Category: Nickel
The analysis published under this category are as follows.Friday, November 08, 2019
Is China locking up Indonesian Nickel? / Commodities / Nickel
As it has done with cobalt, graphite and rare earths, China appears to be locking up the nickel market.
Nickel’s top producer, Indonesia, in early September decided to accelerate a scheduled ban on ore export shipments, from 2022 to January 1, 2020. The ban which instead took immediate effect on Oct. 28, is to encourage the building of domestic smelters instead of exporting raw nickel, and other metals, for processing abroad. (the country did the same thing in 2014 but lifted the ban three years later).
No coincidence
Is it any coincidence that Indonesia decided in September to ban nickel ore exports, just a few weeks after a meeting between Indonesian president Joko Widodo and Chinese industrial executives, including Xiang Guanda, who in partnership with his wife, runs Tsingshan Holding Group?
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
The Nickel Supply Squeeze Is Just Getting Started / Commodities / Nickel
Back in January, I wrote a column explaining the supply-demand squeeze in nickel.
One way I suggested to play the nickel squeeze, the iPath Dow Jones-AIG Nickel Total Return Sub-Index ETN (NYSE: JJN), is up 38% from my recommendation.
Did you buy that fund? Well, if you didn't, there's no need to kick yourself.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Why Nickel May Be Just Beginning a Major Price Breakout Move / Commodities / Nickel
Governments around the world especially in the emerging economies are now beginning to worry about inflation and currency devaluation. Turkey and India have taken emergency measures to increase rates and the U.S. is tapering as there are growing concerns about significant declines in their respective fiat currencies. Even the Russians and Chinese are concerned. The ruble and yuan are hitting new lows. Paper currencies may be on the verge of failing. Eventually, a new currency backed by gold (GLD) or silver (SLV) could be established to restore trust.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Nickel Metal Mining Like its 1864 / Commodities / Nickel
Nickel Sulphide Project Pipeline Empty
Nickel is present in over 3000 different alloys that are used in over 300,000 products for consumer, industrial, military, transport/aerospace, marine and architectural applications.
Nickel's biggest use, about 65%, is in alloying - particularly with chromium and other metals to produce stainless and heat-resisting steels. Its primary function is to stabilize the austenitic (face-centered cubic crystal) structure of the steel. Normal carbon steel will, on cooling, transform from an austenite structure to a mixture of ferrite and cementite. When added to stainless steel nickel stops this transformation keeping the material fully austenite on cooling. Austenitic stainless steels have high ductility, low yield stress and high tensile strength when compared to carbon steel - aluminum and copper are examples of other metals with the austenitic structure.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, June 10, 2011
The Charges Against Big Nickel Companies / Commodities / Nickel
In 1946, in New York City, the Anti-Trust Division of the Department of Justice filed a complaint against Inco and its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, International Nickel Co. Inc.
Canada's Inco, at the time, owned 90% of the world's nickel ore and supplied 90% of U.S. nickel needs.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Nickel LME Inventories Fall Sharply, Putting Nickel Miners on Investor Radar / Commodities / Nickel
London Metal Exchange (LME) nickel inventory levels are down 20% from their peak in February and the latest International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) production data suggests that the nickel market will remain in deficit for 2010 and 2011.
Barclays Capital is forecasting nickel spot price increases of 30% over the next 24 months - this is supported both by China's furious pace of industrialisation and weakness on the supply side due to labour disputes.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
What's Happening With The Nickel Market ? / Commodities / Nickel
Commodity bull markets can often experience a speculative peak followed by a dramatic collapse in price. These sharp peaks are sometimes associated with an attempt to corner the commodity by either a single large entity or collusion of smaller participants. With the exception of DeBeer's which has allegedly been successful at manipulating the diamond market for decades, these activities often end in financial disaster when the aim of the manipulator becomes widely known. They may find themselves becoming the only buyer in order to keep the price high and prevent a catastrophic collapse.Read full article... Read full article...