Friday, December 17, 2004
Steel prices
MEPS: FLAT PRODUCTS
US domestic transaction prices continue to slide. The market has slowed down. Customers' inventories are full - service centre stocks at the end of September were the highest in 17 months. The mills have caught up with order backlogs. Import volumes are growing. [...]
We have noted a significant drop in Canadian mill transaction values this month. Market activity is subdued. A lot of imports are arriving at very attractive prices. Those service centres which rely solely on domestic material are suffering because the price differential can be as much as $C130/240 per tonne.
US domestic transaction prices continue to slide. The market has slowed down. Customers' inventories are full - service centre stocks at the end of September were the highest in 17 months. The mills have caught up with order backlogs. Import volumes are growing. [...]
We have noted a significant drop in Canadian mill transaction values this month. Market activity is subdued. A lot of imports are arriving at very attractive prices. Those service centres which rely solely on domestic material are suffering because the price differential can be as much as $C130/240 per tonne.
