European Ferrochrome Benchmark Settled At $1.15/lb
Dear Ferrochrome Subscribers Kindly note that the fourth quarter European HC-Ferrochrome benchmark was settled earlier than expected at $1.15/lb. This is 4c/lb lower than the previous quarter. Whilst this price is lower than we anticipated, we estimated a weaker settlement based on the following reasons: Cheap prices in Asia are capping prices: Despite the fact […]
Will Lithium-Ion Batteries Lose The Race?
Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink’ sayeth the ancient mariner. The ocean might be contaminated, the fish still swallow the bait, drought might be spreading across the planet, yet who would have thought that it would take a vehicle to say ‘I can drink because man can think’. Scam artists have tried running vehicles […]
North West Platinum Progress Despite Challenges
JSE-listed junior platinum-group metals (PGMs) mining company Wesizwe Platinum is developing its fully funded Bakubung platinum mine project in the North West, which is a positive sign to investors that South Africa will remain a long-term supplier of platinum, argues independent mining consultancy Core Consultants MD Lara Smith. “Hopefully, the number of new North West […]
World’s Third Longest Strike Comes To An End
Today saw the long awaited wage agreements between Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), Lonmin and Impala Platinum (Implats) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) signed, bringing an end to a five month strike action. The strike is estimated to have cost South Africa’s platinum industry an estimated R24bn in revenue and employees’ earnings […]
Five Red Flags Investors Look For When Choosing To Invest In Mining Projects
Recently we were asked to provide a presentation at the Botswana Resource Cap conference. Botswana has vast national resources, though many projects are starting up and in early phases of development. As such investment is critical if these projects are to come to fruition. We consider what investors look for when choosing to commit to […]
Commodity Traders: Is There Still Value?
During boom times when commodity prices were high compared to mining costs, producers had no qualms about giving up some margin for the use of third party traders to act as middle men in brokering the deals between producer and end-user. Since the 2008 global financial crisis, companies having become more discerning over their cost […]
South African Ferrochrome Capacity Shows Consistency
South Africa’s ferrochrome industry used 85% of its capacity in the first quarter, more or less in line with the fourth quarter of 2013, says consultancy services provider Core Consultants MD Lara Smith. The company estimates that the first quarter realised 760 000 t in ferrochrome, slightly lower than the 773 000 t produced in […]
Consultancy Launches Fully Customised Subscription Reports Service
Mining consultancy Core Consultants launched its fully customised subscription reports service at the Investing in African Mining Indaba, which was held in Cape Town earlier this month. Core Consultants MD Lara Smith tells Mining Weekly that while the company has always had research reports available on a subscription basis, such as ‘Monthly Trends in the […]
Power Infrastructure Key For Botswana Mining
Those aiming to invest in Botswana as a mining destination need to consider installing power lines and improving transport, says mining consultancy Core Consultants MD Lara Smith, who says the landlocked country faces significant infrastructure challenges that affect its mining sector. She tells Mining Weekly that TSX- and BSE-listed Hana Mining, a prospective copper producer […]
Summary of Lara Smith’s 2014 Mining Indaba Presentation: An Outlook for Dysprosium, Tantalum, Tungsten
The Core Consultants Mining Indaba presentation always considers three commodities which are pertinent to Africa and discusses the market outlook for each of them. This year we will focus on the markets for dysprosium, tantalum and tungsten. With respect to tantalum, we note the tendency of the market to be characterised by periods of vast […]