Chinese companies are to continue seeking iron ore, copper, and bauxite projects overseas as the country has a significant supply deficit in these metals. Regarding iron ore, China accounts for 14.9% of global production but consumes over 40% of the world’s steel output. This differential is replicated in copper and bauxite, and China is thus… [Read more]
One of the news stories drawing my attention today is a report in the New York Times suggesting that Afghanistan has almost US$1 trillion worth of mineral deposits. The article, citing US geologists, lists iron, copper, cobalt, gold, and lithium as existing in vast quantities in the country’s soil. Lithium in particular has been highlighted,… [Read more]
After slumping by 12% in 2009, the largest contraction of the post-war period, global trade volumes have steadily rebounded in the first half of 2010. Yet, just as the global economic downturn laid bare the inherent chinks in the armour in the world’s financial system, the upturn is exposing a fundamental weakness in another vital… [Read more]