During the week ending April 15, Chinese export offers of flat steel products have followed a slight downtrend. At present, boron-added hot rolled coil (HRC) export offers given by Chinese suppliers are at $370-385/mt FOB, with actual transaction prices in the range of $370-375/mt, while cold rolled coil (CRC) export offers given by Chinese suppliers are at $440/mt FOB.
The soft trend of ex-China flat steel offers has mainly been due to the recent declines seen in iron ore and domestic HRC and CRC prices. However, since domestic HRC and CRC prices have already recorded significant decreases, there is now a greater willingness among suppliers to keep their domestic HRC and CRC prices stable, which will provide a certain degree of support for HRC and CRC export prices. It is thought that Chinese HRC and CRC export prices will likely move on a stable trend in the coming week.