Materials

China’s property sector China’s property sector is one of its most steel-hungry sectors, accounting for close to 50% of overall steel demand. Therefore, it is important for steel investors to keep tabs on the sector to gauge the steel demand outlook in China. China’s property sector once again appeared to be under stress in August. […]

Among these four mining stocks, Goldcorp has the lowest correlation with gold on a YTD basis, while Royal Gold (RGLD) has the highest correlation.

Steel prices Along with steel production, steel prices are among the most important drivers of US steelmakers’ earnings. Therefore, steel and iron ore investors should track US steel prices (SLX). After being depressed for a long period, US steel prices started their upward march in 2016 after high anti-dumping duties were levied on imported steel. Prices also […]

US steel production As US (DIA) (DOW) steel production is US steelmakers’ major revenue driver, it’s very important to track it. In this part, we’ll discuss domestic production and capacity utilization. According to the World Steel Association, the United States produced 7.1 million tons of steel in August 2017, an increase of 6.3% YoY (year-over-year). Production rose 5.6% in […]

So far this year, Henry Hub natural gas prices have hovered around $3 per MMBtu (million British thermal units).

Cleveland-Cliffs now fully owns Tilden On October 2, 2017, Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) announced its acquisition of U.S. Steel Corporation’s (X) 15% equity interest in the Tilden mine for $105 million. Cleveland-Cliffs already owned the other 85% of the joint venture. This transaction will provide 1.2 million tons of annual pellet production capacity to Cleveland-Cliffs, taking its capacity to ~20 million […]

Tahoe Resources (TAHO) stock has lost 44.1% of its value year-to-date until the end of September.

The precious metals continued rising on Wednesday, and gold also witnessed a rebound.

The Seed and Genomics segment’s gross margins expanded from 34.0% in 4Q16 to 41.4% in 4Q17.

Precious metal miners got a boost on Tuesday, October 3, 2017, despite the marginal fall of precious metals.

New Gold has a three-year correlation of 0.67 and a one-year correlation of 0.88 to gold.

Among the four miners that we’re analyzing here, Sibanye Gold has the lowest correlation with gold on a one-year basis, while Gold Fields has the highest.

The negative sentiment toward gold prevailed on Friday, September 29, the last trading day of the month. Gold futures for November expiration fell 0.3%.

Steel stocks have recouped some of their losses in the last two trading sessions. However, U.S. Steel Corporation (X) and AK Steel (AKS) have lost 5.3% and 4.1%, respectively, month-to-date based on their September 27 closing prices.

Many mining stocks saw a revival in prices on Monday, September 25, 2017, since precious metals saw an upswing.

As of September 25, 2017, analysts have forecasted that RPM will report revenues of $1.32 billion for fiscal 1Q18, which would be a 5.5% rise over fiscal 1Q17.

Monday, September 25, 2017, was a day of revival for mining shares as tensions in North Korea resurfaced.

Most mining shares witnessed an up day on Monday, September 25, 2017, as precious metals increased over the ongoing global tensions.

On September 22, 2017, First Majestic Silver, Goldcorp, Newmont Mining, and Silver Wheaton had volatilities of 49.1%, 26.7%, 23.5%, and 30.8%, respectively.

On September 21, 2017, LyondellBasell (LYB) announced that it has started manufacturing polypropylene (or PP) from its production facility in Dalian, China.

Later in the day on September 20, after rising gold prices fell on the US Federal Reserve’s indication of one more interest rate hike in 2017.

On September 18, Coeur Mining, Barrick Gold, Kinross Gold, and Eldorado Gold had volatilities of 42.3%, 26.4%, 40.8%, and 50.1%, respectively.

In recent months, MAP prices in Brazil have been on a downward trajectory. However, MAP prices appear to have found firmness in recent weeks.

Investments in renewable energy bode well for global copper demand, as the copper intensity in renewable energy is higher than in non-renewable energy.

Despite just 0.7% expected growth in revenues for 2017, Agnico Eagle Mine’s EBITDA is expected to grow 5.6% YoY in 2017.

Wall Street analysts covering Cleveland-Cliffs estimate revenues of ~$2.4 billion in 2017. This implies growth of 14.7% year-over-year.

Precious metal mining stocks follow trends in precious metals, and they’re a very volatile segment of the equity markets.

China was the largest steel consumer last year, with the mainland’s ASC at 681.0 million metric tons.

On September 14, 2017, Celanese (CE) announced that it’s increasing the prices for several of its products across different regions.

PointLogic estimates that weekly US natural gas consumption fell 6.6% to 52 Bcf per day from September 7 to 13. Consumption fell 13% year-over-year.

Analysts’ consensus on EMN’s mean target price is on the rise from $89.92 in July to the current target price of $93.38 as of September 12, 2017.

The price movement in precious metals is often closely traced by mining stocks. Before investors opt for mining stocks, they should analyze a few of the crucial technical details.

Analysts’ consensus for Huntsman The number of analysts covering Huntsman (HUN) stock has increased from eight analysts to nine analysts in the last month. Among them, 89% of the analysts have recommended “buy,” and 11% have recommended “hold.” There were no “sell” recommendations. Analysts have raised Huntsman’s 12-month target price to $30.11 from $28.71, implying a potential […]

Huntsman’s dividend yield Dividend yields are very important for long-term investors, as they fetch a steady income. Investors prefer companies with a strong dividend yield and growth. As Huntsman (HUN) has maintained its dividend rate, we can expect it to pay a fiscal 2017 dividend of $0.50 per share  At this dividend rate, Huntsman’s dividend yield […]

The expected performance of timberland REIT Weyerhaeuser (WY) for the rest 2017 and in 2018 can be best understood by its valuation multiples.

On September 15, 2017, Chemours (CC) will pay the 3Q17 dividend on its outstanding common shares. It has declared a cash dividend of $0.03 per share.

REITs (real estate investment trusts) usually provide generous returns to their shareholders in the form of dividends or share buybacks.

After thriving for a long time in a low interest rate environment, REITs (real estate investment trusts) are now facing a high interest rate.

REITs (real estate investment trusts) depend on debt and equity for their working capital, and so they’re directly impacted by the Fed’s interest rate policy.

On September 7, 2017, Quaker Chemical (KWR) shareholders approved the company’s combination with Houghton International.