Is a trade case imminent against offshore HDG and Galvalume producers?

Rumors of a potential antidumping suit against offshore producers of hot dipped galvanized (HDG) and Galvalume are spreading widely, and if the case is filed, the expectation is that Indian, Chinese, Korean and Taiwanese mills will be listed, which could knock offshore producers out of the market until the matter is resolved.  Although Korean mills, for the most part, turned up their nose when the oil country tubular goods (OCTG) trade case was filed, and continued to ship OCTG casing to the US in a business as usual fashion between the time the case was filed and the preliminary margins were announced, it’s believed they will be more closely scrutinized when it comes to HDG and will step away from the market until the dust settles.

In terms of pricing, offers out of China and India may have, for the most part, held steady since our last report a week ago, but buyers are exercising a quite a bit of caution when it comes to booking import tons.  SteelOrbis sources have said that Indian producers have drawn a firm line in the sand when it comes to order prices, and have been unwilling to negotiate deals.