Local HRC prices in Turkey remain at $500-520/mt ex-works with some buyers reporting up to $530/mt ex-works. Domestic clients are taking their time to accept the offered levels for medium and sizeable orders; sources report that only tiny lots are being booked at above $500/mt ex-works. On exports offers from Turkey vary from $490/mt FOB to $510/mt FOB depending on the seller. “People [in Europe] are ready for holiday. There is no demand, some inquiries sent to test the price,” an exporter mentioned. Sources report that most offers are for March shipments, though some volumes could be booked for February still in the domestic market.
In the import segment HRC offers are scarce for now. NLMK is sold out for February with latest deals closed a week ago at around $475/mt CFR. Ukraine’s Metinvest, according to the buyers, is pricing small coils for February production at $480/mt CFR. Russia Baltic region-based supplier has voiced price idea for the south of the EU and the Middle East at around $465/mt FOB, which corresponds to over $500/mt CFR Turkey.
