During the week ending April 11, the Chinese cold rolled coil (CRC) market trended down slightly. Average CRC prices in the Chinese market can be viewed in the SteelOrbis price reports section.
At the beginning of the past week, increased demand pushed CRC prices in China up by RMB 10-20/mt ($1-3/mt). However, due to a subsequent slowdown in market activity, traders have had to lower prices to conclude deals and so market prices have decreased. Overall, market prices have indicated a slight drop on week-on-week basis.
The capacity utilization rates of major Chinese steel mills increased in March and April, and so CRC outputs and supplies are unlikely to decline. On the other hand, April is traditionally the peak month for market demand, though downstream purchases have not increased yet. Market players say that demand is unlikely to show improvement in the short term.
Overall, it is thought that the Chinese CRC market will again move down slightly in the coming week.