The Rare Earths MMI (Monthly Metals Index) managed to reverse and pull up by 8.66% after experiencing steady declines since May. Numerous parts of the rare earths index reversed price action, including neodymium and terbium oxide. China’s recent crackdown on rare earth supplies has caused a shift in the global market, creating significant bullish sentiment […]
Category: Non-ferrous Metals
Trade War Heats Up: India Targets China with Heavy Aluminum Foil Duties
This week brought news of one more anti dumping proposal against China. This time around, a department under India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry proposed imposing an anti dumping duty on the imports of Chinese aluminum foil. This follows multiple complaints by members of the domestic aluminum industry regarding cheap foil flooding the market. Aluminum […]
Cobalt Mining: A ‘Dirty’ Truth
The cobalt mining industry, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has received backlash in both the past and present for human rights concerns. In the DRC, children as young as seven are sometimes employed to work in hazardous conditions to collect cobalt, a crucial material for electric car batteries, smartphones and other modern […]
Why Are Aluminum Prices Up Despite Ample Supply?
Falling exchange prices and rising LME inventories this year indicate that primary aluminum is currently in ample supply. So far, aluminum prices have slightly increased since the beginning of the month as inventory levels have steadily declined. However, while the metal leaving the exchange has been Indian, a good, deliverable brand, the metal arriving has […]
Global Precious Metals MMI: Gold Prices Continue to Fly High, but for How Long?
The Global Precious Metals MMI (Monthly Metals Index) narrowly missed trading flat, only budging down a mere 0.01%. Precious metals prices experienced an array of volatility in both directions, which held the overall index firmly in a sideways trend. Gold prices continue to rise while other precious metals like palladium and silver dropped (price trends […]
Copper MMI: Mining Resumption, China Pose Risk to Copper Prices
Overall, the Copper Monthly Metals Index (MMI) fell 4.56% from July to August. Aside from a short-lived rise at the start of July, copper prices today remain in a downtrend, with prices falling 5.76% from the previous month. Prices did manage to rebound in August, although not enough to signal a trend reversal. (Follow copper […]
Lithium: Continued Growth, or Red Herring?
Lithium has rapidly become a critical element in the race to dominate the tech and energy sectors, resulting in a powerful and profitable global lithium market. This is mainly because the element plays an indispensable role in lithium-ion batteries, which don’t just “charge” our smartphones and laptops but also power electric vehicles. As the global […]
Renewables MMI: China’s Battery Metals Stockpile, What Does it Mean for U.S. Companies?
The Renewables MMI (Monthly Metals Index) continued to plateau, moving sideways with only a slight 1.29% drop. Currently, there isn’t enough bullish or bearish price action to yank the index too far out of its sideways trend. The historically volatile movements of grain-oriented electrical steel prices are currently the only factor adding any significant volatility […]
Construction MMI: US Manufacturing Boom or US Manufacturing Recession?
The Construction MMI (Monthly Metals Index) finally broke free of its year-long sideways trend, but only slightly. All in all, price action moved down by 3.52%, adding to questions about the state of US manufacturing. Iron ore, h-beam, and steel rebar prices dropping were the main components driving the index down. In general, numerous factors […]
Europe’s Answer to China’s Rare Earth Monopoly
Rare earth elements and semiconductors have taken on that critical national development role once occupied by oil and petroleum products. Despite the ongoing U.S.-China competition, the latter country controls a full 90% of the global rare earths supply, transforming these elements into potential political weapons. With regard to semiconductors, China’s Civilian-Military Integration Strategy aims to […]