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Corporate Economy Expressions Markets Leisure 16 February 1998   Cotton supply position in comfort zone Cotton prices have reversed gear over the last two weeks following the growing realisation that domestic availability of the fibre will not be as bad as presumed earlier. Consequently, there is a likelyhood of imports touching the mark of five to six lakh bales (170 kg each) in calendar 1998 against 0.5 lakh bales in the 1996-97 cotton season..   Steel prices set to crash further as CIS countries dump metal The Indian steel industry is going through a bad phase, but worse is yet to come since the prices of steel in the world market are falling further. Copper placed better on LME, may firm up LME copper prices are likely to firm up further during the current week and fears that the conductor metal may tumble below the $1,650 mark are unlikely to materialise. Exports to lead aluminium price recovery in '98 The Metal Bulletin Research senior metals consultant, Raju Daswani, has pointed out that despite the downtrend witnessed in the world aluminium prices in the first six months of the fiscal 1998, the aluminium prices are likely to witness an export-led recovery.   Iron, steel prices fluctuate mildly in Jan The month of January witnessed a marginal fluctuations in the prices of iron & steel items in different regions of the country, according to RK Prasannan, development commissioner for iron & steel. Basmati exporters get a wakeup call on intellectual property rights Both exporters and industry have been stumped by US company Ricetec Inc's moves to patent basmati rice. Though the US patent (No 5663484) granted to Ricetec is essentially a process patent for a new method of breeding basmati and for inventing a new way of determining the cooking and starch properties of the rice, Indian exporters of basmati are worried.     Cardamom growers face bleak future   Commodity Briefing   Kerala paddy procurement scheme fails   Silver halts march, gold slips on more supply   Millers see sharp rise in mustard oil price   Sacking futures cleared, but raw jute trading faces WB government's veto   Case for cut in aluminium scrap duty   Chemicals exports grow at a healthy clip