Import scrap prices from the US have increased again in Taiwan this week and customers have been accepted some hikes in fresh deals. Ex-US HMS I/II (80:20) in containers has been offered to Taiwan at $250-255/mt CFR, up $5/mt from last week. Contracts have been signed mostly at $250/mt CFR, up $3-5/mt from transaction prices in mid-November, SteelOrbis has learned.
Offers for ex-Japan HMS I/II (50:50) have been mostly stable at $260-270/mt CFR Taiwan, sources said, but in negotiations customers have been insisting on prices below $260/mt CFR.
Most market participants believe that prices have reached their peak for the near future and that next week quotations for ex-US scrap will be stable or will decrease slightly.