English to German Bus/Financial Metallurgy / Casting

Aus einer Unternehmenspräsentation

As we announced last November in our outlook for 2009, two big headwinds are impacting our results:
Changes in foreign exchange rates
Fluctuations in steel prices
Q2, a stronger U.S. dollar lowered our revenue by about $495 million. And the steep decline in volume and ***tighter metal spreads*** in our XYZ business resulted in a significant decline in operating income – more dramatic than we expected.


Here's the explanation of the term "metal spread" taken from this website: http://www.gerdauameristeel.com/global/faq.cfm

What is "Metal Spread"?

The term Metal Spread refers to the per ton difference, or margin, between the sales price of steel and the yielded scrap cost. The Metal Spread is an important figure in determining Gerdau Ameristeel's ability to earn a profit. The Metal Spread represents the dollars per ton which are available to cover conversion costs, sales and administrative expenses, debt, taxes and finally profit. With production capacity of approximately 2 million tons, each $1 change in Metal Spread means a $2 million change in pre-tax profit to the company.

Was ist der deutsche Ausdruck dafür?

Danke