Current worldwide economic conditions are having an impact on the supply of non-ferrous metal, according to the latest BIR Non-Ferrous World Mirror.
Non-Ferrous Metals Division president Robert Stein wrote in the introduction that a slowdown in volumes is being seen by traders.
He added: “As many of the world’s economies falter, the availability of non-ferrous scrap seems to decrease. The reduced flow of scrap can be attributed to a downturn in industrial activity, economic considerations that might encourage hoarding hard assets instead of cash – usually evident in countries with high rates of inflation and diminishing currency utility, outright speculation that market values will increase, or my personal favourite ‘all of the above’.
“Despite this likely short-term deficiency in supply, which by the way serves to emphasise the importance of scrap in the supply chain, non-ferrous metals continue to flow in various ways around the world in an ever-increasing and diverse way.”
