It is not an idle question. For the last two decades, China’s infrastructure spending has been the engine of demand growth for steel, copper, and aluminum prices. So when the South China Morning Post reported that local governments sold 1.94 trillion yuan (US$289 billion) worth of bonds in June to fund infrastructure spending and boost […]
Category: Metal Prices
Stainless MMI: Nickel Prices Fall to a 6-Month Low
The Stainless MMI continues its decline this month. Moreover, nickel prices continue to show weakness without any apparent bullish anticipation from market participants. As the entire industrial metals market sloped downward, nickel prices followed suit. Moreover, volumes remain lower than pre-LME shutdown levels, which will continue to foster slow price movement. The Stainless Monthly Metals […]
Construction MMI: Indices and Demand Decline for Another Month
The Construction MMI (Monthly Metals Index) extended its decline from last month. Altogether, the index fell 10.69% from June to July. China is Poised to Inject Big Money into Infrastructure News recently broke that China’s State Council is preparing to increase credit lines across the board, providing an additional 800 billion yuan to fund […]
Aluminum MMI: Aluminum Prices Plummet to 12-Month Low
Aluminum prices continue to display a macro downtrend. Shorter-term trading ranges are forming but also breaking quickly, signaling further bearish sentiment. Simultaneously, breakouts to the downside seem to indicate a lack of bullish strength and support. Altogether, the Aluminum Monthly Metals Index (MMI) dropped by 8.06% month over month. The MetalMiner Insights platform includes global […]
Vladimir Potanin Sanctioned by the UK and Nickel Price Impact
The UK government has added Vladimir Potanin, Norilsk Nickel’s president and chairman of the management board, to its list of sanctioned individuals. The LME nickel price remains in question. A June 29 update notification from HM Treasury’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) noted Potanin’s addition. The stated reason was that he would benefit from […]
Copper Prices Plunge, But Chile Remains Optimistic
Copper price and prices have long been considered a major indicator of global economic health. So when they plunged to 16-month lows on June 23, investors quickly hit the “panic button.” According to this CNN Business article, the commodity’s 11% drop over two weeks shows that global growth is slowing. However, not everyone agrees. Chile’s […]
Estimating Stainless Steel Costs Becoming More Complicated
Last Month, MetalMiner reported that stainless steel cost had been holding strong amid high demand and increased production. However, we did identify some cracks in what might otherwise look like a solid recovery. As we transition from Q2 to Q3, some of those cracks have grown significantly. Low Demand in China Affecting Stainless Steel Cost […]
Global Precious Metals MMI: Palladium Leads the Precious Metals Bears
The Global Precious Metals MMI dropped by nearly 3% this month. Palladium dropped the most, though silver also looked comparatively weak. Gold Prices Trends: Bullish or Bearish? Gold has started to trade within a range formed by swing lows and highs. A break above either range will clear up the overall direction. Without a “big […]
Rare Earths MMI: US and China Feud Over Rare Earth Prices
Over the past month in, the Rare Earths MMI (Metal Miner Index) slightly dropped by 0.64%.Over the past few decades, the US-China relationship has evolved into more of a rivalry than anything else. This has left the United States eager to decouple from China on several critical issues. One such issue is the supply of […]
Renewables Monthly Metals Index (MMI) Renewables and GOES Prices Rise
The Renewables Monthly Metals Index (MMI) rose by 2.27%. After trending downward since March, renewable resources finally saw a price boost. Renewable Resources Partnership: Hydro Power and Air Battery Systems According to an article from Renewable Energy World, Augwind, a company specializing in renewable resources and energy, has launched a collaboration with Voith Hydro. The […]