When it comes to the bidding for British Steel, it’s now out with the Turks and in with the Chinese.

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It is all change at the sales counter in the process of hawking British Steel to the highest — or any — bidder.

Ataer Holding, a subsidiary of the Turkish military pension fund Oyak, saw its bid for the British Steel Group collapse last month when its terms were considered uneconomic.

Details are sketchy as to exactly what was the problem, whether it was the price, subsidies or conditions around employment.

But as controversial as a sale to the Turkish military pension fund would have been, a sale to a Chinese steel group is potentially even worse.

Arguably, China has been a part of the demise of the British steel industry for the last two decades and continues to depress global steel prices, perpetuating a marginal state of existence for not just British steel assets but also for much of Europe.

However, the British government — or, at least, the liquidator, no doubt with government approval, — has reached a deal with Chinese steel group Jingye. The Chinese group also operates hotels and real estate, employs 23,500 and has registered capital of 39 billion yuan ($5.58 billion), giving it the financial clout to invest, Reuters reported.

Jingye is no minnow when it comes to steel production, with a capacity of 15 million tons. Although no contractual guarantees have been given, the company has pledged to maintain as many jobs as possible. The amount being paid was not confirmed, but it is reported to be between £50 million and £70 million.

Jingye has pledged to invest £1.2 billion in the business over the next decade, upgrading the plants and machinery, the Daily Mail reported.

The government will be delighted to get British Steel off the books, as it has been costing £1 million a day to keep the group operating since May, when it collapsed and private equity owner Greybull Capital threw in the towel.

The paltry price tag — said to be no more than the operating cash in the company, probably comes with some government aid sweeteners — buys a group that includes steelworks at Scunthorpe and Teesside in northern England, as well as its European units (FN Steel in the Netherlands and British Steel France).

According to Reuters, European trade group Eurofer is looking into the deal from a state aid point of view. French authorities are considering seeking assurances from Jingye that it will guarantee supply to a factory in northeast France as a condition for its approval of the deal. The British Steel works supplies steel used to make specialized high-speed rails for France’s TGV network.

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British Steel represents one-third of the U.K.’s steel output and produces long steel products used in construction and the rail industry in the U.K. and France.

Whether Jingye will see a profit out of the company remains to be seen, but maybe that isn’t even the point.

British Steel gives the group a presence inside the European market and, as such, may give them a seat at the European steel producers table.

Destina/Adobe Stock

This morning in metals news, China again emphasized its desire for a removal of tariffs toward the goal of an initial trade deal with the U.S., U.S. Steel has laid off more workers and a Taiwanese firm is planning to invest $100 million in a new Turkish steel factory.

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Tariff Talks Continue

As U.S.-China trade talks continue, with the parties aiming to reach a “phase one” deal, China’s Commerce Ministry renewed a call for the removal of tariffs.

“The trade war was begun with adding tariffs, and should be ended by canceling these additional tariffs. This is an important condition for both sides to reach an agreement,” said Gao Feng, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce, according to a CNBC report.

More U.S. Steel Layoffs

In addition to layoffs at its Minnesota taconite plants and at its Granite City, Illinois plant, the steelmaker has also laid off workers at its Gary Works and Midwest Plant in Portage, Indiana, the Times of Northwest Indiana reported.

The steelmaker reported a net loss of $84 million in the third quarter, compared with net earnings of $291 million in Q3 2018.

Taiwan to Continue Investment in Turkey

According to a report in the Daily Sabah, the president of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council said the company will invest $100 million toward a new steel factory in northwestern Turkey.

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Walter Yeh, president of the council, added Taiwan hopes to increase its trade volume with Turkey up to $2 billion, according to the report.

The normally pragmatic Netherlands has been strangely agitated recently, as both the construction and agricultural industry have protested on the streets of the capital, the Hague, against the government’s measures for combating nitrogen and PFAS-based pollution.

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In itself this would barely be newsworthy for MetalMiner if it weren’t for the impact it is having on an already subdued metals industry.

Even before the widespread disruption to the Dutch construction industry, demand for steel and aluminum was suffering from depressed German industrial consumption, largely due to a downturn in the automotive market.

But in the Netherlands, the government is struggling to resolve an issue with nitrogen emissions permitting, which Reuters reports are four times the E.U. average per capita in the small and densely populated Netherlands.

