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MACROECONOMICS: Euro zone business growth slows down as year-end nears: PMI

Euro zone business growth was at its weakest pace in over two years last month as a manufacturing-led slowdown showed further signs of spreading to the service industry, a survey showed on Wednesday.

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SUBSTITUTION: The debate over palladium and platinum replacement for gasoline vehicles is not whether, but when

Palladium is more expensive than platinum for the second time ever in 2017. Due to platinum's new price advantage over palladium, we investigated the possibility of using platinum in catalytic converters for gasoline vehicles.

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AUTO PRODUCTION: VW says the next generation of cars with combustion engines will be its last

FRANKFURT -- Volkswagen Group expects the era of the combustion car to fade away after it rolls out its next-generation gasoline and diesel cars beginning in 2026.

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PLATINUM: Spend on platinum marketing rather than mining more, Amplats boss urges

  • Date: 04-12-18
  • Category: PLATINUM
  • Source: Business Day

The best way for SA’s embattled platinum industry to save itself from prolonged difficulties is to switch focus to intensive marketing and spending on creating demand rather than trying to lower costs and mining more metal, says Anglo American Platinum CEO Chris Griffith.

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AUTO PRODUCTION: Volkswagen says last generation of combustion engines to be launched in 2026

WOLFSBURG, Germany (Reuters) - Volkswagen’s (VOWG_p.DE) strategy chief said on Tuesday the German carmaker’s core brand will develop its final generation of vehicles using combustion engine technology in 2026.

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PGM SUPPLY: Lonmin in talks to access Sibanye-Stillwater mining area to minimise capital costs

  • Date: 04-12-18
  • Category: PGM SUPPLY
  • Source: Mining MX

LONMIN was in discussions with Sibanye-Stillwater to mine through a farm fence in order to minimise its project costs, said BusinessLive citing Ben Magara, CEO of the London-listed firm which is the subject of a takeover from Sibanye-Stillwater. “We are in advanced discussions with Sibanye and the Department of Mineral Resources,” Magara told the publication. “We are spending some risk capital to get that project going,” he said of plans to mine laterally from its K3 shaft into Sibanye’s Siphum

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Two-thirds of all housing units in US had a garage or carport in 2017

According to the US Bureau of the Census 2017 American Housing Survey, 66% of all occupied housing units in the United States had a garage or carport in 2017. Garages and carports often have access to electricity for parked vehicles, so these data are important for electric vehicle studies.

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PGM SUPPLY: No. 2 Platinum Miner Mulls Purchases in Low-Cost Asset Shift

  • Date: 04-12-18
  • Category: PGM SUPPLY
  • Source: Bloomberg

Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. said it’s open to acquiring low-cost assets as the struggling miner looks beyond a plan to close unprofitable shafts in South Africa. The No. 2 platinum producer, known as Implats, is playing catch-up with larger rival Anglo American Platinum Ltd., which is boosting output and profit after shifting to lower-cost operations.

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