Welcome to Lord Copper

Opinions about lots of things - mostly related to the worlds' metal markets

The Devil in the Detail

25 April 2018

In January and February I spent some time in India. Many things have changed and remained the same in equal measure. Some of the cities and airports have changed beyond recognition from what they were but the poverty and lack of development in most areas remains constant. I have many friends who have spent time in India and many friends born in India and it’s a place that they either love or hate.

Market Change? And Oleg Deripaska

18 April 2018

A couple of things have recently caught my eye that may be harbingers of what could be a significant change in the way the metal markets work. First, I guess principally in response to well-founded concerns about some mining methods in some areas of the DRC, Apple have indicated that they are seriously looking at the idea of taking for themselves the responsibility of sourcing the cobalt which will be used in the batteries which power their products.

Nexus - or is the crown slipping?

11 April 2018

It has been said, and with some justification, that the centre of the known universe is Sloane Square in London. Given the well-known (and frequently satirised) affluence of its immediate neighbourhood, this crossroads of Chelsea and Belgravia is a legitimate candidate if we measure such things solely in terms of purchasing power. If the shops on the King’s Road don’t have it for sale, then you probably don’t need it.

April Fool?

04 April 2018

April Fool’s Day has a long history; at least, some believe so. English Literature graduates will no doubt recall the reference in Chaucer (“The Nun’s and Priest’s Tale”), although some of them will probably dispute the actual meaning of Syn March bigan thritty dayes and two - is it thirty-two days from the beginning of March, or the end?

I'm a Metal Trader; get me out of here!

28 March 2018

There are possibly worse things than to be a celeb helicoptered into the Ozzie bush to eat grubs for a living. Being short of Vanadium or Cobalt could be two of them. The problem I would like to air today (for those, like me, in possession of a Senior Railcard) is how to bring a longish metal career to an end; without that end being compulsory.

Corn Laws and Donald Trump

21 March 2018

I can remember studying nineteenth century British history at school. There were the exciting bits with the battles, like - pace French readers - Trafalgar and Waterloo; there were the imperialist episodes, like the Indian Mutiny, Rorke’s Drift, Omdurman and the Boer War; there were the feelgood bits of electoral advance, demonstrated by the 1832 and 1867 Reform Acts; there were the utterly bizarre elements - what were Britain and France doing in Crimea in 1854 - waiting for Tsar Putin?

Squandered Billions

14 March 2018

Lord Copper gave us an enticing commentary on the book about the LTCM debacle ('When Genius Failed'), and then followed this up with a perceptive article on the maths of market pricing. As Lord Copper reflects, some aspects of trading, and indeed economics, went mathematical some decades ago. Later chaos theory invited some challenging angles to their maths and econometric modelling.