Although 61% of emissions are coming from agriculture, a sizable portion also comes from the construction industry – a big consumer of aluminum and steel products.

The impact is particularly damaging, as the country has been enjoying a boom in infrastructure and housing investment of late.

As a result of a fiasco over how permits are assessed, a review is underway and, in the meantime, new permits have been withheld, leading to delays and project uncertainty.

Aluminum extruders estimate the European market is down at least 20% from last year as a result. With steel prices also waning, participants across the supply chain are reducing inventories, adding further to the fall in demand being experienced by producers.

Lead times have come in and order books are weak, as many in the steel and aluminum supply chains find themselves overstocked relative to ongoing demand. The double whammy of weak automotive demand now being exacerbated by a fall in construction activity has caught many by surprise.

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The government in the Netherlands will no doubt resolve its permitting issues. However, a return to last year’s robust level of activity is unlikely to bounce back quickly and producers remain pessimistic about demand next year.

In the meantime, prices are likely to remain under pressure and lead times will remain short into 2020.

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The Raw Steels Monthly Metals Index (MMI) showed mixed price movements in October, with declines outweighing increases for a one-point index drop to 66.

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U.S. steel prices continued to weaken during October, possibly reaching a new bottom.

Prices appeared to bottom out back in July (with the exception of plate), especially with price gains seen during August and early September.

Then, weakness set in again throughout September.

Source: MetalMiner data from MetalMiner IndX(™)

Plate prices dropped by another 14% since late August’s high price of $799/st down to $684/st, with prices near those for CRC. While plate prices are closer in line with historical pricing norms, plate prices tend to fall below CRC prices, despite being equal at this time.

HRC prices also looked particularly weak recently, dropping 18% to $483/st from the late August  price of $590/st.

While CRC and HDG also dropped below July values to reach new 2019 lows, recent declines were milder (but still significant). CRC and HDG prices dropped 10% and 11%, respectively, over the past couple of months, since reaching higher prices in early September/late August.

U.S. capacity utilization continues to hold above the critical 80% mark, at 80.3%, based on year-to-date production through Nov. 2. Production of 81.6 million tons during that period is up 2.5% year over year, according to statistics from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

Chinese Prices Fail to Gain Momentum

Chinese steel prices looked flat overall but were down slightly of late.

Source: MetalMiner data from MetalMiner IndX(™)

While prices failed to gain any upward momentum, price declines during the past month or two were mild.

Comparing average August prices to early November prices, cumulative declines ranged between 3.3%-5.4% over the period, with HDG and HRC dropping most (at 5.4% and 5.3%, respectively). CRC dropped 4.6% and plate by 3.3%.

U.S.-China CRC Spread Narrows Again, Nears Long-Term Low

With U.S. prices dropping more steeply than Chinese prices during the past few months, the spread between prices on key commodity forms narrowed once more.

Source: MetalMiner data from MetalMiner IndX(™)

Looking at the above chart showing the spread, valued in U.S. dollars per standard ton, we can see the spread dropped to an absolute value of $29/st — its lowest since December 2017’s value of $22/st.

The red line represents average costs associated with imports, indicating at this time U.S. prices should discourage imports by virtue of being relatively affordable.

The purple line represents the theoretical impact of tariff costs (to be adjusted based on actual tariff rates), which render an additional price buffer for domestic producers (in terms of increasing the price that can be charged before imports look more attractive).

Source: MetalMiner data from MetalMiner IndX(™)

In contrast to HRC, the CRC spread continues to exceed levels expected to discourage imports (pre-tariffs), with the spread remaining above $90/st — our theoretical average per standard ton cost associated with importing.

However, prices dropped below the purple line, indicating the tariff creates an import buffer for CRC at a tariff rate of 25% (based on current price differentials).

U.S. Commodity Steel Imports Decline

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, imports of hot roll sheets totaled 151,330 metric tons in September, compared to 157,636 tons in August. September imports of HRC decreased by 15.5%, from 179,105 metric tons in September 2018.

Imports of cold roll sheets totaled 124,286 metric tons in September, compared to 126,704 in August. Compared to September 2018, imports of CRC dropped by around 19.2%, down from 153,728 metric tons the year prior.

On a monthly basis, increased imports came primarily from Mexico, Canada and Turkey. Imports from Korea, Japan and Spain decreased last month.

