EU steelmakers have restarted nearly half the blast furnaces that were idled in the financial crisis, according to a leading industry player, holding back recovery in a sector already hobbled by over-capacity and high energy costs.

China's bloated steel industry will continue to experience tough times this year despite years of government efforts to address overcapacity in the sector, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on Feb 5th..

China will slash export tariffs for coal from Jan. 1,2015 and adjust those for a range of other commodities as part of broader efforts to re-order trade and foster economic growth.

The iron-ore price depreciation on the world market will not impact existing preliminary anti-dumping duties measures imposed by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) or the final investigations currently underway.

Import price of Iron ore in China On November 03（Tianjin Port）

Brazil / Australia - China freight On September 30

For 2014, Alcoa is forecasting a 7% increase in global demand for aluminium as well as a supply shortfall of 930 000 tonnes, which compares to the deficit of 730 000 tonnes projected by the company earlier in the year.

Casting producing nations produced a combined 15.4 million tons in 2012, the year of the most recent census, compared to 15.9 million tons in 2011.