Demand still generally slack in local Chinese CRC market

During the week ending December 11, the Chinese domestic cold rolled coil (CRC) market has mostly moved on a sideways trend, though with a slight price decrease witnessed in Tianjin. Average CRC prices in the local Chinese market can be viewed in the SteelOrbis price reports section.
 
Activity in the local Chinese CRC market has seen some slight improvement though remaining sluggish overall, while sentiment among traders has remained at decent levels. On the one hand, mills hold a positive view on the prospects for the market around the time of the Spring Festival holiday (starts at end of January), with major Chinese steelmaker Baosteel increasing its CRC prices for January shipment by $8/mt. On the other hand, demand is still generally slack and so any rebound in CRC prices will be limited, though seasonal transportation shortages and environmental protection measures may provide some support for the market. As regards the coming week, it is thought that Chinese domestic CRC prices may indicate some slight fluctuations.