Copper LME prices jump 55% from March 2020 lows Consumption improves in H1, 2020, with China coming to the rescue Lower supply, slow but persistent demand push the commodity into extended deficit   Copper, the reddish-brown metal as been on a run over the past few months with prices at the major LME 3-month forward benchmark riding higher above the US$ 6,500 per MT mark...

  Overview of metals industry in India Current state and performance Outlook   Overview and Performance Basic Metals & Metal Products industry is one the largest industry in India. India ranks 2 nd in crude steel production globally with an output of 111.2 Million Tonnes in 2019. Crude steel production and finished steel production stood at 108.5 MT and...

  Lead refined metal consumption records surplus of 78,000 MT in Jan-Jun 2020 period Lead LME prices decline to 5-year lows, though register pullback in last few months Automotive sector, which generates larger share of demand for Lead, likely to see weaker demand for the full year   Lead, the battery metal has been on a downward spiral since its intermittent peak...

  Silver prices at Spot and futures market move to multi-year highs Safe haven demand amidst the Coronavirus pandemic driving gains in Bullions Physical and institutional demand stay strong for the commodity     Bullion prices have been on the tear for the last few months with prices of both Gold and Silver registering strong performance in the futures and...

  Did the Covid19 outbreak magnify the global steel industry’s woes?  Will the unlock phase be able to recover steel industry from its plight?   The year 2019 was not a great year for the global steel industry as crude steel production grew by merely 3%, significantly lower compared to its intermittent peak (6.3%) achieved in 2017. Similarly, the global finished...

How China drove the industry? What will affect the global demand in 2017? Does the US have a role?   The steel industry is one of the largest industries globally. The growth in the steel industry is directly proportional to the economic health of a country as well as of that of the world. 2016 can be recognised as the finest year for the ‘grey metal’ as...

  What led to the freefall in copper prices in March 2020? Will lifting of lockdown worldwide provide the required boost to copper prices?   Dr. Copper, being treated as the barometer of economy, had been one of the worst hit commodities due to global lockdown led by Covid-19 outbreak, reflecting the pause in economic activities worldwide. After falling for most of...

  What was the role of Fukushima Daiichi disaster? Did production cuts from Kazatomprom help? An analysis of 5 major uranium producers in the world   The global uranium market remained under tremendous pressure during the past ten years, this was mostly driven by the skewed demand-supply equation and pushed the commodity into surplus. However, the metal...

  Key factors that drove the zinc supply Did offloading play a major role? How China influenced the demand for the metal? Why will zinc be in deficit in 2017?   In 2008-09, during the recession all base metals prices declined significantly (~30%). However, even after 7-8 years most of these are unable to recover and reach the pre-recession levels. The...

Why EAF contribute more than half of the crude steel production? Scrap iron vs. Sponge iron. The coal based Sponge iron plants in India. What 2017 holds in terms of steel demand in India?   Iron and steel form the backbone of global infrastructure. Roads, railways, bridges, airports, industrial plants, buildings, automobiles, etc. use steel and allied...

The mineral and metals processing industry machinery manufacturing companies supply a range of equipment and machinery such as heat exchangers, furnace, grinding mills to the mineral and metals processing companies. The former also provide installation and maintenance services over the life cycle of equipment and machinery to the mineral and metals processing industries. Thus, the performance...

Gold, the precious yellow metal has historically been one of the most sought commodities for investment and jewellery throughout the world. The metal is also considered as a hedge against inflation, an alternative asset during economic and political upheaval for individuals. In addition, corporates, as well as governments, store the metal as wealth and reserves. Nevertheless, the metal has not...

The last few years were not very good for most precious and base metals since prices fell due to weak demand. Additionally, there was an excess supply of most metals globally. Among the precious metals space, platinum too recorded a decline with its prices dipping from the highs of $1700 in 2010 to the lows of $1000 during 2016. A decline in end product price dragged the margins of major...

Indonesia’s ban on unprocessed mineral export in 2012 turned out to be a boon for the Philippines as it swiftly replaced Indonesia as the top supplier of some of the raw mineral ores to China, specifically the nickel ore. China’s nickel ore import from the Philippines increased by 22% to ~36mn tonnes in 2014. However, soon (in Jul 2014) Philippine’s government realised that despite being the...

  The annual global jewellery retail sales have grown at a CAGR of around 5% from USD 146 billion in 2005, this is expected to reach USD 250 billion in 2017. The top 5 regions for the jewellery retail sales are the US, China, India, Middle-East and Japan, together these account for 64% of the global jewellery retail sales. The jewellery retail industry is highly fragmented with...

The financial crises in 2008 led to the downfall of the majority of commodities, except silver and gold, which witnessed a rise in the prices as both are considered safe havens for the investment. The financial crises and economic slowdown compelled investors to park their money in the yellow metal, driving its prices to a higher level between 2008 to 2011. Gold touched an all-time high of USD...

The copper prices in December 2008 dropped to as low as USD 2,800/MT after the financial crisis,  following the highs of USD 8,000/MT in the same period a year ago. This significant drop was brought about by a fall in demand amidst the global financial and economic crisis. The revival of the world economy recuperated the copper prices to its record levels, which rallied as high as USD...

Iron ore, one of the largest traded dry commodities in the world, has taken a big hit over the past few years. It fell by ~24% (CAGR) from ~$150 per MT to ~$57 per MT between January 2013 to July 2016. In an ideal situation, the decline in the price calls for a slowdown in production, however, for iron ore, the story is somewhat different. The iron ore production increased by ~3% despite a...

In the midst of global economic uncertainty caused by several negative factors like Brexit vote, negative interest rates and lately the slowing of the US economy (in the second quarter of 2016). The so-called “safe-haven” the yellow metal is gaining lustre once again, given the inverse relationship between economic confidence and gold prices. All these new developments have pushed gold prices...

A lot is happening in the coal mining industry of late, most of which is quite painful for the stakeholders involved. There have been mine closures, suspension of coal fired power plants, bankruptcies and layoffs, to name a few. The coal industry today is stricken with number of interlinked problems, all at once: price decline, overcapacity, continuous demand contraction, haunting...