Price reductions have become the main development in Romania's longs market this week, as the deepening August slowdown and persistent liquidity difficulties continue to limit purchasing activity. Romania's sole rebar producer and local traders have both lowered their quotations in an attempt to generate business, although market participants report that the adjustments have so far produced little response from buyers. With consumption remaining weak and purchasing largely limited to urgent requirements, the market considers the current reductions insufficient to trigger any broader restocking.
Beltrame Group's rebar quotations are now heard at around €610-620/mt ex-works, compared to official offers of €635-640/mt ex-works last week, when discounts to €620-630/mt ex-works were already available for certain buyers and volumes. At the same time, Romanian traders are offering rebar at approximately €615-630/mt ex-warehouse, down from €630-640/mt ex-warehouse in the previous week. For larger tonnages, some suppliers facing greater pressure to secure sales are reported to be discussing levels close to €600/mt ex-warehouse, although these remain aggressive indications rather than the general market level.
The weaker trend has also extended to wire rod, with domestic spot quotations declining to around €660-680/mt ex-warehouse, from €670-690/mt ex-warehouse last week.
Import activity has become even more limited as the summer shutdown period spreads across Europe, reducing both the number of active suppliers and the willingness of Romanian buyers to enter negotiations. Existing inventories are considered sufficient for the current pace of consumption, and more regular purchasing is generally expected to resume only toward late August or early September. Bulgarian rebar offers have fallen to around €625-640/mt CPT Romania, compared to €660-670/mt CPT Romania last week. An Italian rebar indication at approximately $670-675/mt delivered to Romania has also been mentioned, although the offer could not be reconfirmed this week as many Italian companies are currently closed, while the indicated price is considered unusually low. Turkish rebar export quotations for August and September shipment remain at around $565-580/mt FOB, with workable levels closer to $565-570/mt FOB. Based on freight costs of approximately €30-35/mt, the corresponding delivered price is estimated at around €520-530/mt CFR Romania, compared to €520-540/mt CFR Romania last week. Egyptian rebar offers for August and September shipment are heard at approximately $580/mt FOB, resulting in a calculated level of around €540-545/mt CFR Romania, with freight estimated at €40-45/mt, versus €530-540/mt CFR Romania previously. Egyptian wire rod quotations for the same shipment period are currently standing at around $610-630/mt FOB, corresponding to approximately €570-590/mt CFR Romania, up from €535-555/mt CFR Romania last week. Despite the availability of several import alternatives, negotiations remain scarce, as buyers see no urgency to secure new cargoes under the present demand conditions.
