As the coronavirus epidemic in China begins to slow the country is beginning to count the economic cost of the outbreak. For steel as much as any other sector, a lack of economic activity has hit demand hard. But how hard has yet to be seen in available data. In …

Chinese spot steel markets remain quiet and are likely to remain subdued well into February. Government efforts to bring demand forward earlier in the year have been forgotten as the Wuhan coronavirus shutters factories and prevents workers from returning to their city of employment.

Uncertainty will dominate the market until …

Chinese steel markets fell quiet at the end of 2019 and are likely to remain quiet until the Chinese New Year holiday at the end of January. A quickening increase in inventory levels is being offset by expectations of firm demand in the first half of the year. 

Government support …

After a strong 2019, China’s steel sector is due to slow down in 2020. Demand however is still expected to grow slightly as construction will remain robust, and infrastructure investment should pick up. The slowing Chinese economy is expected to drag down Chinese steel demand in the medium term, but …