Copper end use trends

Mitsubishi Materials Corp. plans to invest in a copper mine in British Columbia by acquiring a 25% stake in Similco Mines Ltd, which owns rights to the mine. Production at the mine is planned to resume in 2011 after a break in operations since 1996, a result of the low copper prices prevailing at that time. With a view to redeveloping the mine, the overall investment is expected to reach Y30 billion. The annual capacity of the mine is estimated at about 150,000 tonnes and Mitsubishi Materials will have the right to the entire output. The investment project is based on the expected long-term demand growth in China and India.

LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Chinese demand for commodities, and copper in particular, won't disappear but will moderate in the near term, Bret Clayton, chief executive of copper at Rio Tinto PLC (RTP) said Wednesday.

Copper hit an 18-month low on Tuesday before trimming losses as recession fears grew after the U.S. Congress voted down a rescue plan for troubled banks.

Copper miner Tamaya Resources has suspended trading of its shares on the Australian stock exchange and begun discussions with creditors, a month after delivering a A$141.2 million ($168.4 million) half-year loss.

But the humble copper cabling linking most households to the internet looks set to remain a feature of our national IT infrastructure for some time yet.

As we move towards a consumer society that's based more on experiences, on status stories, on the ephemeral-and in which, for many, time is now the only true scarcity-expect perks and privileges to become an integral part of every B2C industry and sector.

it is my professional responsibility - both to myself and to those I serve - to begin speculating how the current crisis may affect the realm of clean energy.

This new process for creating features on silicon wafers that are between five and 20 nanometers thick has been developed by a multidisciplinary team led by Craig Hawker, materials professor and director of the Materials Research Laboratory at UCSB and the members of his research group. Hawker worked with professors Glenn Fredrickson - and his research group - and Edward Kramer - and his research group.

Generally speaking, richer nations want permit allotments that track historic emissions rates - essentially locking in their economic advantage by awarding permits based on how much a country is already emitting. Developing countries, in contrast, want permits allocated according to population size, with every person on the planet getting equal emissions rights.

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - European antitrust regulators said Monday they had restarted a probe into miner BHP Billiton's hostile bid for rival Rio Tinto Inc., setting a new deadline to rule on it by Jan. 15.

While the prices of zinc, copper and other base metals are fixed at the end of frenetic five-minute sessions in the 'ring,' situated in the LME's centre, it is a sense of caution which is ultimately prevailing among traders.

S&P says the credit outlook for Europe's mining and steel sectors is becoming negative, as demand weakens, and economic development in emerging markets slows.

Production of cathode copper in Zambia rose 14.38 percent to 332,531 tonnes between January and July 2008 compared with the output for the same period last year, the central bank said on Friday.

SINGAPORE -- Copper prices were steady in London and Shanghai on Friday, after modest overnight gains, but trade was thin as investors awaited the cobbling of a plan to preserve the economy from septic debt.

H1 reports from China's metal companies have revealed difficult operating conditions as rising energy prices, investment in environmental protection and an increase in resource tax have squeezed margins. Shares in the metal index fell 58.6% in the first half of the year, underperforming the SSE Composite Index which saw a 48% decrease. Copper companies fared better than most as the copper price remained at historically high levels and prices of sulphuric acid - a byproduct of the copper treatment process - soared. Jiangxi Copper, China's biggest producer, reported strong results with a 55% surge in revenues year-on-year. Net profit grew at the slower rate of 32.8%, reducing the company's profit margin to 10.4%, from 12.1% in the first half of 2007. The company has a slightly bearish outlook for the rest of this year, as the continued slowdown in the global economy takes its toll on copper demand and the appreciation of the dollar puts downward pressure on copper prices. However, it suspects copper supply will remain tight, which should support prices on the downside. Yunnan Copper Company struggled in the first half as revenue fell 18.9% and net profit plunged 29.5% y-o-y. The companies profit margin was cut to 3.8%, from 4.4% in the first half of 2007. A 45-day machine overhaul was blamed for the poor sales figures as output remained flat, whilst high energy prices pushed up production costs. Tongling Nonferrous Metals saw similar problems to Yunnan as rising raw material prices and fluctuations in the copper price cut the gross margin in the firm's copper unit to just 0.59%. Company-wide results were improved greatly by the strong performance of sulphuric acid, where gross margin increased to 71.6%, bringing Tongling's profit margin to 2.9%, up from 2.0% in H1 2007.

The Gabriela Mistral mine is expected to produce 80,000 metric tons this year.

China imported 87,168 metric tons of the metal last month, the Beijing-based customs office said, citing revised final data. Imports were 88,075 tons in July,