The May Aluminum Monthly Metals Index (MMI) increased six points. Skyrocketing LME aluminum prices drove the subindex value increase. The current Aluminum MMI subindex stands at 100 points, 6.4% higher than in April. Buying Aluminum in 2018? Download MetalMiner’s free annual price outlook LME aluminum price momentum recovered strongly in April. LME aluminum prices reached […]
Category: Non-ferrous Metals
This Morning in Metals: Tariff Exemption Deadline at Midnight for E.U., Others
This morning in metals news, the deadline for Section 232 tariffs exemptions for certain countries falls tonight at midnight, AK Steel’s stock is up and the LME copper price tracked up Monday. Need buying strategies for steel? Try two free months of MetalMiner’s Outlook Tariff Exemption Expiration Approaches Several countries negotiated temporary exemptions from the […]
Nickel Fundamentals Come Back to the Fore
As my colleague Fouad Egbaria wrote last week, the U.S. administration’s relaxation of the timescale for implementation of sanctions against Rusal has had the effect of taking the panic out of the market. As a result, prices have fallen for several days, not just for aluminum but for other metals that the market feared could […]
This Morning in Metals: Steels Mills Shut Down in China’s Xuzhou
This morning in metals, steel mills in China’s second-biggest steelmaking province are shutting down, U.S. Steel reports its Q1 financials and Ecuadorian officials are engaging in talks to potentially bring a copper refinery to the country. Chinese Mills Shut Down in Pollution-Curbing Measure Several steel mills in the Chinese city of Xuzhou have been shut […]
LME Nickel Follows Aluminum in Price Slide
MetalMiner’s Stuart Burns touched on the rapid swing back downward for the aluminum price, which surged on news of U.S. sanctions on Russian oligarchs and companies but quickly dropped when the U.S. Treasury opened the door to potential easing of sanctions. Buying Aluminum in 2018? Download MetalMiner’s free annual price outlook But aluminum wasn’t the […]
Aluminum Consumers Pose a Not-Unreasonable Question: How High Can Prices Go?
Higher is the simple answer. The world with the exception of China was in deficit before U.S. sanctions against Oleg Derispaska and his aluminum company Rusal. So when the three million tons of primary metal Rusal exports outside of Russia are taken out of a market already worried by the recent partial closure of Norsk […]
Week in Review: Aluminum, KORUS and Section 232
Happy Friday, MetalMiner readers! Here’s a look back at this week’s top stories. Need buying strategies for steel? Try two free months of MetalMiner’s Outlook A number of aluminum associations around the world wrote a joint letter urging G20 leaders to hold a forum on global aluminum overcapacity at this year’s G20 Summit, scheduled to […]
This Morning in Metals: Alcoa Shares Jump 4%, Companies Seek Waivers from Section 232 Tariffs
This morning in metals news, there has been a flood of applications from U.S. companies for exemptions from the Section 232 tariffs. Nickel prices reached a three-year high, stoked by fears of more sanctions, and Alcoa shares jumped in after-hours trade following rosy Q1 results. Need buying strategies for steel? Try two free months of […]
Mid-April Metals Analysis: Aluminum, Copper and Nickel Prices Rise, Other Base Metals Fall
Numerous factors weigh heavily on the base metals and commodity complex: the Chinese copper scrap ban, the Section 232 proclamation on aluminum and steel combined with country-specific exemptions set to expire on May 1, the Section 301 investigation, and multiple strikes at copper and nickel mines to boot. After the turmoil of the first few […]
Aluminum Recovers With More Than 13% Price Jump in a Week
At the end of week before last, aluminum prices seemed to struggle; some thought the metal might have shifted to bearish country. However, after that LME aluminum prices jumped by more than 13% in a week. LME aluminum prices retraced to August resistance levels ($1,972/mt), and then increased sharply again. Need buying strategies for steel? […]