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[adds new comment from Lord Copper] Hot investment money and algotrading on electronic platforms have disenfranchised traditional users of the London Metal Exchange: that is what MB columnist Lord Copper believes. But the Duke of Deptford, the nom de plume of another veteran LME broker, contends that such concerns are beside the point. Which do you agree with? Email editorial@metalbulletin.com with your comments. We’ll pass them on to the lord and the duke for the next round of the debate

Lord Copper could not normally be accused of socialism or state interventionism, but I must congratulate US president Obama on his statement last night about reforms to the banking system

Hot investment money and algotrading on electronic platforms have disenfranchised traditional users of the London Metal Exchange: that is what MB columnist Lord Copper believes. But the Duke of Deptford, the nom de plume of another veteran LME broker, contends that such concerns are beside the point. Which do you agree with? Email editorial@metalbulletin.com with your comments. We’ll pass them on to the lord and the duke for the next round of the debate

Aluminium supply in Italy will tighten further and push premiums in the region higher if Alcoa goes ahead with its plan to suspend production at its smelters in Fusina and Portovesme following a European Commission ruling over energy tariffs, market participants said

Atradius, one of the world’s largest credit insurers, is overhauling its strategy towards providing trade credit insurance to the metals industry, with plans in place to reclassify the sector and improve the level of cover to the industry

Indonesia's state-owned mill Krakatau Steel has set the second half of 2010 as the new date for an initial public offering (IPO), president director Fazwar Bujang told MB.

Cobalt suppliers and buyers are trying to work out where prices may slide to after the dramatic declines of recent weeks

Cobalt poised for gains in September after steady summer rise Cobalt prices are poised to see modest gains in September on increased buying from battery producers and tightness in high-grade metal Six-week rally in FeMo, moly oxide ends The six-week rally in molybdic oxide and ferro-molybdenum prices came to an abrupt end late last week after European consumers did not return to the market as many traders had hoped.

Iron ore prices are weakening fast, with offer at $100 per tonne for 63.5% Fe content now failing to find buyers as high inventories and falling Chinese steel prices damage sentiment.

Russia’s steel industry has grown astonishingly in recent years both domestically and internationally . Leading companies not only dominate the home market but now control assets in key markets such as North America. With a fair amount of their output being marketed to export, most mills in Russia and other CIS countries have been able to capitalise on the voracious appetite for steel of emerging economies, which have sucked up construction grades in their quest to develop. But now the market has changed. Since the onset of the economic crisis and the subsequent collapse in demand for steel products around the world, Russian steelmakers have been particularly hard hit. The international market has all but disappeared, and Russian exporters have been forced to battle it out with suppliers in other export-heavy regions, such as Ukraine and Turkey. In these difficult times, the only competitive edge has been price. Plantmakers must be feeling the pinch. Over the last decade Russia has been a key market for these manufacturers as leading steel companies backed by ambitious banks have invested heavily in new machinery. But now, with very few exceptions, orders for new equipment have been postponed, with project delays ranging from a year or two to, in the worst cases, indefinitely. And, based on the market appraisal of many leading industry executives at MB’s 7th Russian Steel Conference, held in Moscow last week, it doesn’t look like they will be back on track soon. “Everybody’s full of promises, but where’s the money?” one planmaking exec remarked to MB on the sidelines of the conference. Less than a year ago, a great deal would have been in Moscow. And project postponements are not their only concern.