In terms of year-to-date figures through August, steel imports totaled 18.8 million metric tons compared with 21.7 million metric tons during the first eight months of 2018.

HRC imports decreased the most, while black plate, line pipe and tin-free steel imports increased the most.

On a year-to-date basis through August, imports from Canada declined, while increases occurred from Brazil, Spain and Ukraine.

Chinese Steel Production Increases

Based on data from the World Steel Association (WSA), global production increases slowed in September.

Production from January through September of this year reached 1,391.2 million tons, up by 3.9% compared to the same period of last year. However, last month, the year-to-date increase measured 4.6% for the January-August period.

Year-to-date increases in Asia totaled 6.3% over the period, while E.U. production contracted by 2.8%. North American production of 90.6 million tons translated into a small increase of 0.3%.

September crude steel production declined in most major producer countries compared with September 2018, with the exception of China, India and Italy.

Crude production in China decreased to 82.8 million tons in September, compared with August production levels of 87.251 million tons, but increased by 2.2% compared with September 2018. India’s production increased by 1.6% to 9 million tons in September compared with last year, while Italy produced 2.2 million tons, a 1.1% increase compared with September 2018.

Japan’s September production dropped by 4.5% compared with September 2018, falling to 8 million tons. South Korea saw a drop of 2.7% during the same monthly comparison period, to 5.7 million tons. A decline of 4% hit German production, with 3.4 million tons produced, while France’s production dropped by 10.2% to 1.2 million tons.

What This Means for Industrial Buyers

Global production levels remain higher, primarily driven by high Chinese production, while demand still looks weaker.

If manufacturing gains continue in China, we could see some pricing momentum return. Some signs point in that direction; as of yet, demand has not yet pushed prices higher.

Buying organizations interested in tracking industrial metals prices with ease will want to request a demo of the all-new MetalMiner Insights platform.

Buying organizations seeking more insight into longer-term steel price trends may want to read MetalMiner’s Annual Metal Buying Outlook.

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Actual Raw Steel Prices and Trends

Steel prices showed mixed movements in October.

Korean scrap prices registered another large drop this month — following last month’s 16.9% decrease — falling another 30.2% to $81/mt. However, Korean pig iron prices increased by 2.8% to $368/mt.

U.S. shredded scrap prices also decreased again this month, falling 11.4% to $225/st.

The U.S. Midwest HRC futures spot price dropped 5.2% to $495/st, while the Midwest HRC futures three-month price increased by 3.6% to $549/st.

LME billet three-month prices dropped 2.3% to $239/st.

Once again this month, Chinese prices in the index showed mixed, generally mild movements.

China billet prices increased by 1.6%, to $496/mt, while HRC prices decreased by 1.2% to $499/mt. Coking coal prices dropped by 5.4% to $248/mt, the largest Chinese price decline this month, while iron ore prices increased by 1.6% to around $63 per dry metric ton.

buhanovskiy/AdobeStock

Editor’s Note: This article has been corrected to reflect the most recent AISI capacity utilization rates and the price delta between the ROW and the US.

Judging by the plunging share price of steel producers and the collapse in steel prices from $1,006 per ton just over two years ago to $557 now, it would seem that Steelmageddon — the term famously coined by Bank of America Merrill Lynch — is upon us.

Or is it?

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A recent Fortune article puts steel producers at fault for rushing to restart idled capacity and even investing in new facilities following President Donald Trump’s imposition of a 25% import duty in 2018.

The measure did meet its objective of lifting capacity utilization from 73% to 80%, as domestic steel mills became more competitive behind the tariff barrier. Though utilization rates dipped in late August through mid-October, they have since come back above 80%.

If that were the end of the story, it is possible steel producers would still be able to play the market by maximizing sales with their 25% buffer against imported steel.

As exemptions have been granted to major trading partners such as Canada and Mexico, that has minimized the benefits of the tariffs for domestic producers. Initially, U.S. producers were at best only 1-2% below the price of imported steel, taking the majority of the 25% as increased profit.

But today, the price delta between the ROW and the U.S. is virtually nonexistent.

Some would argue a global trade war waged by the president, specifically but not exclusively with China, has also contributed to a slowing of steel demand. The counter-argument suggests that while we have seen a drop from 2018, the reality is that we might be at the end of a long-running expansionary business cycle that would have seen slower demand anyway.

