Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Tuesday's trading session at $6.97/lb ($15,370/tonne). Indicators at 5:45 am CST today show nickel trading around $.02/lb higher. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed warehouses went unchanged on Tuesday and still reads just over the 165,350 tonne level. Shanghai nickel rose to 125,230 y/t overnight. The Euro is sliding but nickel bulls remain undaunted so far. Busy news day so we leave you to it. Stay safe out there and have a great hump day!
  
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $6.80/lb
  

    Tuesday's market review - Copper edges up with support from tariff bets, weaker dollar - Copper prices rose in London on Tuesday, with some buying triggered by a weaker dollar and hopes that President-elect ... - more

    Stainless Steel CR Coil Prices Tumble in USA, China; Stable in Germany - With the week ending on 3rd January, the global Stainless-Steel CR Coil market in December showcased diverse trends across .... - more

    YC Inox starts stainless steel pipe production at Turkish subsidiary - YC Inox TR Çelik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., a Turkish subsidiary owned by Taiwan’s stainless steel producer YC Inox Co., Ltd., has started ... - more

    Global molybdenum production and usage rises in Q3 2024 - International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) show that global production of molybdenum rose by 2% to 162.4 million pounds (mlbs) and usage ... - more

   EVs, green tech seen driving nickel, copper demand in 2025 - Miners are expected to encounter stronger demand for major Philippine minerals like copper, nickel, and gold in 2025, industry officials said. - more

   LME activity up 18% in 2024, nickel volumes at pre-crisis level - Average daily volumes at the London Metal Exchange, the world’s largest and oldest metals forum, gained 18% to 664,698 lots in 2024 with nickel ... - more

• LME expresses satisfaction with its 2024 activity levels - more

   Stainless Steel Metal Casting: A Complete Guide to Processes and Applications - Over the ages, metal casting, one of the oldest and most adaptable manufacturing methods, has evolved significantly, enabling the... - more

   Courtesy AISI - In the week ending on January 4, 2025, domestic raw steel production was 1,635,000 net tons while the capability utilization rate was 73.6 percent. Production was 1,656,000 net tons in the week ending January 4, 2024, while the capability utilization then was 73.7 percent.  - more

   Photo Essay: How Nickel Smelting Threatens Indigenous Tribe’s Ancestral Home in Indonesia - The deafening roar of bulldozers ripped through the tranquil forest, scattering birds and shattering the harmony that... - more

   Other News

• Canada's trade surplus with U.S. widens before Trump's return - more
• China to Curb Exports of Lithium Battery Tech - more
• As population trends shift, where will future workers come from? - more
• Trudeau 'wish list' fell short for miners in green energy transition - more
• Years of Excess Press China’s Economy - more  (WSJ excerpt) "Now, China’s goal of overtaking the U.S. as the world’s largest economy might take decades longer than Beijing expected—if it happens at all."

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)

  Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Monday's trading session at $6.90/lb ($15,220/tonne). Indicators at 5:45 am CST today show nickel trading around $.05/lb higher. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed warehouses rose sharply on Monday and started today reading just over the 165,350 tonne level. Shanghai nickel ticked higher to 122,720 y/t overnight. The U.S. Dollar fell yesterday early on a report by the Washington Post that Trump insiders were claiming the tariff's Trump promised would not be as broad based as earlier reported. With the Euro jumping, nickel followed suit. Later, Trump tweeted the story was wrong and the Euro lost some of its earlier gains. With this, nickel calmed as well. This morning the Euro is stronger again, with nickel playing follow the leader. With fundamentals giving out rather depressing signals, the strength or weakness of the Euro is about the only thing keeping nickel bulls awake these days. Stay safe, stay warm, and have a great Tuesday!
  
