The steel industry, a top beneficiary of the country's sizzling economic growth, is this year likely to see only a meager profit or even report losses, according to a report by the National Development and Reform Commission. Mounting demand for steel in real estate construction and auto making during the past years resulted in an investment craze into the sector, and has caused a glut on the market. Average steel prices fell by a third last year, though domestic steel makers still managed to post a profit of 127.4 billion yuan (US$15.9 billion) on aggregate.