An Outokumpu survey reports that the sales volume of stainless steel in the US in the first season of 2008 has dropped by 12.5% from the last quarter of 2007 due to weak demand in the global market. Although the production of stainless steel has been curtailed in the second quarter of 2008 in Asia such as China, the total output still surges by 2% as compared with the same period of last year. Many customers so far are waiting for the stainless steel price keeping down owing to declining nickel price in the dormant summer holiday period. Hence, the demand for stainless steel in China and India has decreased dramatically. It is expected that the development of globalization of stainless steel will be affected in the coming years.
