Geopolitical issues can raise concerns for traders of nonferrous metals and scrap but flows and sales have remained on track this summer according to contributors to a July Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) World Mirror publication.

Stella Ying Wang of Canada-based American Iron & Metal (AIM) says sometimes shifting import procedures in exported scrap destinations Malaysia and Thailand remain in place, but writes, “Conditions at Malaysian ports are continuing their gradual improvement,” adding, “Containers that had been held for extended periods are now slowly moving through the inspection process, with some being cleared, released or re-exported.”

The picture in Malaysia is far from clear, she continues. “Transparency from Malaysian Customs remains limited. Market participants report that inspected shipments found to contain printed circuit boards are being rejected and returned to origin. Beyond this, customs authorities have not provided clear guidance regarding other criteria that may result in cargoes being denied entry or ordered to be re-exported.”

In Thailand, writes Wang, “Conditions [ remain] generally stable. Nevertheless, the global economic slowdown is continuing to weigh on overall demand, resulting in relatively weak consumption across several sectors.”

A report for the Brussels-based BIR by Rick Dobkin of St. Louis-based Shapiro Metals says some aluminum products and grades dropped by more than 15 percent in value in the United States in June, “mostly driven by the lower LME but also by a slow decline in the regional premium.”

Shapiro says in the U.S., secondary aluminum ingot prices “seem stable [owing] to higher raw material input and freight costs, none of which looks set to abate.”

On the red metals side in the U.S., Dobkin writes, “Domestic copper and brass demand has been good, with spreads relatively unchanged.” He adds, “Most secondary brass and aluminum ingot producers are having their typical summer shutdowns this year.”

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