The article argues the rise in domestic steel prices has made some U.S. manufacturers less competitive for both domestic sales and their exports. But our own data suggests that 12 out of 18 manufacturing sectors in 2018 had record profits, despite tariffs.

Now, steel plants are being idled again as oversupply is depressing prices below the level seen even before the imposition of the 25% import tariff.

CNN reported U.S. Steel recently announced it would temporarily shut down a blast furnace at its venerable Gary, Indiana facility, another at a facility near Detroit and idle a third plant in Europe due to weak demand and oversupply.

Steel producers’ earnings have headed south in lockstep with falling demand.

Fortune states the combined earnings of U.S. Steel, AK Steel, Steel Dynamics and Nucor tumbled more than 50% in the first two quarters of this year. Capacity utilization dipped back below the 80% target primarily in September and October but has since recovered to 81.6% according to the latest AISI data for the week ending Nov. 2 and year-to-date capacity utilization reached 80.3% compared with 77.5% from a year ago.

The basis of the Section 232 justification was that the U.S. needed to maintain a level of investment and capability in the steel industry as a matter of national security, that certain steels were critical for military and strategic requirements.

Although the defense secretary at the time, James Mattis, said the military needed just 3% of U.S. production of steel and aluminum and that imports didn’t hinder its ability to protect the nation, there are some countries – the U.K. is an example — where the domestic steel industry has been allowed to wither so significantly that it now relies on imports of critical defense materials, like steel, for the hulls of its nuclear submarines.

A better counter would be to question whether tariffs were and remain the best way to protect investment and capability in those strategic areas of production.

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Either way, a global slowdown, coupled with a rush to return capacity to production, has created an oversupplied market in which steelmakers have suffered.

Nor will demand return anytime soon if the World Steel Association is correct.

The association forecast U.S. steel demand will slow to 1% in 2019 (from 2.1% growth last year). In 2020, growth is expected to crawl to just 0.4%, quite possibly prompting the closure of yet more mills and a return to pre-tariff levels of profitability and capacity utilization.

That’s not what the market or the industry wanted. However, to answer the headline, until we see a crash in the steel capacity utilization rate, it’s hard to argue Steelmageddon has arrived.

For a while, whether or not India would join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was touch and go.

But eventually, much to the relief of domestic steel companies and those from other sectors, the Narendra Modi-led Indian government decided to sit out the controversial RCEP trade pact, which features the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), plus China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.

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As Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the delegates at a negotiation meeting in Bangkok, “Neither the talisman of Gandhiji nor my own conscience permits me to join the RCEP.”

India’s decision comes seven years after negotiations over the free trade agreement began.

The RCEP covers trade in goods and services, in addition to investments, economic-technical cooperation, competition and intellectual property rights.

If India had joined RCEP, it would have become the largest trade agreement in the world, accounting for one-third of global economic output and half of the world’s population.

The remaining 15 nations have decided to go ahead with the deal, led by China.

According to some media reports, like one by India Today, the RCEP was a Chinese game plan to “save its manufacturing industries from folding under their own weight.”

India decided not to join the RCEP for several reasons. Among them, India wanted an important clause included for an auto-trigger mechanism as a shield against sudden and significant import surge from countries.

President of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry Sandip Somany was quoted in The Hindu as saying serious apprehensions on the RCEP had been expressed by several sectors, including steel, plastics, copper, aluminum, machine tools, paper, automobiles, chemicals, petro-chemicals and others.

For the domestic steel industry, the Indian prime minister’s announcement was music to its ears. The Indian steel industry had, from the start, opposed what it had dubbed a one-sided pact.

Speaking to LiveMint, Bhaskar Chatterjee, secretary general and executive head for Indian Steel Association, said representatives of the steel industry had met with the Indian Ministries of Commerce and Steel and the Indian Steel Association, where they asserted that if the signing the RCEP was inevitable, then steel items should be kept out of the agreement.

In addition to steel, other sectors that had expressed reservations about joining the RCEP were aluminum, petro-chemicals, agriculture, dairy, steel, rubber and textiles.

Experts were of the view that if other nations were allowed to ship their goods to India without absolutely any duty, they would obviously price them cheaper than their Indian counterparts, creating a market skewed against Indian producers and manufacturers. Playing at the back of the mind of Indian steel companies was 2016-17, when Chinese companies dumped steel in Indian markets in large volumes.

