MEPS notes that March 304 stainless steel contracts in Europe and North America will be slightly lower. Because the average nickel prices on the LME are dropping slightly.
Manufacturers may try to raise the baseline in order to maintain stable transaction values. However, factories in China and Taiwan recorded low purchasing activity after the Lunar New Year holidays.
While these numbers indicate a slowdown in the rise in prices for stainless steel products, sellers are encouraged by the positive trend that has been displayed over the past twelve months.
The February rate of 304 cold rolled steel coil transactions in Germany is 33 percent higher than at the same time last year. China has seen a similar increase this month from February 2016, and the United States is more than 40 percent higher.
Raw material costs are an important factor in these increases. Falling chrome costs are expected to offset the rise in nickel over the next twelve months.
Stainless steel prices stabilize after a year of growth - MEPS
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Azovpromstal® 2 March 2017 г. 11:11 |
