US flat steel pricing continued mixed this week, with hot-rolled coil (HRC) pricing reported a bit lower in day-to-day spot markets, while more finished grades such as cold-rolled coils and galvanized products were reported higher, market insiders told SteelOrbis this week.
The SteelOrbis HRC price average declined $5/nt ($5.51/mt) to $715-725/nt ($788-799/mt) or $35.75-36.25/cwt. This week’s assessment compares with a previous level of $720-730/nt ($794-805/mt) or $36.00-36.50/cwt. on a delivered to customer basis seven days ago.
Insiders said recent actions by mills, namely Nucor, to reduce steel pricing, is less about a price reduction and more about an attempt by the mills to bring their published pricing more in line with the actual pricing buyers were facing given recent aggressive discounting programs which aimed to move inventory as steel demand continues to lag and low-priced imports compete for market share.
Market insiders say that as the market enters the lower demand fourth quarter months, recent discounting by mills is likely to be sharply reduced or eliminated, so lower posted pricing is in order.
On October 14, Nucor reduced its Consumer Spot Price (CSP)-the price it charges for HRC across all of its mills- by $10/nt ($11/mt) to $720/nt ($794/mt) or $36.00/cwt. The CSP price cut was the first announced since the weekly monitor was reduced from $670/nt ($737/mt), or $33.50/cwt., to $650/nt (717/mt) or $32.50/cwt. on July 15.
“The mills like to adjust their pricing with scrap prices,” the East Coast market insider said. “The market is sluggish, so getting a $10 or $20 a ton increase because of scrap wasn’t feasible,” he said. “But, with the price getting down quickly, (posted price cut announcements) the mills can more easily pass on a scrap increase. People have low inventories, (so) if we see a small increase in November, people will buy.”
During the October buy cycle, scrap prices rose on better demand from domestic mills as more downed units emerged from planned maintenance outages. Most grades increased an average of $20/gt in the US Midwest, Southeast and East Coast. East Coast HMS grades were sold at export yards at $350/gt, up $48/gt from September settles on steady export demand for US scrap as billet prices soared in overseas markets in reaction to recent stimulus activity by China.
In other flat steel markets, CRC is discussed $5/nt higher at $950-960/nt ($1,047-1,058/mt), or $47.50-48.00 cwt., compared with $940-960/nt ($1,036-1,058/mt) seven days ago. HDG prices rose an average of $10/nt ($11/mt) to $880-890/nt ($970-981/mt) or $44.00-44.50/cwt., compared with an average of $875/nt ($965/mt) seven days ago, market insiders said.