Following increases over the previous two and a half months, Italian producers' flat steel product prices for their domestic market have been stable in the past week in the range of €430-450/mt ($482-504/mt) for hot rolled coil (HRC), €520-535/mt ($582-599/mt) for cold rolled coil (CRC) and €520/mt ($582/mt) for hot dip galvanized (HDG), all ex-works.
Italian producers would like to keep their prices stable or even try for another increase but as regards HDG they face difficulties because competition is stronger than in the local HRC and CRC markets.
Sources say that, as long as local flat steel producers' prices are not more than €30-35/mt ($34-39/mt) higher than import offers, Italian buyers will continue to purchase from them.
In the meantime, demand in the local Italian flat steel market remains stable but lacks strength.