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February 2017
28 February 2017
IM's monthly price movements.
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27 February 2017
When China quietly cancelled the export tax for both graphite and magnesia in December, both Chinese associations and producers were left in doubt, while market participants questioned whether it would lead to more material being sold at cheaper prices. Customs data for January appear to show that has become a reality.
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24 February 2017
As Chinese authorities continue the clampdown on polluting industries to clean up local operations, the focus is shifting to magnesia processors. After the rapid downfall in magnesia prices out of China following the scrapping of the quota system, some suggest the downtrend may be reversed if the shutdowns lead to a supply shortage.
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23 February 2017
All three main operations in thermal products, technical ceramics and composites/defence systems posted solid increases in sales, supported by a favourable exchange rate.
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23 February 2017
Salt demand is closely linked to predictable factors such as population growth, but also to erratic phenomena like weather patterns, making the outlook for the industry hard to predict. David McNeill*, Senior Analyst at Roskill Information Services, assesses current trends in the global salt market.
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23 February 2017
Newly-launched shipping agency WaterFront Maritime believes that there has been a loss of expertise in seaborne commodities transport in recent years and that the sector’s uncertain trading conditions present a perfect opportunity to offer tailored logistics services, Rose Pengelly, IM Correspondent, finds.
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23 February 2017
Falling prices of renewable energy, increased interest in energy storage and demand for versatile off-grid applications spell good news for the expanding vanadium battery market, Davide Ghilotti, Chief Reporter, finds.
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23 February 2017
Lithium-ion batteries have been plugged as the enablers of countless next generation electronic devices, but there remain kinks in the technology that engineers are struggling to iron out. Rose Pengelly, IM Correspondent, spoke to high-tech materials developer Ilika about how solid state designs may provide some of the answers battery users are looking for.
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23 February 2017
Two months after the production cogs began to churn out battery cells at Tesla’s ‘Gigafactory’, Myles McCormick, Reporter, investigates the arrival of lithium-ion battery megafactories, the hurdles they face and their
significance for raw material demand.
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22 February 2017
Revenues in 2015 were hit by a depressed steel markets and rising inventories for RHI, while preliminary results for 2016 show a further drop is anticipated.
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22 February 2017
A rebound in titanium dioxide prices and demand has paved the way for positive momentum in the mineral sands sector. Kasia Patel, North American Editor, and Cameron Perks, IM Correspondent, look at current industry trends and planned new projects in the sector.
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20 February 2017
The acquisition of NG Johnson Northern confirms Calderys’ focus on providing a vertically-integrated service to customers, from design of the refractories all the way to post-installation servicing and maintenance.
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20 February 2017
Up to 15,000 tonnes magnesia was indicated as having been smuggled over two years. Separately, Liaoning province continues with its environmental efforts to regulate local magnesia companies.
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17 February 2017
The plant will add to the existing capacity HarbisonWalker has in the US and represents the company's strategy to reinforce its position in refractories.
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16 February 2017
Imerys’ long list of recently completed acquisitions brought in over €140m in additional revenue, boosting the company’s yearly turnover, as income showed robust growth while refractories remained difficult.
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15 February 2017
Recovery in construction led to improved performance in all three geographical areas Martin Marietta operates in, while the new Trump government’s focus on infrastructural spending bodes well for the future of the sector.
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10 February 2017
Trading remains quiet in the first week after the Chinese New Year holiday, but a number of industrial mineral miners have announced production update. Antimony trioxide spot prices increased while chromite held firm.
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06 February 2017
Magnesia exports from the leading Latin American producing nation saw a double-digit decline in value, as shipments to the US alone fell by almost $15m.
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01 February 2017
The Eritrean government has granted Australian potash junior producer Danakali a mining license for the development of the 1.3bn-tonne Colluli potash project.