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One other reason behind Modi’s decision to walk away from the deal is the fact that the Indian economy today is particularly vulnerable and weak, with GDP growth stagnating and unemployment at new highs.

The U.S. steel sector notched a capacity utilization rate of 81.6% for the week ending Nov. 2, according to a recent American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) report, as U.S. steel prices continue to plunge.

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U.S. steel production reached 1.89 million tons for the week ending Nov. 2, marking a 0.1% year-over-year increase over the week ending Nov. 2, 2018 (when production reached 1.88 million tons at a capacity utilization rate of 80.5%).

Meanwhile, production during the week increased 1.2% compared with the previous week ending Oct. 26, 2019, when production totaled 1.87 million tons at a rate of 80.7%.

For the year to date, production reached 81.60 million tons at a capacity utilization rate of 80.3%. Production during the period was up 2.5% compared with the 79.58 million tons produced during the same period in 2018 (when the capacity utilization rate checked in at 77.5%).

By region, production totals checked in at:

• Northeast: 190,000 tons
• Great Lakes: 676,000 tons
• Midwest: 181,000 tons
• Southern: 767,000 tons
• Western: 74,000 tons

Steel’s Slide Continues

On the price side, October proved to be another downward month for U.S. steel prices.

U.S. hot-rolled coil was down to $483/st as of the start of the month — nearing MetalMiner’s short-term support level. The price declined 12.97% month over month.

U.S. cold-rolled coil fell to $684/st, down 7.69% month over month. U.S. hot-dip galvanized is down 7.21% month over month, having fallen to $746/st.

The plate price dropped 7.07% to $684/st.

Steelmakers continue to grapple with the reality of falling prices, now with over 18 months gone by since the Trump administration slapped a 25% tariff on imported steel.

U.S. Steel, for example, reported an adjusted net loss of $35 million in its third-quarter earnings announcement. Meanwhile, in 3Q 2018, the steelmaker reported adjusted net earnings of $321 million.

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For the first nine months of the year, U.S. Steel reported adjusted net earnings of $124 million, down 80.6% from the $640 million reported during the first nine months of 2018.

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This morning in metals news, South Korea will no longer seek to benefit from special treatment granted to developing countries vis-a-vis WTO rules, iron ore exports from Australia’s Port Hedland are surging and Rio Tinto has commissioned new press filter technology at its Quebec alumina refinery.

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South Korea to Give up Seeking Developing Country Treatment

According to a Reuters report citing South Korea’s finance minister, the country will give up seeking the special treatment afforded to developing countries.

“The government decided not to seek special treatment as a developing country from future negotiations at WTO,” Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki was quoted as saying.

Developing country status is self-designated; however, other WTO members can challenge a country’s claim to the status.

Earlier this year, the White House released a memorandum calling for reforms to developing country designations.

“While some developing-country designations are proper, many are patently unsupportable in light of current economic circumstances,” the memorandum stated. “For example, 7 out of the 10 wealthiest economies in the world as measured by Gross Domestic Product per capita on a purchasing-power parity basis — Brunei, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Macao, Qatar, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates — currently claim developing-country status.  Mexico, South Korea, and Turkey — members of both the G20 and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) — also claim this status.”

Through the first half of 2019, South Korea accounted for 9% of U.S. steel imports (1.3 million metric tons).

Port Hedland Iron Ore Exports Rising

Iron ore exports from Australia’s Port Hedland are expected to hit a record high this fiscal year, according to a Bloomberg report.

According to the report, iron ore volumes from the port last year reached 508.5 million tons.

Rio Tinto Announces New Press Filter Tech at Quebec Refinery

Rio Tinto has commissioned new press filter technology at its Vaudreuil alumina refinery in Quebec.

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“The new filter presses will deliver environmental benefits by moving the refinery to dry stacking of bauxite residue and extend the life of the operation, which supports 1,000 jobs in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region,” the company said. “The presses will ramp up to being fully operational in early 2020.”

The new presses will be able to dry bauxite residue — preparing it for storage — in just 17 minutes, according to Rio Tinto, down from the three years it currently takes to dry the material.

Global steel production contracted in September, according to the most recent monthly data from the World Steel Association.

