n° 170 – January 2021

2020, that most challenging of years, is now over and we entered a new era from day one of 2021.

Although COVID vaccines have finally arrived, social distancing is still urged and personal protection gear remains part of our daily lives. Travel restrictions with required quarantine periods and remote working have also become our new norm.

Under China’s new policies, scrap is no longer accepted by what used to be the world’s largest market for scrap materials. Even the newly-classified recycled copper and brass materials have been facing some difficulties in gaining entry to China during the opening month of 2021.

Container shortages resulting from the world trade imbalance have added to the impact of the second and third waves of lockdown measures imposed by many of the largest trading countries owing to fresh increases in COVID cases.

In the USA, Joe Biden has been inaugurated as the new US President. Besides COVID crisis management and other domestic issues, everyone is watching closely how he will look to address the trade disputes with the world’s second-largest economy China.

As said earlier, we are at the start of a new and potentially transformative era. In the meantime, stay safe and healthy.