If it was mined from the earth so far in 2013, there's a good chance that its price is lower now that it was on Jan. 1. The companies doing the mining are also probably cheaper as a result. Two perfect examples of this scenario are the coal and copper markets. Continuing moves toward cleaner energy and low-priced natural gas did a number on coal demand in the United States, and slowing growth around the world put a dent in copper demand that miners simply didn't have time to react to. However, with the latest results from several key producers, it appears that the tides might be turning, or at least flattening out.
We have evidence in the form of second-quarter results from Peabody Energy (BTU), Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (FCX 0.52%) and Southern Copper (SCCO -0.37%), all three of which hinted at where they believe the two industries are headed. Going over the conference calls, Motley Fool analyst Taylor Muckerman gathered a few interesting tidbits and discusses them with fellow analyst Joel South in the following video.
