Prices in the local Italian flat steel market have remained stable over the past week, standing at €420-460/mt ($458-501/mt) for hot rolled coil (HRC), at €530-560/mt ($578-610/mt) for cold rolled coil (CRC) and at €510-540/mt ($556-589/mt) for hot dip galvanized (HDG), all ex-works. Most transactions have been concluded in the lower part of the range.
Downstream demand in the Italian market is quite weak and buyers are mainly adopting a wait-and-see stance.
The price increases seen in September were supported by the absence of imports due to antidumping measures and by decent demand. While market players now speak of weaker demand, prices have not weakened. On the contrary, there has been talk in the market of possible further price increases before the end of the year.
€1 = $1.09