Since I now have to spend the rest of my life with titanium screws in my arm, I thought it was interesting – and maybe a little morbid, I’ll admit – to read some articles about the recycling of metal pins, screws and joints after they’re found in the ashes of cremated bodies. Hey, I warned you […]

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One little side benefit of high commodity prices is companies start to quickly ramp up product substitution and new product innovation. Two years ago, when nickel skyrocketed, many firms moved toward 400 series stainless alloys and other product substitutions. High oil prices have a dual benefit - they change consumer behavior which in turn changes […]

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Speaking at a shareholders’ meeting in Japan, Nissan’s Carlos Ghosn warned that car prices would rise regardless of the strength of the market because of the soaring cost of steel. Prompted by Baosteel’s agreement with Rio Tinto to accept a near doubling in iron ore prices, Ghosn was warning that all steel makers would feel the […]

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As a metal, molybdenum has had a funny life. For decades the price bumped along around $ 2-4/lb, largely produced as a by-product of copper production with a few pure play molybdenum mines operating as swing production if the price rose sufficiently to make them viable. Molybdenum grades are so thin, typically between 0.01 and […]

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The Ferro Silicon market has gone through some rapid price escalation over the last 12 months, but finally appears to be drawing breath. To understand what drives the price does not require any great insight. Ferro Silicon is produced from silica (usually a form of sand), coke, a source of iron (such as scrap or […]

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Earlier this week, the Fed kept the Federal Funds rate unchanged. This was the first time in many sessions that the Fed opted not to further reduce rates. To us, this signals not only a pause in rate cutting, but a change in monetary policy designed to combat inflation and the pitifully low dollar. It […]

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It’s not just fears of U.S. inflation that have led to the recent fall of copper. A weaker demand from China is causing additional worries in the copper market. The world’s top consumer of copper and a producer of the red metal, China saw copper hit a remarkable high point last April, reaching $8,800. Soon […]

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As you all know, we haven’t been exactly complimentary of speculators on this blog as we have previously reported here and here. The number of dollars going into commodity hedge funds ($55b in 2007 vs. $15b in 2005) according to Cole Partners Asset Management is significant. And we have all witnessed frothy metals markets say […]

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In late afternoon news on Wednesday my Crain’s Chicago alert came in with the headline “Russan Suitor Wins Esmark”. We have been reporting on this story for a couple of weeks now because the battle for Esmark has been well, rather exciting and interesting.  To recap, two companies bid for Esmark, Essar of India and OAO […]

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I’d like to welcome guest editor Jason Busch of SpendMatters who contributed this blog post. In the name of full disclosure, Jason is also Lisa Reisman’s husband.
It’s difficult to find a recent day that’s gone by without metals theft hitting the headlines. From stolen statues to lifted catalytic converters to hot air conditioning condensing units, metals […]

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