Romania's longs market has taken on a slightly firmer tone this week, with some quotations moving higher despite no meaningful improvement in underlying demand. Construction activity remains below earlier expectations and purchasing is still largely cautious, but the pressure on prices is increasingly coming from the cost side rather than from stronger consumption. Logistics have become a particular concern, as market participants report greater difficulty in securing trucks and a continued rise in transportation expenses. At the same time, a new tax introduced from October 1 for trucks above 3.5 mt is expected to increase road transport costs by around 7-8 percent, adding another cost element for suppliers and distributors. Buyers are therefore facing a market in which delivered prices are becoming more expensive even though demand itself is not providing much support, while tight liquidity and weaker purchasing power continue to limit the scope for purchases of larger volumes. As a result, the latest increase in longs prices is being viewed mainly as a reflection of higher logistics and operating costs rather than any clear recovery in market activity.
In the domestic market, retail rebar quotations have increased to around €615-625/mt ex-warehouse from €610-615/mt last week. Beltrame, meanwhile, has kept its rebar quotations unchanged at around €600-610/mt ex-works.
Wire rod retail prices have also moved higher, reaching approximately €640-650/mt ex-warehouse, compared with €635-640/mt last week.
Import activity remains selective rather than completely absent. Romanian buyers are still prepared to book material when competitive opportunities emerge from nearby markets, but there is little incentive to take larger positions at present, as a substantial part of the tonnage purchased during the summer is still available in stocks. Bulgarian rebar quotations have increased to around €650-660/mt CPT Romania from €640-660/mt CPT last week. No fresh Hungarian offers have been heard, while no new Italian quotations have emerged either, with the latest available rebar indication remaining at around €590/mt FCA, equivalent to approximately €655-665/mt delivered to Romania, based on freight of €65-75/mt. Moldovan suppliers continue to offer at broadly unchanged levels and are reported to have concluded some sales into Romania, with rebar at around €610-620/mt delivered and rebar in coils at approximately €645-655/mt delivered. Greek suppliers are offering rebar at around €640-650/mt FOB and wire rod at €660-670/mt FOB. With transportation to Romania estimated at approximately €20-25/mt, the corresponding delivered levels stand at around €660-675/mt for rebar and €680-695/mt for wire rod. Egyptian rebar quotations are currently at around $610-620/mt FOB, compared with $610-615/mt FOB last week, while wire rod is offered at around $620-630/mt FOB, versus $625-635/mt FOB previously. With freight estimated at $35-40/mt, these levels correspond to approximately €555-570/mt CFR Romania for rebar and €565-580/mt CFR for wire rod. Turkish rebar export quotations have, meanwhile, softened to around $615-630/mt FOB, from $620-635/mt FOB last week. Including freight of approximately $25-30/mt, the resulting level stands at around €550-570/mt CFR Romania, compared with approximately €555-570/mt CFR last week.
