Although the US-China trade talks this week have generally prompted optimism among market players as regards the market outlook for the coming period, this upbeat mood has not been observed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) market. Over the past week, demand for imported hot rolled coil (HRC) in the UAE market has remained slack as buyers still have not started to make bookings. Ex-India HRC offers to the UAE have remained stable in the given period at $490-510/mt CFR, though most of these offers are at $490-500/mt CFR and there are only few offers over $500/mt CFR. Meanwhile, ex-China HRC offers to the UAE are higher than Indian HRC offers, at $510-525/mt CFR, and Chinese suppliers are seeking to increase their prices slightly. Market sources state that it is difficult for Chinese suppliers to impose higher prices levels in the UAE market, where there is no significant demand. Meanwhile, no new ex-CIS HRC offers have been heard in the UAE market during the past week, as CIS-based suppliers have just started to return to the markets following the New Year and Orthodox Christmas holidays. Having made offers to the UAE at $490/mt CFR in previous weeks, CIS-based HRC suppliers are expected to be active in the market again. Besides, there are rumors that a Russian producer has made HRC offers to the UAE at $520/mt CFR, though buyers consider this price to be very high. However, the offer in question has not been confirmed by the producer.