SummaryMy Investment Model has a high allocation to stocks with an increasing shift to a conservative rotation. Financial risk is low with improving corporate performance, steady economic growth, and moderate inflation. Medium-term risks are less slack in the economy, rising interest rates, and the unwinding of "quantitative easing." Longer-term risks are high valuations.Most people have inadequat...Read More

Private Blog – Gold in 2018 – Are We Ready Now?Read More

A Colorado School of Mines graduate student has been honored with the National Association of Geoscience Teachers Outstanding TA Award.William Kyle Blount, a PhD student in hydrology, was nominated for the award by Terri Hogue, professor of civil and environmental engineering, in recognition of his numerous academic and community activities, research experience on hydrologic modeling and data anal...Read More

A Colorado School of Mines professor is part of a team that has been awarded $8 million over five years by the U.S Department of Energy to engineer a particular strain of alga to produce renewable biofuel.Nanette Boyle, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, will receive $616,000 over the next five years for her part in the project, which is to create a genome-scale metabolic...Read More

Buying activity in Iran's hot-rolled coil (HRC) and cold-rolled coil (CRC) import market has been sluggish in the week ending Wednesday January 3.Sources told Metal Bulletin this was largely due to national holidays affecting suppliers in the CIS region, which is the leading supplier of steel to Iran.However, had CIS mills been active in the market, trading activity with Iran would hardl...Read More

2017 was a strong year for base metals on the London Metal Exchange with zinc, copper and aluminium all setting multi-year highs.The latest rally took place within the last few days of the year, with aluminium climbing to a yearly high of $2,290 per tonne on the last trading day of 2017, and just in time to make it the strongest performer of the year. "Copper [was] trading close to a four-year hig...Read More

Most global nickel premiums were flat, while new Chinese import duties pushed free-trade briquettes to China from Australia to a historic high. Chinese full plate premiums were flat on thin trading. European market sees no effect from new Chinese import duties after quiet start to 2018. US market quiet as well to start the new year.Briquettes from Australia to China see historic high after new imp...Read More

Freight and FOT components moved marginally during December.MARKET COMMENTARY:The differential between cancelling aluminium from London Metal Exchange warehouses in Asia and shipping it into the US Midwest was largely steady, with only marginal higher FOTs because of slight currency swings, for the month of December according to the Metal Bulletin Arbitrage indicator.The freight and FOT component...Read More

While for much of past twenty years there has been a slow withering of the mining industry in the U.S., with the notable exceptions of a few bright spots such as gold mining in Nevada, things are starting to look much more optimistic thanks to a combination of rising commodity prices, an easing of regulatory burdens and a new pro-business atmosphere punctuated by the deep corporate cuts in the U.S...Read More

The Manitoba Saskatchewan Prospectors and Developers Association (MSPDA) takes the strong view that while it agrees with Stephen Fletcher's view that a creating a new national park on Manitoba's Nickel Belt is an irresponsible action by the federal government (T.N.M., Nov. 16-Dec. 10/17), he should not have so quickly suggested a park in the Seal River area as an alternative.Mr. Fletcher, Member o...Read More

Brazilian flat steel producer CSN has applied an increase of 23% in its annual pricing contracts to local automakers, effective Monday January 1, the company confirmed to Metal Bulletin on January 3.The adjustment is in line with higher raw materials costs and international flat steel prices, according to Brazil-based sources...Read More

Argentinian steelmaker ArcelorMittal Acindar has named Marcelo Marino Pena Luz its new chief executive officer, the company announced on Tuesday January 2.He replaces Jos?(C) Ignacio Giraudo in the position.Pena Luz was previously vice president of operations at ArcelorMittal's Long Steel division in...Read More

Due to a technical error, the following prices were not published by Metal Bulletin Group on Monday January 1:CIS Export Semi-finished and Flat steelCIS Export Semi-finished and Long steelCIS Billet IndexRussia Domestic Long and Flat steelTurkey Domestic Ferrous Scrap AssessmentsAll prices were rolled over from the previous week, due to seasonal holidays.Metal Bulletin Group's Price Book has been...Read More

Turkey's flat steel export volumes rose by 9.73% year on year in November, according to the latest data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). The main reason for the increase was the fact that flat steel buyers placed orders in September after the summer slowdown in July and August, according to market participants. Additionally, export prices for Turkish flat steel products were highly c...Read More

Domestic prices for rebar in Southern Europe have remained unchanged over the past week, with the majority of market participants yet to return from seasonal holidays, sources told Metal Bulletin on Wednesday January 3.Metal Bulletin's weekly domestic price assessment for Southern European rebar was stable at ?,?505-530 ($608-638) per tonne delivered on Wednesday."We have only just returned to the...Read More

Prices for steel beams in the European domestic market remained flat this week with the majority of market participants and steel beam-making mills still on holiday.Metal Bulletin's price assessment for commodity-grade, 200 x 200mm category-2 H-beams made in both Northern and Southern Europe remained at ?,?615-645 ($741-777) per tonne delivered...Read More

The latest ferro-tungsten and ammonium paratungstate (APT) transactions, bids, offers and assessments in Europe, Vietnam and China. Blue tungsten oxide (BTO) and yellow tungsten oxide (YTO) deals are taken into consideration.The latest ferro-tungsten and ammonium paratungstate (APT) transactions, bids, offers and assessments in Europe, Vietnam and China. Blue tungsten oxide (BTO) and yellow tungst...Read More

The latest ferro-vanadium and vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) transactions, bids, offers and assessments in Europe.The latest ferro-vanadium and vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) transactions, bids, offers and assessments in Europe.To view the latest price quotations, follow the links below:Europe- Ferro-vanadium delivered duty-paid in Europe- Vanadium pentoxide in-warehouse RotterdamChina- Ferro-vanadium, 78%...Read More

The following Metal Bulletin noble alloys and ores prices changed on Wednesday January 3:Noble alloys Molybdenum Europe drummed molybdic oxide, $/lb: $10.70-11.00 per lb from $9.80-9.90 Ferro-molybdenum basis 65% min, in-warehouse Rotterdam, $/kg Mo: $26.20-26.80 per...Read More

Indonesia's government has extended until June 30, 2018, the temporary special mining permit it issued to PT Freeport Indonesia, a subsidiary of US-based Freeport McMoRan (NYSE:FCX).The permit was issued to allow the miner to continue exporting copper concentrate while company representatives and government officials go on with the discussions around Freeport's future operations in the country, wh...Read More