The global metals industry gathered in force last week in London for what remains, despite recent spin-off conferences elsewhere in the world, the largest and longest-established such event for the raw materials sector.
London Metal Exchange (LME) week is a time of taking stock - of prices in the underlying markets, the state of the industry, the global political and economic backdrop and, closer to home, what the exchange is doing and what it has penciled in for the future.In many ways, the last 12 months have been a period when the LME has marked time - the exchange has set out its Strategic Pathway, consulted, put the wheels in motion and generally tidied up some of the legacy issues stretching back to its 2012 sale and, indeed the 2008 Global Financial Crash.But a period of relative calm and stability is no bad thing after what was at times a fractious few years when the LME, its members and the industry were at loggerheads.The issues of queues and fees have largely been tackled and resolved, through market forces and rule changes in the...