[Pb Ingot] Lead Shipments from Shanghai Recover after Storm

The EU Commission's 44th Trade Defence Report, published September 17, 2026, highlighted 32 new investigations and 232 active measures, but made no mention of two WTO panel defeats in 2025. One is directly relevant to stainless steel: in October 2025, a WTO dispute settlement panel rejected the core legal construction behind the EU's countervailing duties on Indonesian cold-rolled stainless steel, specifically the attribution of Chinese financing as an Indonesian subsidy. The Commission appealed the ruling to the Appellate Body — which has been dysfunctional since 2020 — a manoeuvre Brussels routinely criticizes other trading partners for using to obstruct the rules-based order. The stainless steel case appears in the report only because Egypt raised it in the WTO Committee; the outcome itself goes unmentioned.

The European Commission issued a Statement of Objections regarding MMG's proposed acquisition of Anglo American's Brazilian nickel operations, a move welcomed by EUROFER. Director General Axel Eggert stated that any transaction affecting strategic raw materials should strengthen competition, security of supply, and Europe's industrial autonomy rather than create new dependencies. EUROFER warned that further concentration in strategic raw material supply could increase suppliers' pricing power and reduce purchasing options for European stainless steel producers, who rely on competitively priced, low-carbon ferronickel to meet decarbonization requirements. The association also pointed to Indonesia's nickel ore export ban as a precedent for supply chain disruption, arguing that further consolidation of Brazilian nickel supply warrants careful scrutiny. EUROFER called for robust, lasting structural, governance, or ownership-based safeguards — rather than solely contractual commitments — to preserve direct and competitive access for European stainless steel producers to the Anglo American Brazilian assets.

Investigasi antidumping Taiwan (PoC) terhadap baja nirkarat canai dingin asal Vietnam telah menyingkap perpecahan signifikan di industri. Pemohon Yusco dan Tang Eng Iron Works berargumen bahwa lonjakan impor Vietnam dan penurunan harga menyebabkan kerugian domestik sebesar NT$2,8 miliar tahun lalu serta menurunkan utilisasi kapasitas hingga 50%. Perwakilan produsen Vietnam membantah dengan menyatakan pangsa pasar impor tetap sekitar 8% dan penurunan harga mencerminkan tren pasar regional, bukan dumping yang disengaja. Patut dicatat, prosesor hilir lokal Yuan Long dan Tung Mung menentang investigasi ini, mengkritik produsen hulu yang mengimpor produk setengah jadi canai panas berbiaya rendah dari Indonesia sambil berupaya memblokir sumber canai dingin dari luar negeri, serta memperingatkan bahwa margin dumping sebesar 31,36% akan menekan daya saing ekspor dan menciptakan risiko rantai pasok.