1 minute read
Julian Kettle
Senior Vice President, Vice Chair Metals and Mining
James Whiteside
Head of Corporate, Metals & Mining
James Whiteside
Head of Corporate, Metals & Mining
With 15 years of experience in the metals and mining industry, James leads our corperate coverage.
View James Whiteside's full profile
Robin Griffin
Vice President, Metals and Mining Research
Robin Griffin
Vice President, Metals and Mining Research
An integral part of the research team since 2007, Robin leads our analysis across metals and mining markets.
View Robin Griffin's full profileWhat are the key trends to watch in the metals and mining industry in 2022?
Last year presented a unique challenge to metals and mining players: how to make sense of disorientating price volatility and a dizzying array of market signals. We expect 2022 to provide some respite from the frenetic pace of 2021 – but of course things won't change overnight.
From an economic perspective, it looks set to be a year of narrowing extremes but widening uncertainty for the metals and mining sector. If last year was all about rebound, then 2022 could well be characterised by rebalance. Much of the evidence points to a year of lower demand growth. Look for stimulus to wane, fiscal and monetary policy to tighten, and supply chains to refill. In this environment, commodity prices could settle from the extraordinary highs of 2021.
Metals and mining corporates: decisions, decarbonisation and discipline
For the diversified miners this will be a pivotal year. In the wake of COP26, mining companies are even more acutely aware of the outside perception of the sector, and the challenge that represents.
Yet the world needs mining companies to shift more material than ever before in 2022. Miners can unlock a faster decarbonisation pathway by accelerating production of the very building blocks of low-carbon technology. Will they position themselves as agents of change?
Read Metals and mining corporate: five things to look for in 2022 for our view on:
- Decision time for coal assets
- M&A – expect a measured approach
- Miners look for new domains
- Tightening decarbonisation targets, not budgets
- Cost inflation and lower prices to limit dividend growth
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Plus, find out how key themes play out for different metals and mined commodities:
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Aluminium
Uday Patel, Senior Research Manager, Global Aluminium Markets
Battery raw materials
Booming demand tested supply chains last year, with spot prices for all key battery inputs rising over the course of the year. On the technology front, the lithium iron phosphate – LFP – renaissance strengthened further. What does 2022 hold in store?
Read our view in Battery raw materials: 5 things to look for in 2022.
Gavin Montgomery, Research Director, Battery Raw Materials
Bulk alloys
Jack Anderson, Principal Analyst, Metals Smelting & Refining
Cathode and precursor
Cobalt
2021 saw a dramatic shift in fundamentals in the cobalt market, leading to a technical deficit for the first time since 2016. 2022 will be another eventful year, from supply chain regionalisation to the battery boom and the quest for cleaner cobalt.
Find out more in Cobalt: 5 things to look for in 2022.
Ying Lu, Senior Research Analyst, Energy Transition & Battery Materials Markets
Copper
Eleni Joannides, Principal Analyst, Copper
Iron ore
Paul Gray, Research Director, Iron Ore Markets
Lithium
Allan Pederson, Principal Analyst
Metallurgical coal
Anthony Knutson, Principal Analyst, Coal
Nickel
Sean Mulshaw, Research Director, Nickel Markets
Noble alloys
Dale Hazleton, Head of Steel Alloys and Nickel Markets
Rare earths
For the rare earths industry, 2021 was a critical year with prices for some elements sustained well above historical averages. In 2022, we’ll be tracking Chinese consolidation and quotas, international trade in feedstock, ESG concerns and more.
Find out more in Rare earths: 5 things to look for in 2022.
Steel
Malan Wu, Head of Steel and Raw Materials Markets
Thermal coal
Natalie Biggs, Global Head of Thermal Coal Markets
Zinc
Jonathon Leng, Principal Analyst, Zinc Markets
Sustainable smelting
Sustainable smelting operations continue to grow. The development of green technology retrofits and the use of hydrogen and carbon capture continues at pace – but existing processes can't be replaced overnight.
Find out about this and more in 5 things to look out for in sustainable smelting during 2022.
