A Priceless Commodity

摘要

Like many commodities, scrap metal is subject to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. And scrap metal professionals find this fortune subject to countless factors - including market demand, pricing, and international politics. "Steel manufacturers are heavily dependent on scrap for raw material input," says Joe Pickard, chief economist at the Washington, D.C.-based Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. "About two-thirds of all the steel that is produced in the U.S. today comes from scrap. So, that's an extremely important raw material input for steel producers."