Aluminum supply continues to shrink thanks to smelter shutdowns caused by ongoing energy shortages. Aluminum prices enjoyed a brief rebound following the Fed’s latest rate hike of three-quarters of a point. However, in the short term, aluminum prices remain in a downward trend. Earlier this week, MetalMiner noted how smelter shutdowns in China and Europe […]
Category: Supply & Demand
Aluminum Supply Suffers From Industrial Shut-Downs
Thing may appear better in China than they are, at least as far as the country’s metals and minerals markets are concerned. However, China still remains the go-to destination for European steel and aluminum supply. Energy-sensitive European factories and aluminum smelters remain stranded due to the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. Western Europe’s gas and electricity supplies […]
Copper Prices: Firming of Resistance and Demand Zones
The copper industry showed resilience through many market challenges throughout 2022. Despite dropping prices and demand, copper continues to fight against obstacles ranging from Europe’s energy crisis and smelter shutdowns to China’s property crisis and shrinking demand. As MetalMiner noted earlier this month, copper markets do remain particularly volatile. And while prices traded sideways in […]
Stainless Steel MMI: Nickel Prices Move Sideways, Begin to Climb in September
By Nichole Bastin and Katie Benchina Olsen The Stainless Steel Monthly Metals Index (MMI) dropped 5.08% from August to September. Nickel prices began to rise this month, breaking through prior highs visible on shorter time frames such as the hourly and daily charts. Ultimately, prices bounced off bullish zones formed before the LME’s shutdown in […]
Construction MMI: Industrial Metal Supplies Low, Prices High
The September Construction MMI traded sideways, falling a modest 2.56%. However, this trend will likely not continue. Supply and energy shortages continue to weigh heavily on the industrial metal and construction industries. Strains on US Construction Smelter shutdowns and industrial metal slow-downs in China were not kind to the Construction MMI last month. Back in […]
Metal Prices in Decline
After powering to new highs in the Spring, metal prices continue to slide. Iron ore, aluminum, and copper have all fallen to varying degrees, and those merely represent the largest volumes. Meanwhile, the bulls continue to retreat while demand fears trump supply fears. Prices surged earlier this year based on several predictions. The first was […]
Automotive MMI – Supply Shrinks, Demand Rises
The September Automotive MMI (Monthly MetalMiner Index) traded sideways, falling a modest 2.13%. The same issues continue to affect manufacturing: rising demand and too few resources. Car Manufacturing Supply Chain Woes Supply chain shortages remain a persistent problem for the global automotive industry. Indeed, many companies are still struggling to find the necessary parts and […]
Stainless Steel in a “Commodity Standoff”
Stainless steel prices continue to struggle as we approach the final quarter of the year. Meanwhile, nickel prices float just above their 2021 average, closing August at $21,320 / mt. Both indices seem to indicate an overly-cautious marketplace, with buyers and sellers seemingly waiting to see what the other will do. This sort of “commodity” […]
Europe Facing Energy Crisis This Winter
A post in the Financial Times this week reported on comments made by Shell’s chief executive Ben van Beurden. In the article, Ben van Beurden focused mainly on the criticality of Europe’s energy crisis. “That this is going to be somehow easy, or over, I think is a fantasy that we should put aside,” Van Beurden […]
Rare Earths Companies Experience Cyber Attacks
For the longest time, the world relied solely on China for its supply of rare earths. Now, it seems that most countries have woken up to the “rare earths reality.” That is, we are starting to understand how important these elements are for vital sectors like defense as well as for products we use every […]
