Everything remains different? The meeting place for the German steel industry on 6 and 7 September 2011 in Frankfurt am Main Germany is affected by the recent turmoil. The business climate is likely tarnish significantly in the second half of the year. Frankfurt am Main, August 11, 2011 In the steel business, there has been only a constant in recent years: the constant change. Volatility has increased significantly on the market, since the mine companies have abandoned the traditional system of annual benchmark contracts for iron ore and coking coal in favour of quarterly price agreements. In the last few days and weeks, the worsening of the debt crisis in Europe and the United States has led to high uncertainty of the markets and sent commodity prices again plummeting. Also Germany is affected by the recent turmoil. The business climate is likely tarnish significantly in the second half of the year. The price swings in steel have become in the past few years increasingly severe and short-term: after the steel producer for the “second quarter some of the very significant price increases could prevail, the wind on the market has turned again: A part of the increases was collected again in the third quarter”.
Many buyers expect now a hot autumn”, because the steel works in spite of the economic climate is deteriorating attempting to enforce the fourth quarter higher prices. Increasing imports play an important psychological role on the market. For market participants, it becomes increasingly difficult to estimate future price developments. Who determines the steel prices in the foreseeable future? What are the economic forecasts for the main industries manufacturing steel? How can successfully positioned the entrants in this ever more volatile market environment? Has the European steel industry in the face of the dominance of China’s even have a future? Is Europe’s chance is to constantly reinvent itself? These and many other questions will be on the 6th Dow Jones Stahl day 2011, remains about this year under the evocative motto is different?”, on 6 and 7 September 2011 in Frankfurt / Main from renowned speakers in detail and discussed in panel discussions.