Guinea recently approved a joint development deal between the government, Rio Tinto/Simfer, and the Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS) consortia to develop the Simandou iron ore mining project. The National Transition Council (NTC), Guinea’s legislative body under the interim regime, announced the deal’s approval on February 3. “In short, this agreement […]
Category: Manufacturing
Indonesia’s Nickel Dominance Spells Trouble for Global Industry
The global nickel mining industry is under stress, and the primary reason is an oversupply of low-cost nickel from Indonesia. Moreover, this constant supply continues to support a major global surplus, placing downward pressure on the nickel price. At this point, the Southeast Asian nation has already cornered more than half of the world’s supply […]
Metinvest Reports Drop in Steel Production Amidst Russian Invasion
Ukrainian metals and mining group Metinvest recently reported a 31% decrease year on year in its crude steel production for 2023, citing Russia’s ongoing invasion of the country. The company halted steel manufacturing activities at its assets in Mariupol, Avdiivka, and Zaporizhzhia two years ago. This includes the Azovstal, Ilyich Steel, Avdiivka Coke, and Zaporizhzhia […]
UK Places Hot Rolled Steel Imports Under Scrutiny with Tata Steel Closure Plans
The United Kingdom’s Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) recently initiated a suspension review on safeguard measures against hot rolled flat and coil steels. Steel news sources report that the move also came alongside a tariff quota review. TRA reported on February 9 that both Tata Steel UK (TSUK) and steel trader Kromat Trading filed applications for […]
China’s Iron Ore Imports Surge Despite Evergrande Crisis
The first month of 2024 saw iron ore kick-off to a strong start, mainly due to increasing prices and substantial imports by China. Looking at iron ore futures, many investors were optimistic that the world’s largest purchaser of ore would continue implementing sufficient stimulus measures to enhance demand. Iron ore is a critical ingredient in […]
Stainless MMI: Stainless Steel Prices, a Bearish Market, Outokumpu Expects Quarterly Improvement
The downtrend for nickel prices showed signs of exhaustion, with significant potential to impact stainless steel prices. Nickel moved sideways throughout January with a modest 1.60% decline. While directional momentum remained slow, prices continued to edge lower during the first weeks of February and now sit at their lowest level since April 2021. Overall, the […]
Steel Production Declines in December 2023: Factors Impacting the Global Steel Market
Data from the World Steel Association (Worldsteel) released on January 25 indicates that global crude steel production remained largely unchanged year on year. Indeed, steel market analysis says poured liquid steel totaled 1.88 billion metric tons last year, which is similar to the volume poured in 2022. The association also stated that crude steel production […]
Automotive MMI: Hot-Dipped Galvanized Prices Flatten, EV Market Moving Too Quickly?
All components of the Automotive MMI moved sideways or down month-on-month. Moreover, January saw prices flatten out across the steel market, causing hot-dipped galvanized steel prices to trend close to support zones. Meanwhile, China’s wavering economy continues to prove a concern for global markets because the country is such a large steel demand driver. Many […]
Steel Manufacturing: Uncertainty Looms as Liberty Steel Ostrava Workers Delay Return
Workers at flats producer Liberty Steel Ostrava in the Czech Republic did not return to work on January 16, despite local media reports stating that workers agreed to resume working on this date. The Daily Denik noted that there were a couple of other “return dates” set for the steel manufacturing plant, including January 3 […]
Will Electric Cars Benefit or Threaten Europe’s Aluminum Industry?
Are electric cars going to benefit or threaten Europe’s aluminum industry? At first, it might appear a stupid question. However, it is also one that aluminum industry news sources continue to ask. The average European EV contained 283kgs of aluminum in 2022 compared to 169kgs for ICE vehicles. That is according to a study by […]
