Physical Metals

Would anyone have an opinion on primary ferrous trading (semis and flats) compared to secondary scrap trading (mainly accumulating/merchandising scrap for overseas sales)?

I am juggling against two offers and trying to weigh the pros and cons. Both large MNC, however base salary for the scrap job is around 20% lower.

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Primary ferrous has always seemed interesting to me, I don't totally understand how it all works given the lack of a mature derivatives complex. Secondary is a huge business, there may be more options in terms of switching shops?

Keep in mind I am in non-ferrous but secondary would probably be better if you see yourself long-term in the scrap trading world whereas I would think primary is more of a pre-cursor to sales and then exec roles at big mills.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Certainly primary sounds a bit more interesting as you mentioned.

I don’t know a great deal about long term opportunities in the scrap sector or the trading shops involved.

One advantage is the scrap deals across all metals and not limited to steel. Moreover, it seems to be a large market involving more domestic focused businesses rather than many international companies which makes me slightly more hesitant.

 

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