During the last two weeks, the Italian flat steel market has trended sideways, with domestic producers’ prices remaining at €295/mt ($319/mt) for hot rolled coil (HRC), €360-365/mt ($389-395/mt) for cold rolled coil (CRC) and €345-350/mt ($373-378/mt)for hot dip galvanized (HDG), all ex-works. It seems that the domestic mills are trying to push the price hikes announced in early January, but most service centers are reluctant to accept them. Meanwhile, demand is still weak, while foreign competitors continue to be very aggressive. Italian market players are now in wait-and-see mode trying and are watching to see how the trend of the international market develops.
€1 = $1.08