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Stainless Steel Hot News |
Index > Steel news > Stainless Steel Hot News |
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| Surcharge likely to be sole driver of stainless prices in Q1 |
2010-02-09 |
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Hope for higher transaction prices on stainless products in Q1 is lukewarm among US service center executives.
In a recent survey by research firm UBS Investment Center, just 58% of executives said they expect stainless prices to rise, the lowest percentage by steel product. About 33% of the executives expected prices to remain flat.
Surcharge hikes in both February and March have raised transaction prices for stainless coil, but no major stainless producer has yet hinted that a base price increase is on the way.
Demand remains relatively tight, though at least one major purchaser of stainless coil sees stronger orders on the way if surcharges continue to boom, Steel Business Briefing reports.
"All domestic mills are into March and April lead times,” the purchaser said. “I suspect that many distributors will take a pause in March in terms of shipments unless nickel, chrome and scrap continue to rally in February. If that happens, I suspect orders at the mills will increase for March.”
Source : SBB |
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