New Report Preview

Good news for the global steel industry in weak January production, which rose a scant 0.9% from December, far less than the typical seasonal uptick of 2.5%. The data may have been skewed to the negative as China’s Golden Week holidays fell earlier than usual, and in fact the China Iron & Steel Association’s production “flash” report for the first 10 days of February showed that output rose 1.9% from late January levels, although this is still nearly 15% below peak levels seen in June 2011, as Chinese steel demand has yet to recover to normal levels following the Golden Week holidays.

For a free trial subscription, please contact us.