Earlier this week, the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association reported a 30% decline in the volume of aluminum products exported from China to the European Union. Aluminum manufacturing analysts quickly pointed out that this most likely resulted from the bloc’s 2023 carbon border tariff. The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) represents a new way […]
Sohrab Darabshaw
China’s Iron Ore Imports Surge Despite Evergrande Crisis
The first month of 2024 saw iron ore kick-off to a strong start, mainly due to increasing prices and substantial imports by China. Looking at iron ore futures, many investors were optimistic that the world’s largest purchaser of ore would continue implementing sufficient stimulus measures to enhance demand. Iron ore is a critical ingredient in […]
China’s Economic Jitters: Evergrande Liquidation Sparks Global Concerns
The recent liquidation order by a Hong Kong court of debt-ridden Chinese property giant Evergrande has once again raised that dreaded question: is China’s economy a ticking time bomb? It is a question experts continue to ask amid worsening Chinese construction news. Not long ago, two rival property construction firms, Evergrande and Country Garden, were […]
Copper Demand: Australian Exports to China Surge to Record High, Signaling Thaw in Relations
The frosty relationship between China and Australia continues to thaw, as evidenced in the bi-lateral trade indices indicate. Now, thanks to China’s growing copper demand, the world possesses one more indicator. According to recently released data, Australia exported 27,500 metric tons of copper ores and concentrates to China in November last year. At U.S. $44.5 […]
Is China’s Surge in Crude Oil, Coal, and Iron Ore Imports Really a Sign of Economic Strength?
News coming out of China indicates the country set new records in 2023 for the import of crude oil, coal, and iron ore. The revelation caught many by surprise, but analysts caution that this may not really signify a robust demand for these essential materials. Nor does it indicate that there has been any reversal […]
India US Trade Leaders Ease Duties, Forge Steel & Aluminum Export Harmony
India US trade is primed to shift. Both countries seem eager to enter a new period of trade harmony, as India’s Ministries of Mines and Steel, along with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), recently set up an in-house system to oversee the export of steel and aluminum products to the […]
Mexico Imposes 80% Tariff on Vietnamese Steel Amid Trade Tensions, Mixed Steel Prices
Neither China nor rising global steel player Vietnam had a very good 2023 due to fluctuating steel prices and demand. Like some other steel-producing countries, both have primarily resorted to flooding foreign markets with cheap steel products to remain in the black. This has led to massive protests from countries where these imports land, including […]
India’s Steel Industry Battles Cheap Imports
Imports seem to be the biggest bugbear for the Indian steel industry. Cheap steel from China, Vietnam, and several other countries flooded the domestic market for months, putting Indian steel companies at a significant disadvantage. The problem is now so severe that representatives from the steel sector and the Indian Steel Ministry met earlier this month […]
Conflicting Reports Signal Chinese Aluminum Supply Uncertainty
Conflicting reports continue to emerge from China regarding aluminum supply, demand, and production. Some information notes that the downturn in the country’s economy is largely due to the ongoing real estate crisis. As demand wanes, this poses questions regarding the internal pickup of aluminum and other base metals. However, other reports talk of the country […]
China’s Changing Appetite: The Future of Australia’s Iron Ore Supply, Iron Ore Prices
An expected slowdown in China’s uptake and a world that is increasingly moving toward “green” iron ore and steel will be two crucial drivers affecting the future of iron production. This is especially true for Australia, one of the world’s largest miners of raw iron ore. Should demand change or iron ore prices shift dramatically, […]
