Whether it’s the government or supplier of raw materials or the down stream magnet producer we have seen,over the past 50 years, the negative results of arbitrarily imposing sanctions/tariffs and/or surcharges on these materials, many times causing havoc in the market place. From Alnico magnets using cobalt in the 1970’s to rare earth Neodymium magnets this century we continue to see end customers nervous and unsure of future prices and availability. This presentation will focus on the current situation concerning the looming trade war between the USA and China as well as the recent crack down on rare earth raw materials in China and its potential impact on the magnet industry.
