NewsRoom Articles - Page 141 of 181

WednesdaySep 15, 2021 12:30 pm

Post-Lockdown Demand for Batteries Good for Lead Market

Lead is widely used in cable sheathing, ammunition, pigments and, most importantly, car batteries. In July, the metal hit a new high of $2,343 per ton, its highest figure in three years. This high was driven by the resurgence of demand for lead-acid batteries post-lockdown as more motorists return to the roads. Before this, in June, the cash premium over the anchor London Metal Exchange lead price was $35 per ton. This is the most serious squeeze on cash metal since February last year. Much like prior periods of tightness, the squeeze is likely the result of a position clash…

TuesdaySep 14, 2021 12:29 pm

Dismal Jobs Report Boosts Gold While Depressing Dollar

Forecasts released earlier in the year estimated that the U.S. economy would introduce 735,000 jobs in August. However, a report released last week found that last month only about 233,000 jobs were added. This was well below the forecast and is the smallest gain thus far. The dollar fell after the report was released, which in turn boosted the demand for metals such as gold, which hit a four-week high of $1,820.45. Gold futures also increased by roughly 1% to $1,833.80 while palladium increased slightly, to reach $2,407. Spot silver also increased by about 2%, hitting $24.40 per ounce while…

MondaySep 13, 2021 12:28 pm

Scientists Seek Solutions to Degradation of Li-ion Battery Performance

A team of researchers at the University of Southern California has developed a solution that averts the degradation of the structural integrity of li-ion batteries. This degradation is what causes the decline in the battery’s functionality over time. The solution involves stretching battery elements to allow them to be cycled over and over without structural fatigue. The researchers’ paper was reported in the “Journal of Mechanics and Physics of Solids.” In their paper, the researchers explain that a lithium-ion battery normally works through a repetitive cycle of extracting and inserting lithium ions from electrodes. This process compresses and expands the…

FridaySep 10, 2021 2:45 pm

A Review of Vanadium’s Market Performance for First Half of 2021

As economies across the globe recovered from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, experts forecasted an increase in the demand for vanadium. The majority of the vanadium produced globally is used in the production of steel in China. Here’s a review of vanadium's market performance in 2021, particularly for the first half of the year, as well as what some experts and analysts expect for the future. Price The vanadium market struggled to navigate the uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic last year. During the pandemic period, the demand for the metal increased by 7% in China but declined…

ThursdaySep 09, 2021 2:15 pm

The Top Four Global Producers of Vanadium

Vanadium is a silver-gray metal used to make various metal alloys and particularly in the manufacture of ferrovanadium. Ferrovanadium is an alloy of vanadium and iron used in steel production. Recently, countries that produce vanadium have greatly benefited from infrastructure spending in China and around the world. Global economic recovery, coupled with the growing interest in vanadium redox batteries, could further drive the demand for the metal as well as increase its price. This is despite the decline in the production of vanadium in the recent past. Data from the U.S. Geological Survey shows that mined production of the metal…

TuesdaySep 07, 2021 2:20 pm

Aluminum Price Hits New Highs After Supply Concerns Grow

Last week, the price of aluminum hit a new three-year high as concerns about supplies from China, which is the world’s top producer of the metal, increased after the Xinjiang region in the country began imposing output curbs on smelters. For example, last Friday, benchmark aluminum on the London Metal Exchange had increased by 1.5%, hitting almost $2,670 by noon. Earlier in the session, prices had gone up to $2664.50, which is the metal’s highest price since April 2018. On the Shanghai Futures Exchange, the price of aluminum set a new record, with the last time prices had gone that…

FridaySep 03, 2021 2:15 pm

Gold Rises on Fed Remarks Regarding Dialing Back Monetary Intervention

The price of gold increased last week as Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, gave his virtual speech at the Jackson Hole symposium. By noon, spot gold had risen slightly above 1%, reaching $1,811.50 per ounce, exceeding the $1,800 level for the second time in the week. In New York, U.S. gold futures were trading at $1,811.61 per ounce, a 0.9% increase. In his speech, Powell stated that the economy has reached a point where it doesn’t need as much policy support, adding that the Fed would begin to decrease its monthly bond purchases before the year’s end.…

ThursdaySep 02, 2021 2:10 pm

Analyst Says Procurement of Battery Storage Still Chaotic in US

The battery storage market in the United States is plagued with many procurement challenges, which include making sure that consumers understand the performance claims and warranties that come from manufacturers and ensuring the sturdiness of the supply chain. Adam Walters, an experienced renewable energy lawyer, says the growing battery storage procurement market in the U.S. is chaotic. In an interview, he stated that, unlike in 2011 when China surpassed American and European solar PV manufacturers when it began offering incentives, the storage space will be more balanced, even with the involvement of Chinese manufacturers in the industry. He explained that…

WednesdaySep 01, 2021 4:00 pm

Report Finds Increase in US Critical Mineral Imports

Critical minerals are minerals that are important to the economy. A mineral’s criticality changes with time as society’s needs and supply shifts. Most critical minerals are metals that are essential to high-tech sectors. They include rare earth elements and metals such as platinum group elements, manganese, vanadium, molybdenum, cobalt, magnesium, gallium, tellurium and lithium. An analysis conducted by S&P Global Market Intelligence has found the import of critical minerals into the United States remained relatively unchanged quarter over quarter but increased by almost 8% in the second quarter of this year, in comparison with 2020’s second quarter. The report found…

TuesdayAug 31, 2021 2:15 pm

Canadian, .US Nuclear Regulators Conclude Maiden Collaborative Project

Nuclear safety regulators in the United States and Canada recently concluded their collaborative project, which focused on small modular reactor licensing. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission have released a joint report that offers feedback on the manufacturing codes it suggests for use in both Canada and the U.S. for the Xe-100 reactor pressure vessel design. The report is the first result of the program of cooperation that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission entered into in August 2019. At the time, President Rumina Velshi of Canada’s nuclear commission stated…

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