European hot metal production decreased last week

The European hot metal production index decreased to 89.02 in the week ending April 8, the lowest level since the last week of January when a number of furnaces were suspended due to low market demand.

In France, a fire in the No. 4 blast furnace of ArcelorMittal's Dunkirk plant in late March caused production to decrease sharply. This furnace accounts for more than 50% of the plant's total capacity. The Dunkirk sub-index decreased to 0.089, its lowest level since the fourth week of January.

In addition, ArcelorMittal's Gijon site also came under pressure, showing the subindex at zero, the lowest point since tracking data began.