Date: Mar 14, 2019
At Fastmarkets’ 20th Asian Ferro-alloys conference in Hong Kong this week, our team polled delegates about their expectations for the ferro-alloys markets for the remainder of the first half year of 2019.
Which factors do you think will be the biggest influences in the Chinese vanadium market for the rest of the first half of 2019?
Global vanadium prices hit all-time high last year following tightness on the supply side, expected rising demand from the steel sector and strong performance in Chinese rebar prices. Despite the correction seen late last year, half of the respondents polled said they expect prices to continue to be supported by supply tightness in the months to June 2019.
Which market is most vulnerable to expected power restrictions in April-May in Inner Mongolia?
Word came in late February that Inner Mongolia, one of the key production hubs for ferro-alloys in China, is likely to experience power shortages in April and May. Among the ferro-alloys, most of the delegates participating in the poll expect ferro-chrome production in the region to be affected during the anticipated power shortage.
