Is a trade case on deck for US import HDG?

US-based traders for all steel products had their eyes on the US DOC’s final determinations against OCTG imports last Friday, and after moderate-to-steep margins were announced for nearly all countries in the suit, many suspect that a case against US import hot dipped galvanized (HDG) could be right around the corner.

As SteelOrbis reported last week, a growing number of traders have been reluctant to book orders with Chinese mills, and many have stopped accepting futures offers altogether.  Although there are a handful that are still transacting business with mills in Southeast Asia, they are certainly not the norm. Other rumors about a case against cold rolled coil (CRC) have also been slowly making their way through the market, and although some feel a HDG case could come first, others feel the actions could be filed side-by-side.  For now, futures offer prices from both China and India have held on par since our last report a week ago, although interest in booking futures is trending light.