The producer price index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, fell 3.1 percent year-on-year in April, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

In the week ending on May 10, 2020, the steel products price showed a minor recovery.

The 2009 ferrosilicon contract price on ZCE closed at 5834 yuan per ton on May 13.

In early May, key steel mills produced 20.5169 million tons of crude steel, 18.4871 million tons of pig iron.

Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor has projected that its global car sales will fall by 22pc from a year earlier to 7mn units during the April 2020-March 2021 fiscal year on expectations that the global car market will bottom out during April-June.

The 2009 ferrosilicon contract price on ZCE closed at 5840 yuan per ton on May 12.

Ferrosilicon output in Ordos City in Jan-Mar.

Ferroalloy output in Ordos City in Jan-Mar.