metal prices

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This Precious Metal Now Pricier Than Gold

Palladium is soaring amid tight supplies

(Newser) - Gold may be the best known precious metal, and it's currently selling for about $1,490 an ounce. But it's now in the rearview mirror of a different, lesser-known precious metal: palladium. About a year ago, palladium was selling at about $900 an ounce, notes Bloomberg . Today? More...

There's a Subset of Car Thieves Who Aren't After Your Car

They want your palladium

(Newser) - There's a new subset of car thieves who aren't after your car—they want your catalytic converter. This according to a Wall Street Journal trends piece, which says the lure is the palladium contained inside. The metal is one of several housed in the device, and it's...

Russia Loses Half of Its Billionaires
Russia Loses Half of Its Billionaires
Feb 16, 2009 10:00 AM CST

Russia Loses Half of Its Billionaires

Market woes, weak ruble have chipped away at fortunes

(Newser) - The 10 wealthiest Russians have lost two-thirds of their fortunes in the past year, AP reports, based on the magazine Finans' annual list of billionaires. The ranks of billionaires have been cut in half, from 101 to just 49. Last year's richest Russian, Oleg Deripaska, has fallen to eighth on...

Construction Theft Is Building Concern

$5B in annual losses drive home prices up by as much as 10%

(Newser) - Increasing theft of building materials from construction sites, especially residential projects, is driving up the cost of homes to consumers as much as 10%, the New York Times reports. Experts say as much as $5 billion a year is being lost to thieves looking to profit from skyrocketing prices for...

Gold Medal Is Priceless, But Metal Is Worth $215

(Newser) - Michael Phelps’ eight Olympic golds may be priceless, but they're not worth that much to a commodities trader, MarketWatch notes. This year's gold medals are made mostly of silver and coated with less than a quarter-ounce of gold, putting their value around $215. But people are, of course, willing to...

Manhole Cover Thieves Hit Streets of Philadelphia

Scrap metal prices result in 25-fold spike

(Newser) - These days you have to watch your step in Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love is suffering from an epidemic of manhole-cover theft, as rising scrap metal prices have led to a 2,500% increase in stolen covers and grates. Thieves are selling the covers for $5 to $10 at...

US Rations Silver Dollars as Investors Scoop Them Up

Soaring silver demand means mint can't make coins fast enough

(Newser) - Investors and coin collectors are hopping mad at the US Mint for placing quotas on purchasing silver dollars, the Wall Street Journal reports. The price of silver has more than doubled in the last three years, and investors looking to cash in on the boom—and avoid the stock and...

US Shooters Hit By Soaring Bullet Prices

Demand for metals triggers ammo price hikes

(Newser) - Gun users across the US are having to tighten their ammo belts as bullet prices soar, Reuters reports. Sky-high worldwide demand for copper, lead and zinc means the price of most bullets has shot up two to three times in the last couple of years. Add to that competition for...

Steal the Pipes, Ditch the House

As metal prices soar and housing prices dives, thieves find value in copper

(Newser) - Rising metal prices have rendered some foreclosed homes worth less than their plumbing, and thieves are stripping the vacant abodes of copper, aluminum, and brass to fuel a lucrative overseas trade. Several states have hardened penalties for metal theft, but skyrocketing nonferrous metals prices have thieves risking steel cages for...

Paulson Wants to Toss Pennies
 Paulson Wants to Toss Pennies 
Feb 29, 2008 4:15 PM CST

Paulson Wants to Toss Pennies

Costs outweigh value of small change, but government has no plans to cash out

(Newser) - Henry Paulson sees little point in pennies and would stop their production if he could, the AP reports. “The penny is worth less than any other currency,” the Treasury Secretary said today in a radio interview. But a sea change in change isn't imminent: Paulson says he...

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