Prices are unchanged in the Italian flat steel market. Orders continue to be scarce, while it is not profitable for producers to reduce their prices. Otherwise, they would risk lower profits compared to the corresponding period of last year. According to the service centers consulted by SteelOrbis, the first quarter of the current year was a period of "continued deterioration" in which price increases were achieved in only a small part of the market. Given the scarcity of orders, the competition between service center is now more intense and margins are generally low.
As stated previously, producers do not want to lower their prices. Current base prices are at €520-530/mt ($681-694/mt) for hot rolled coil (HRC), €600-610/mt ($786-799/mt) for cold rolled coil (CRC) and at €580/mt($760/mt) for hot dip galvanized (HDG), all ex-works.
Meanwhile, import volumes remain very low, both because the euro has recently weakened against the dollar and because import offers are still unattractive. The few imported materials are sold quickly in order to pay suppliers.
Market players remain in wait-and-see mode and hope that activity in the market will pick up. At the moment, however, the short- and medium-term prospects for the market remain negative.
€1 = $1.31