Show Trouble In s. The Metals The and zinc industries in late years have been experiencing some serious In reflection of the stocks of the foremost companies in these fields are now priced near their lows for the past few DESPITE THE depressed prices of the common of the important nonferrous the Research of Babson's is currently recommending their advices are Maintained at since When are being appear at I in areas other particularly P j for the industry as worldwide additions to Rapacity were a time both- the economy and Aluminum demand were lag- AN oversupply developed and prices To add to the industry signed costly three-year agreements The four leading aluminum Sf- and all under considerable far in 1972 there has been moderate improve-i. although the aluminum outlook is far from bright Prices of some fabricated z- products have been but aluminum y prices in general remain weak and the world oversupply r A HIGHER return on the industry's investment is- a meaningful be Tm appear is two largest markets for been doing well this has been of some to the copper copper prices have been depressed and worldwide demand has been In July prices or the red metal were reduced 2 cents per pound by the major n copper futures prices moved up in anticipation of a in So increased demand has failed to The copper industry remains extremely and profits of its leading Phelps and Cerro-will fluctuate LEAD SUPPLIES currently exceed demand and American Smelting lowered its lead price by one-half cents a pound a few weeks Despite it should still be a reasonably good year for the lead industry due in part to the excellent business experienced by battery Consumption of lead for gasoline additives is turning but not as rapidly as might be St. Joe the nation's Number One lead is better this IN MAY the price of zinc was raised from 17 cents per-pound to 18 Many in the industry feel that another price rise is some inventory building is currently taking because production capacity of the nation's zinc industry has been sliced nearly in half by the closing of several old domestic zinc is in short The leading producer of this metal is New Jersey a subsidiary of Gulf Because of steadily rising costs of both labor and nickel prices were recently raised 15 percent by the two leading international Nickel and Nickel-both Canadian EVERYTHING prospects for the nickel industry are not especially bright there has been some betterment over last year's poor the supply-demand situation will show some over corning months |