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $6.78/lb
  

    Monday's market review - Copper lifted by softer dollar but uncertainty clouds outlook - Copper prices rose as the dollar eased on Monday, but gains were capped by uncertainty over the demand outlook in ... - more

    Challenges and Market Dynamics in the High-Grade Nickel Pig Iron Industry - In this week's developments in the nickel industry, the market performance of SMM 8-12% high-grade nickel pig iron (NPI) has ... - more

• SunSirs: Stainless Steel Closed Higher on January 6th - more

   Nickel Asia Aims to Sell Processing Plant Stake to Sumitomo - Nickel Asia Corp. is in talks to unload its minority stake in a key processing plant to Japan’s Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. as the Philippines’ top ... - more

   Indonesia’s Nickel Business Is Boosting Development and Ruining Lives - Even after 33 days in the hospital, eight operations, and more than a year of recovery, La-Taha still does not have full use of his hand. - more

   Order Regarding the Proposed Acquisition of United States Steel Corporation by Nippon Steel Corporation - The Purchasers and U.S. Steel shall take all steps necessary to fully and permanently abandon the ... - more

• Nippon and US Steel challenge blocked takeover - more

   Other News

• The R&D Puzzle in U.S. Manufacturing Productivity Growth - more
• As Cord Cutting Grows More Americans Will Listen to The Radio Than Watch Traditional TV in 2025 - more
• What happens now that Trudeau is resigning as Canada's prime minister? - more

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)

  Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Friday's trading session at $6.87/lb ($15,140/tonne). Indicators at 5:45 am CST today show nickel trading around $.01/lb lower. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed warehouses rose on Friday and ended last week reading just shy of the 164,300 level. Shanghahi nickel fell to 122,260 y/t overnight. After hitting a four year low last week, nickel is doing little this morning. The Euro recently jumped against the US Dollar, so we may see a mini rally take place, but so far, traders appear to be running gun shy. It's the start to the first full work week of 2025. Stay safe out there and have a great week!
  
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $6.75/lb
  

    Friday's market review - Copper drifts higher on Chinese economic support pledge - Copper prices held in positive territory on Friday after China pledged more support for its ailing economy, though gains were ... - more

    In December, overall stainless steel production still showed a significant increase, with the main growth reflected in the 400-series stainless steel [SMM data]. - According to the SMM survey, China's total ... - more

   Stainless steel cold-rolled coil price to be boosted by growing manufacturing demand - As of the week ending December 27, 2024, stainless steel cold-rolled coil prices fell by 0.8% in Germany and by 1% in China ... - more

    Yieh Hsing maintains stainless steel wire rod price for Jan 2025 - On December 31, 2024, Yieh Hsing Enterprise Co., Ltd., one of Taiwan's major wire rod manufacturers, announced its new wire rod price for ... - more

    Indonesia reviews nickel ore mining quota to steady prices - Indonesia is reviewing its annual nickel ore mining quota, seeking to prevent further price falls, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia ... - more

• RI Will Have 55 Nickel Smelters, Enough Reserves? - more

    Nickel prices continue to struggle, report notes - Nickel prices hit their lowest levels since 2020 this week, Bloomberg News reports. Prices for nickel, used in stainless steel and batteries, dropped towards $15,000 ... - more

• Nickel: A Comprehensive Analysis of Market Dynamics and Investment Opportunities - more
  

   Stainless steel’s vital role in green transitions - Sahit Muja, CEO of Albanian Minerals based in New York, analyzes the current state of stainless steel in the European Union, highlighting both challenges and ... - more

   Tesla Cybertrucks Are Rusting Despite Being Stainless Steel: Here’s Why - The Tesla Cybertruck isn’t the first vehicle to feature all stainless steel body panels. That distinction belongs to the DeLorean, ... - more

   Other News

• Exclusive: Rival CEO spread doubt about Nippon Steel deal prospects, documents allege - more
• Top five economic takeaways from December's manufacturing PMI data as factory conditions worsen - more
• University of Alabama Researchers Uncover Breakthrough Method for Recycling Plastic - more
• Tesla narrowly beats BYD to global EV sales title despite first-ever annual decline - more
• BYD Pulls Ahead of Tesla to Become Largest EV Maker - more
• The Minimum Wage Claims You Keep Hearing Are Totally Fake. We Can Prove It. - more

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)

  Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Thursday's trading session at $6.85/lb ($15,110/tonne). Indicators at 6:00 am CST today show nickel trading around $.05/lb  lower. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed warehouses rose sharply for a second consecutive day and started today reading just over the 164,000 tonne level. Shanghai nickel slipped to 122,640 y.t overnight. Nickel is trading below the $15,000 tonne level this morning, with a struggle being waged to hold that level. Don't be surprised if we see w2hat traders call a 'dead cat bounce' in the near future. Your average commodity costs for December 2024, as compared to November, are as follows. Nickel - $7.02/lb compared to $7.14/lb, Chromium - $5.60/lb unchanged from November, and Molybdenum - $21.75/lb compared to $22.25/lb. Stay safe out there and have a great weekend!
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $6.81/lb
  

    Thursday's market review - Copper holds near five-month low as weak demand outlook dominates - Copper prices hovered around five-month lows as expectations of a deteriorating demand outlook were... - more

   How did India's stainless steel sector perform in 2024? BigMint explores -  India's imports of finished stainless steel (SS) products are projected to have reached 1.19 million tonnes (mnt) in 2024, as per provisional ... - more

   Low nickel prices, layoffs and big gold, the year in Sudbury mining - Low nickel prices hampered Vale Base Metals but Iamgold opened the Côté Gold Mine near Gogama - more

   Structural fabrication focus: Bolting or welding? - Christian Crosby pointed to his well-worn copy of the Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges, from the American Institute of Steel Construction... - more

   Other News

• 2025 Import-Export Tariffs in China: Latest Adjustments - more
• Tesla suffers first ever annual sales drop as China attacks EV market - more
• Musk warns of lawsuits over media coverage of Tesla Cybertruck explosion - more

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)

  Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Tuesday's trading session at $6.97/lb ($15,360/tonne). Indicators at 5:45 am CST today show nickel trading around $.07/lb lower. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed warehouses rose sharply on the final day of 2024 and started the new year reading just over the 162,450 tonne level. Shanghai nickel slipped to 123,820 y/t overnight. For comparisons, on this day in 2024, LME nickel started the new year at $16,615/tonne, with 64,158 tonnes in stock, and Shanghai ended at 130,000 y/t. And yes that shows LME stockpiles grew by 'almost' 100,000 tonnes last year. Today, nickel is trading lower on a weaker Euro, and the bulls wait for their moment to start the crawl back to the $16,000 tonne level. It's a new day, and a new year. Your first test for 2025 is to keep those New Years Resolutions for three weeks. Next Friday is Quitter's Day, and by then most New Years Resolutions are merely wishful thinking. If you made any, set your first goal of making it to the middle of the month. Over time, the resolution becomes less of a chore and more of a daily habit. Stay safe out there today, have a great Thursday, and may 2025 bring you and yours good health, peace and joy. 
  
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $7.02/lb (avg December)
  

    Tuesday's market review - Copper eases but heads for second straight yearly rise - Copper prices eased on Tuesday but were on track for a second consecutive yearly gain, while the red metal’s outlook for next ... - more

   Global Stainless Steel CR Coil Market Sees Mixed Trends in Late December - With the week ending on 27th December, Stainless-Steel CR Coil market displayed mixed trends with regional dynamics shaping ... - more

   Outokumpu raises alloy surcharges of stainless steel flat products for Jan 2025 - Outokumpu, a leading stainless steel manufacturer in Europe based in Finland, announced its new alloy surcharges of stainless... - more

   Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel launches hot-rolling production line optimization project  - On December 30, Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. (STSS) started its stainless steel hot-rolling production line ... - more

• Stainless Steel Production Schedule Is Expected to Decline, Stainless Steel Scrap Prices Fluctuate Downward [SMM Analysis] - more
  

   China’s steel sector PMI decreases to 47.5 percent in December - In December this year, the purchasing managers index (PMI) for the Chinese steel sector was at 47.5 percent, 3.1 percentage points lower than ... - more

   Other News

• China accounted for 41% of the world’s automobile sales in November 2024 - more
• Tesla Stock Surge Runs Up Against a Potential Annual Sales Drop - more

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)