Regional premiums--Asian premium negotiations over for Q1, volume more a focus than premium

摘要

The economic crisis in Japan has been in full effect since mid-October, with November being much worse than October, and December being worse than November. Some consumers described that their orders were down year-on-year by 15-20 percent in October, 30-40 percent in November, and probably 40-50 percent or more in December. And now, many consumers report that they are trying to buy nothing at all during Ql-09. Market participants are reporting that over the last 30 days, they have received continuous requests from customers to defer or cancel their purchases for Ql or HI 2009.