LONDON (Reuters) – Steel will remain the dominant material in the manufacture of cars even as environmental pressures lead to greater use of lightweight aluminium.

But aluminium is more expensive than steel and prices are considered more volatile. What’s more, steel producers have not been sitting on their hands. They are developing lighter, stronger steels to cut car fuel consumption and harmful emissions.

LONDON (Reuters) – Steel will remain the dominant material in the manufacture of cars even as environmental pressures lead to greater use of lightweight aluminum.

But aluminum is more expensive than steel and prices are considered more volatile. What’s more, steel producers have not been sitting on their hands. They are developing lighter, stronger steels to cut car fuel consumption and harmful emissions.

LONDON (Reuters) – Supply shocks have revived the idea commodities can diversify an investment portfolio after around two years in which raw materials have moved in lockstep with other assets classes such as stocks and bonds, a conference heard on Thursday.

The collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 hit confidence across financial and commodity markets as investors tried to price recession and the possibility of a 193Os style depression.

LONDON, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Gold swept to a record high
above $1,275 per ounce on Thursday, as currency market jitters
and broader economic uncertainty attracted more investors to the
metal’s safe-haven credentials.

Strong investment demand pushed spot silver XAG=, often
seen as a cheap proxy for gold, to $20.75 an ounce — its
highest level since March 2008.

LONDON (Reuters) – Gold came within touching distance of a record high on Thursday as the softer dollar and uncertainty about economic and financial stability persuaded investors to seek a safe place to park their assets.

Strong investment demand also pushed spot silver to $20.65 an ounce, its highest since March 2008, traders said.

LONDON (Reuters) – Pension funds should use the clout they have to persuade miners to consider environmental concerns and local people, as that could help boost investment returns from the sector, F&C Asset Management said on Wednesday.

The spotlight in recent weeks has fallen on safety as the world watches the plight of 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for some weeks now.

NEW YORK/LONDON, Aug 27 (Reuters) – U.S. copper on Friday rose to its
highest close since Aug. 4, supported by a rally on Wall Street after a speech
by the Federal Reserve chief boosted optimism among investors.

Benchmark copper CMCU3 on the London Metal Exchange hit
$7,472.25 a tonne, its highest since Aug. 19. The metal used in power and
construction ended at $7,459 a tonne from $7,304.50 on Thursday.

LONDON, Aug 27 (Reuters) – Chile’s Molymet is planning to
sell some of its rhenium output on the spot market to make spot
prices more representative, a source at the world’s largest
producer of the aerospace material said.

This would be a major change in the market where most of the
rhenium produced is sold on long-term contracts.

LONDON (Reuters) – Industrial commodities face an uphill struggle over coming months as economic growth slows, but the price collapse seen in the last quarter of 2008 is unlikely.

Recent data from the United States has raised doubts about the strength of recovery in the world’s largest economy. Meanwhile China is tightening policy to rein in price pressures.

LONDON (Reuters) – Industrial commodities face an uphill struggle over coming months as economic growth slows, but the price collapse seen in the last quarter of 2008 is unlikely.

Recent data from the United States has raised doubts about the strength of recovery in the world’s largest economy. Meanwhile China is tightening policy to rein in price pressures.