Taiwanese and Korean mills are still soliciting US orders for oil country tubular goods (OCTG) despite the upcoming antidumping determinations. Although the “official” asking price from Taiwanese producers is still trending in the range of $45.00-$46.00 cwt. ($992-$1,014 or $900-$920/nt) DDP loaded truck in US Gulf Coast ports, with Korean mills coming in about $2.25 cwt. ($50/mt or $45/nt) higher, both countries have become increasingly flexible with their respective ranges. In fact, trader sources have said that Korean mills are open to price-matching their Taiwanese counterparts on larger orders. Although there are a few bookings out of Taiwan, for the most part, interest is relatively scant, which is why they have continued to offer aggressively.
Meanwhile, those buying and selling within the US domestic market continue to keep both ears to the ground with regard to the trade case, with many hopeful to find “high dumping margins” at the bottom of their holiday stockings. For now, though, the market continues to hold at status quo. Spot prices for finished J55 ERW OCTG casing continues to be in the approximate range of $58.00-$61.00 cwt. ($1,279-$1,344/mt or $1,160-$1,220/nt) ex-Midwest mill, reflecting no change in the past week.