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In September, steel production from the 64 countries reporting data to the World Steel Association totaled 151.5 million tons, down 0.3% on a year-over-year basis.

For the first nine months of the year, production reached 1,391.2 million tons, up 3.9% compared with the first nine months of 2018.

Asian production reached 1,000.1 million tons through the first nine months of the year, up 6.3% from the first nine months of 2019.

Production in the E.U. reached 122.5 million tons, down 2.8% compared with the first nine months of 2018.

North American crude steel production in the first nine months of 2019 increased 0.3% to 90.6 million tons, while the Commonwealth of Independent States produced 76.0 million tons, down by 0.1% year over year.

Meanwhile, China’s September 2019 production reached 82.8 million tons, up 2.2% compared to September 2018. September production marked a decline in terms of relative year-over-year growth, as August 2019 year-over-year growth registered at 9.3%.

India’s production reached 9.0 million tons, marking a 1.6% increase. Japan produced 8.0 million tons, decreasing 4.5% year over year. South Korea’s crude steel production hit 5.7 million tons in September, marking a 2.7% year-over-year decline.

In the E.U., Germany churned out 3.4 million tons of crude steel, which marked a 4.0% year-over-year decrease. Italy’s production increased 1.1% to 2.2 million tons. France’s production fell 10.2% to 1.2 million tons, while Spain’s production also hit 1.2 million tons (marking a 1.0% decline).

U.S. production totaled 7.1 million tons, down 2.5% year over year (although year-to-date production remains higher than for the same period in 2018).

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Elsewhere, September production totals in Brazil, Turkey and Ukraine were down by 22.0%. 6.9% and 2.3%, respectively, on a year-over-year basis.

GM workers month went on a nationwide strike, the first since 2007 at the Big 3 automaker. Photo by Jeffrey Sauger for General Motors

Members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) voted Friday to ratify a new labor contract with General Motors, the United States Trade Representative offered a mixed reaction to the latest gathering of the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity, and a copper mine in Ecuador plans to make its first shipments in November.

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UAW, GM Reach Deal; Focus Shifts to Ford

After over a month, General Motors and the members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) finally have a new labor deal.

UAW members ratified a new four-year deal on Friday, officially ending the nationwide labor stoppage.

“We delivered a contract that recognizes our employees for the important contributions they make to the overall success of the company, with a strong wage and benefit package and additional investment and job growth in our U.S. operations,” GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra said in a prepared statement. “GM is proud to provide good-paying jobs to tens of thousands of employees in America and to grow our substantial investment in the U.S. As one team, we can move forward and stay focused on our priorities of safety and building high-quality cars, trucks and crossovers for our customers.”

The UAW hailed the details of the deal.

“General Motors members have spoken,” said Terry Dittes, UAW vice president and director of the UAW-GM Department. “We are all so incredibly proud of UAW-GM members who captured the hearts and minds of a nation. Their sacrifice and courageous stand addressed the two-tier wages structure and permanent temporary worker classification that has plagued working class Americans.”

According to UAW, the approved deal includes an “economic package of an $11,000 per member signing bonus, performance bonuses, two 3% annual raises and two 4% lump sum payments and holding the line on health care costs.”

Now, the union will shift its focus to bargaining with Ford.

USTR Mixed on Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity

The Office of the United States Trade Representative, as it has in the past, released a statement showcasing mixed feelings with respect to the efficacy and purpose of the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity.

The forum recently gathered for ministerial meetings in Tokyo, after which Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Dennis Shea indicated the forum’s policy efforts are be enough to tackle the problem of excess capacity.

“The United States will continue to work with like-minded partners to seek long-term solutions to the crisis of global excess capacity and the market distortions and global imbalances that it causes,” Shea said. “This includes, but is not limited to, exchanging information on the policies and practices of countries at the root cause of the crisis, whose measures generate and sustain steelmaking capacity misaligned with market forces.  At the same time, we will continue to take necessary action to address the harmful impact of this ongoing crisis on U.S. companies and workers as well as our essential security interests.”

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Ecuador Copper Mine to Begin Exports

A copper mine in Ecuador owned by a Chinese consortium could be set to begin exporting the metal in the near term, Reuters reported.

The El Mirador mine plans to make its first copper shipments by Nov. 14, Reuters reported.