In the Italian flat steel market, quotations have also remained stable this week. Hot rolled coils (HRC) are offered at €490-500/mt ($607-619/mt), cold rolled coils (CRC) are at around €570/mt ($706/mt), while hot dip galvanized (HDG) coil prices are standing at €540-550/mt ($668-681/mt), all ex-works. As usual, in some cases slightly lower offers are reported, as well as deals for large orders and discounts to selected customers.
Unfortunately, the Italian flat steel market still fails to give any positive indications. While there are rumors that producers ArcelorMittal and Ilva will raise their prices this week, other market players believe that any price increase is out of question until September. As reported in recent weeks, any price increases would be around €20/mt ($25/mt). On the one hand increases would guarantee a return to margins of survival, on the other hand they would help prevent further price decreases. According to players consulted by SteelOrbis, there are still doubts about the reaction of flat steel demand if such increases were to be implemented. According to most market players, it is almost certain that market prices will remain at around the current levels at least until the end of the summer holidays.
In the meantime, the import market remains very quiet. In general, import offers are still very unfavorable compared to Italian domestic prices. For example, the gap between Italian coil prices and Chinese offers is around €40/mt ($50/mt).
€1: $1.23