Billet market in Asia – no sign of strength yet

The billet market in Southeast Asia is currently very quiet, and seems likely to remain so for yet another while in view of the holidays ahead. Muslim countries in Asia such as Malaysia and Indonesia stop almost all activity during the Ramadan period, and so buyers in these countries do not tend to book much during that time. Therefore, no recovery in billet activity and prices is expected soon. As per the latest information, billet prices vary in the range of $520-540/mt CFR depending on grade, size and destination, mostly for end of August/early September shipments.