Has Asian Industrialization had a Negative Impact on the Global Marketplace?
An Investigation into the Effect of Industrialization of Select Markets and their Impact on the Global Marketplace.

Has Asian Industrialization had a Negative Impact on the Global Marketplace?
The global marketplace has seen a large shift in buying power in recent years. Former world leaders have seen their influence on the marketplace dwindle as industrialization begins to take hold in countries previously not seen as traditional powerhouses. Worldwide, prices have risen at a rate never before seen. With a burgeoning population of middle class workers, Asia as a whole, and China and India specifically, have fueled this pricing explosion. Research shows that the development of these former 3rd world countries is responsible for a large increase in global pricing due to the high demand for steel, oil, and agricultural products.
One major industry which has been affected by this shift is the steel industry. The demand for steel along with the decreased supply has caused prices to increase by 25 to 45 percent in the US market. (Van Der Schans, 2007). Several factors have coincided to deal a damaging blow to the US steel market. Firstly, China and India have become major players in the steel industry, accounting for the consumption of over 25 percent of the worldwide steel supply. Cooney found that, “China has become both the world’s largest steelmaker and steel consumer.” (2006). China’s ability to dictate the market has led to a global shortage of structural steel, and as most people are aware, when the supply dwindles and the demand increases, higher prices are inevitable. The increased demand in China and India has caused these countries to redirect their exports in order to meet their own domestic demands. Some Chinese and Indian suppliers have halted exports completely;