World’s no. 2 automaker to get “actively involved in raw materials business”

Lithium has soared nearly 500% in the past year.

Car manufacturers are trying to lure more customers just as government subsidies for cleaner vehicles fall away.

Investors are furious with the LME for allowing prices to soar 250% in less than two days.

The bank has been offering to trade contracts in commodity index products, such as the S&P GSCI, whose constituents include nickel.

Canada is among the world’s premier jurisdictions for mineral exploration and mining and has become a go-to destination for the industry.

Banks last year lobbied against efforts to increase transparency in metals markets, LME chief executive Matthew Chamberlain said in an interview.

Prices of materials like crude, gas, wheat and metals have become alarmingly erratic as a gulf emerges between buyers and sellers who are facing big financing strains.

The administration also plans to announce nearly $215 million in Interior Department funding to clean up abandoned mines in West Virginia.

Electronic trading stalled again Friday after a short flurry of deals when the market opened.