China's domestic
stainless steel market has mostly moved on a stable trend during the past seven days, though with some slight decreases for certain products.
Global nickel prices have continued to fluctuate during the past week, with prices higher compared to one week ago. On February 3, the three-month nickel price at the London Metal Exchange (LME) closed at $15,310/mt, while LME nickel inventory on the same date totaled 424,572 mt.
Market players believe that the slight rebound in nickel prices may be temporary. Overall trading activity in the Chinese domestic
stainless steel market is at very low levels, especially due to the approach of the Spring Festival holiday (Feb. 18-24). The slackness of activity has caused slight declines in prices of certain products, while traders are willing to give discounts in actual transactions. As for the coming week, it is thought that, with the support of nickel prices, domestic
stainless steel prices may indicate an overall sideways trend.