A few Brazilian steel producers have asked U.S. and Canadian suppliers to defer fourth quarter coking coal shipments until the first quarter, souces tell Coal Americas. However, coking coal exporters don't believe the problem will be long-lived. "Brazil is stuggling with an economic downturn just like most global economies," a Canadian coal official said. "With that said, few other countries are enjoying the growth potential of Brazil. With the Olympic games coming soon and a growing domestic market for au- tomobiles and construction, Brazil is going to need a lot of steel. This is just a small rough patch in the road for Brazil." Indeed, Brazil is poised to replace the United Kingdom as the world's sixth largest economy.
展开▼
