Cobalt Controversies: Delving into the How, What and Why
At the beginning of May 2018, Core Consultants will release a major cobalt market study that has been underway for almost two months. The study utilises Core’s connections to sub-Saharan Africa to reveal current production in great detail, particularly that of the DRC. 1. Introduction Cobalt has come into the limelight over the last eighteen […]
Chrome And Ferrochrome Output Increases Impacting Prices
On the 19th of March, we published our Chrome & Ferrochrome Monthly Report. We note that that the benchmark for the second quarter has been set 11c/lb lower, but this did not come as a surprise, nor should it be cause for alarm. From our perspective, the lower settlement was inevitable. Chrome ore stocks at Chinese […]
Is Manganese at the Point Of No Return?
In the first week of March, we released our Manganese Monthly publication. In the issue prior to this release, we proffered that manganese stocks couldn’t possibly climb any higher. We were wrong! Manganese stocks in the first week of March, climbed from a massive volume of 2.45m tonnes to even more ridiculous levels of 3.5m […]
USA Military Spend Causes Anxiety Over Rare Earth Supply
Core Consultants’ Rare Earth Report this month focuses on President Trump’s announcement that he intends to increase the military spend by $54bn (+10%). In light of the fact that Molycorp- the US’s flagship rare earth mining producer is insolvent, this announcement to upgrade the military spend has left concern over how the US will procure the necessary […]
Global Mining Industry Partying Like It’s 2002, But Will South Africa Be Left Behind?
This article was first published on InvestorIntel, when InvestorIntel’s CEO Tracy Weslosky, asked whether I could write a piece, or “my take” on Indaba. I returned from Cape Town’s Mining Indaba over a week ago and I managed to put off this piece hoping she would forget about it. However, Tracy, for those who have had […]
Stainless Steel: Expect Price Hikes In March
The stainless steel market had a good start in the first two months of the year, with surcharges having been revised upwards on the back of higher chrome ore prices. In our last chrome ore report, released on the 17th of February, we noted that given the uncertainty in the chrome ore market, we were uncertain […]
Chrome Market: Difficult to Gauge Direction
Since September 2016, chrome ore prices have had a good run. This came on the back of Turkey chrome ore producers halting production and refusing to supply China and bankruptcies in South Africa, resulting in limited output. The net effect was that chrome prices nearly doubled and have remained elevated. For example, in South Africa […]
Blockchain: The Path to a More Transparent Mining Supply Chain?
This article first appeared on Mining Technology Blockchain is a continuously growing list of records logged in a decentralised, immutable, cryptographically secured online ledger. All information recorded on the platform is peer-to-peer validated and therefore can’t be corrupted without others quickly becoming aware. One of the main benefits of blockchain – a process developed more […]
Interview With International Chrome Development Association (ICDA)
Core Consultants speaks to the ICDA about the current market conditions in the chrome and ferrochrome industry, their upcoming industry event in Kazakhstan and what delegates can expect. 1. To what extent do you think the environmental inspections and clamp downs in China will affect the ferrochrome industry? Do you expect that the Chinese environmental […]
Why Is Iron Ore Defying Gravity?
Why s iron ore defying gravity? This is the question I was asked over the weekend. My answer? I don’t see it as defying gravity at all. Oscillating wildly, certainly, but defying gravity? No! The trend in my opinion is definitely consistent with gravity laws- down! The benchmark of 62.5% fines increased to $81.2/tonne earlier […]