Materials

WABCO Holdings fell by 1.3% to close at $87.26 per share on July 7. The stock’s weekly, monthly, and YTD price movements were -2.7%, -20.3%, and -14.7%.

Avery Dennison (AVY) has a market capitalization of $6.5 billion. It fell by 2.9% to close at $72.62 per share on July 1, 2016.

Newell Brands (NWL) has a market capitalization of $24.0 billion. It rose by 0.43% to close at $48.78 per share on July 1, 2016.

According to Nucor “Empowerment isn’t a corporate buzzword—it’s a way of life.”

Kraton is a leading global producer of engineered polymers and one of the world’s largest producers of styrenic block copolymers. The company reported sales revenue of $323.8 million in the second quarter.

Steel prices tend to move in tandem with capacity utilization rates. Steel prices are a key factor affecting performance, directly impacting the revenues of companies.

It’s important to understand GEO or gold equivalent ounces because gold companies like Goldcorp (GG), Barrick Gold (ABX), Newmont Mining (NEM), and Kinross (KGC), measure their production and reserves in different ways. You need to make sure you’re comparing apples to apples.

Gold mining companies like Goldcorp Inc. (GG), Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX), and Newmont Mining Inc. (NEM) report cash costs, total cash costs, total costs, and all-in cash costs. It can be very confusing for investors to understand exactly what’s what here.

In the gold industry, substantial discrepancies exist between the actual costs incurred and the costs reported by the companies. In this part, we’ll discuss different methodologies and how effective they are at representing a company’s true costs.

U.S. Steel Corporation’s stock has surged in the past few months, delivering more than 150% growth in the last year.

An inflation hedge is basically an investment that’s expected to increase its value over a specific period of time. Gold might not have a linear relationship with inflation. However, it’s probably better than most of the investment alternatives available. It protects the portfolio against inflation.

Gold is an unusual metal. It exists in the Earth’s crust as an element. It’s not chemically combined with other metals. Silver and copper are the only other metals naturally found in their elemental form.

Investing in gold is complex. It’s challenging because it’s hard to predict gold prices in the future. However, there are many indicators that investors can track. The indicators help to determine the direction that gold prices will take.

The cement industry relies on power. Power and fuel costs account for ~30% of the price of cement when it’s sold. As a result, power and fuel have a major impact on the company’s operating expenditure.

The company takes a sample of the limestone at various levels in the form of steps. The steps are called benches. The benches determine the quality assurance. Since quality varies, the bench compares it with the standard that’s required. This is called limestone benching.

Nucor recently started production at its DRI plant in Louisiana.

After trying its hands at various businesses, the company finally consolidated the operations in 2001.

With the emergence of China’s demand, prices moved to quarterly contracts from annual private negotiations in 2010.

The cost curve also sets the floor for the price because if price falls below the cost of production of some players, those players will be out of the market.

Capital intensity is a measure used to determine the efficiency of production.

Chinese environmental protection and pollution control measures will necessitate the use of higher content.

Since the products are similar, the switching costs aren’t very high for buyers.

In 2007, the newly merged ArcelorMittal continued its expansion strategy by announcing 35 transactions worldwide.

Ethane is the largest component of the natural gas liquids stream, and the increased wet gas production caused a large increase in ethane production.

Millennium Management increased its stake in renewable energy generator NextEra Energy Inc. (NEE) from 1,789,954 shares to 3,333,627 shares.

Millennium Management started a new position in SunTrust Banks (STI) that accounts for 0.15% of the fund’s portfolio.

Appaloosa Management initiated a 0.63% position in oilfield service company Halliburton (HAL) last quarter.

Third Point started a new 2.83% position in gas pipeline operator Williams Companies, Inc.

Uralkali’s move towards a volume-over-price strategy in order to gain market share (more like taking back market share) was the more important story.

In its recent earnings call, Uralklali highlighted its new strategy, called the Revenue Maximization Strategy.

In this series, we’ll explore Mosaic Co.’s latest discussions on its third quarter 2013 earnings results and the industry outlook.

The Essential Fertilizers Weekly series comprises key factors that have a potential impact on the bottom line—depending on revenue and expenses.

The importance of the bottom line The performance of any investment over the medium to long term depends on current or future changes in the bottom line, like earnings per share, free cash flow per share, EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) per share, and dividend per share. When the bottom line is […]

Main companies traded on the US market There are six main fertilizer producers that are widely traded on the US stock exchange: CF Industries Holdings Inc. (CF), Agrium Inc. (AGU), Mosaic Co. (MOS), Potash Corp. (POT), Terra Nitrogen Company LP (TNH) and Intrepid Potash Inc. (IPI). While they all operate producer fertilizers, each are exposed […]

Where potash is found Of all the fertilizer sub-industries, potash is the most concentrated. Mineral deposits of potash are more geographically concentrated than phosphate rock. Most of these resources are found in Canada, Russia, and Eastern Europe. Because of this, a large chunk of the world potash supply is controlled by companies like Potash Corp. […]

The phosphate industry is less competitive than the nitrogen industry Unlike nitrogen-based fertilizers, the production of phosphate and potash fertilizers begins in mines. Mineral deposits for the latter two fertilizers are much scarcer and are usually concentrated in specific regions around the world. Because of this, there are fewer firms that make up the two […]

Fertilizers are used in the agriculture industry to improve the yield farmers receive. The three main types of nutrients or fertilizers are nitrogen, phosphate, and potash.