Steel industry of the world and of Russia in pandemic environment

Abstract

The crisis of the world economy, caused by coronavirus pandemic early 2020, resulted in a recession in demand for steel products, decrease of ferrous metals production. Dynamic of steel production by world regions and separate countries in 2019 and by 4 months of 2020 is presented. Results of IQ-2020 comparing with the analogue period of 2019, published by WSA, showed more than 10% production drop in such countries like Italy, Spain, Belgium, Taiwan, Venezuela and other, less than 10% production drop in the USA, Russia, Japan, India, Germany, Vietnam. Total decrease of production in IQ-2020 in Top-20 countries accounted for about 1%. In Russia, as per Rosstat data, production of steel and rolled products in the IQ-2020 was less by 1.1% comparing with the volume of IQ-2019. Dynamic of prices within the period from April of 2019 till April of 2020 presented for iron ore raw materials, steel billets, rebars, HRC and CRC at the world market. The decrease of steel rolled products import in the USA in January-April of 2020 by 5,8 million tons was noted, which is 28,2 % lower than the volume of January-April 2019. EC countries in IQ- 2020 decreased export of steel rolled products by 11% down to 4.51 million tons, comparing with IQ-2019, import decreased by 20.6% down to 5.7 million tons. China in January-April of 2020 comparing with January-April of 2019 decreased export of steel by 11.7% down to 20.6 million tons, and increased import by 7.4% up to 4.2 million tons. It was noted, that demand increase at the domestic market of China and tariff-wall, imposed by the USA, EC countries and other countries contribute to the decrease of Chinese export. In 2020 further decrease of steel products demand is expected by 6.4%. In EC countries the metal products consumption due to estimation will decrease by 15.8%, in developing countries (without China), as expected, by the results of 2020 the indices will deteriorate by 11.6%. Consumption of steel products in China in 2020 will increase by 1%. In CIS countries and Russia the decrease of steel consumption in 2020 will be about 10%.