Ian Christmas, Secretary-General of the International Institute of Iron and Steel (IISI), told the Reuters Global Mining Summit that demand for steel is expected to remain strong for most of the year, globally. "In North America there is some softness in things like automotive and domestic appliances, but not enough to take away optimism for the first six months of this year," Christmas said, adding he expects global steel use to be about 5–6% this year, with Chinese demand rising around 10%.