Although the domestic producer’s and traders’ flats prices in Romania have remained relatively stable, most market players share downward expectations for the coming weeks. The main reason is seasonally low demand, which slows down the destocking process and overall low end-user activity due to economic factors. In addition, there is an expectation that import offers will remain quite competitive in Romania, which will once again put pressure on local pricing.
This week, prices for domestic origin hot rolled coil (HRC) in Romania have remained unchanged at €730-735/mt ex-works. Similarly, traders' pricing for hot rolled sheets (HRS) is the same as last week at €850-950/mt ex-warehouse, while some other traders are still trying to sell at around €1,000-1,050/mt ex-warehouse, which is not practicable in the current market conditions.
“Prices in the Romanian market are stable since last week certain traders attempted to raise all selling price levels but failed, and they have already returned to the prices before the rise. Because there is sufficient supply in the market and everyone can see that flat steel prices are falling globally, that is why there is a lot of pressure from consumers,” a trader told SteelOrbis.
In the import segment, according to sources, ex-Turkey HRC has been available at €680/mt CFR, while some Asian suppliers have offered €670-680/mt CFR. “Import offers are competitive, so I believe €700-710/mt levels from the local mill may be on the table for serious orders, maybe even a bit lower than that,” another source said.
Meanwhile, domestic prices for cold rolled coil (CRC) in Romania have settled this week at €850-855/mt ex-works. Furthermore, achievable prices for cold rolled sheets (CRS) are presently €1,045-1,120/mt ex-warehouse, unchanged over the past week.
Furthermore, in the coated steel segment, domestic market offers for HDG and PPGI are unchanged from the previous week at €910-915/mt ex-works and €1,320-1,325/mt ex-works, respectively.