At a recent industry conference, Terry Adams shocked his...

At a recent industry conference, Terry Adams shocked his audience by warning of potential supply/demand imbalances commencing as early as 2011. He believes by 2015, the molybdenum price could get ‘interesting.’
But, this wasn’t the first sign of brewing trouble for molybdenum buyers. In early May, one trader told American Metal Market magazine, “We just don’t have any supply available.” He lamented that primary moly producers, also known as swing producers, have ‘nothing to sell right now.’
On June 18th, China is expected to announce the export quotas for molybdenum products it has assigned to a limited number of exporters. Potential labor disputes at copper mines in Mexico and Chile could further reduce available molybdenum supply later in June. A Chilean labor spokesman warned of a ‘hard and prolonged strike.’ Molybdenum mined as a byproduct of copper production accounts for about 60 percent of the global supply