Industrial Metals Update China’s REE exports prove resilient The individual breakdown of China’s total rare earth element (REE) exports shows that exports of most REEs continued to grow strongly in the first two months of this year. 29th March 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Too far, too fast for Chinese steel prices Chinese steel prices have surged recently but we think they are unlikely to hold on to their recent gains, as the underlying fundamentals remain weak. Although we expect growth in steel usage to turn... 23rd March 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update China’s metals imports surge at the start of the year Strong growth in China’s metals imports, which started in the final quarter of 2015, continued in January-February. Some of the buying may have been opportunistic, given low prices, but it also points... 21st March 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Is recent news out of China positive for metals? In the last week or so, we have received the short- and long-term plans of the Chinese government at the National People’s Congress (NPC) as well as activity and spending data for the first two months... 18th March 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update High stocks remain a headwind for nickel prices With the stainless steel sector expected to remain in the doldrums, the prospects for nickel demand are poor. Falling production should still mean that the market deficit will deepen this year... 17th March 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Sentiment towards precious metals improves Precious metals prices continued their upward trend over the last month, bolstered by a weaker US dollar and a scaling back of fears over a hard landing in China. While gold benefited from further... 16th March 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Recent rally in iron ore prices likely to be short-lived The price of iron ore has strengthened significantly so far this year, and saw its largest one-day move on Monday when it rose by almost $10 per tonne. The fact that iron ore has fallen by more than... 9th March 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Stock movements may point to optimism about demand LME exchange stocks have generally been falling this year, while Shanghai-based stocks have been rising. We suspect that rising stocks in China are a reflection of hopes that ongoing stimulus measures... 9th March 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update China’s REE exports start the year strongly China’s total rare earth element (REE) exports were lower in January and February than in December, largely due to the Chinese New Year holidays. But exports in both months were still higher than... 8th March 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Tin finds favour with investors While supply is clearly tightening, the outlook for tin demand is still uncertain. As such, improved investor sentiment seems to explain much of the latest rally in the tin price, making it... 7th March 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update The rally in the price of iron ore appears premature The recent surge in the price of iron ore is not supported by fundamentals. Chinese steel production fell sharply in January, while efforts to boost iron ore supply are ongoing. As such, we expect... 24th February 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update China’s aluminium consumption surge isn’t all it seems We think that recent reports suggesting China’s aluminium consumption surged last year and that the world market recorded a deficit don’t accurately reflect the fundamentals of the sector. The reality... 23rd February 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Another month of solid Chinese metals imports Imports of many industrial metals had surged in December, so somewhat slower growth in January came as no surprise. However, the bigger picture is that China’s imports of metal have remained strong... 22nd February 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Cautiously positive on lead demand Lead usage has contracted for two consecutive years. However, some of the downturn can be attributed to destocking, as well as a decline in China’s e-bike production. As these trends run their course... 18th February 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Is REE demand from Europe waning? Although the latest data show that rare earth metal import growth has been slowing in the European Union (EU), this is largely due to base effects. Meanwhile, a number of indicators suggest EU rare... 17th February 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Precious metals regain their lustre After a weak start to the year, precious metals prices surged last month, bolstered by a weaker US dollar. Gold and silver continued to benefit from safe-haven demand as global equity prices tumbled... 16th February 2016 · 1 min read
