Like most base metals, the zinc price index rose during the first week of November. However, the 15th marked the last day of zinc’s sharp rally, as prices soon began to cool down and return back to prior support and resistance zones. As with other metal production facilities, Zinc smelters use a lot of energy. […]
Tag: Non-ferrous Metals
Metal Price Trends: Tin May Rebound, While Zinc Could Experience Additional Declines
Since the beginning of 2022, tin prices have steadily declined. Indeed, such was the case for many metal prices after the March peak. However, it’s possible tin could see a reversal in the long term. As it begins to reach lower support ranges indicated by September 2020’s low, we could see tin start to push […]
New Trends in Battery Nickel as EV Demand Rises
Battery original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have enjoyed a clear trend for much of the last decade. In fact, they’ve largely achieved falling per kWh manufacturing costs thanks to two strong dynamics. The first is economies of scale. After all, demand for both consumer electronics and electric vehicles in all forms – hybrid and full EV […]
Global Precious Metals MMI – Are High Interest Rates Causing Precious Metal Investment Risks?
October’s Global Precious Metals MMI (Monthly MetalMiner Index) traded sideways, falling slightly by 0.98%. The index held higher than other October MMI’s (a majority of which fell in price) due to high interest rates, recession fears, and slowing economic activity. Due to these the current economic climate, investors sought out precious metals for investment reasons […]
Glencore Slows Energy-Intensive Zinc Smelting
Glencore plans to place the zinc smelting line at its Nordenham plant in northern Germany on care and maintenance starting November 1. This represents yet another major blow to European metal manufacturing, which continues to see shutdowns amid the continent-wide energy crisis. In an October 5 memo, the London and Johannesburg-listed company’s supervisory board chairman, […]
Latest Updates on LME Aluminum: Potential Russian Prohibition
Last week, speculators bought up aluminum amid a $100/ton spike following news that LME aluminum may soon exclude Russian materials. The LME continues to review a ban that would keep Russian aluminum, nickel, and copper from the exchange. A Reuters post illustrated the seriousness of the move, stating that Russia’s Nornickel accounted for 7% of global […]
Tin Price Swings in 2022 and Anticipations for 2023
After a nearly two-year-long bullish trend in the tin market, the tin price recently took a bearish turn. Fed by the pandemic, the tin price reached an all-time high. However, buyer exhaustion soon overtook the market, leading to price drops. Like many metals, tin remains volatile for the moment, having bottomed out in July. But […]
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 […]
Copper MMI: Copper Price Rally Falters
The Copper Monthly Metals Index (MMI) moved sideways from August to September as the index rose 1.13%. Meanwhile, copper prices remain steady. Copper prices began to slide at the beginning of September. This came after they caught a temporary bounce in late summer. Prices then began to break through short-term lows, indicating the potential for further […]
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 […]