European steel buyers seek direction in volatile market
21st September 2022
Demand for steel is slow to recover, after the summer break. Mill production costs continue to increase. Steel purchasers are uncertain about the future direction of the market.
European steel buyers returned cautiously to the market, as the traditional summer break extended into early September. Inventory levels remain relatively high, for current demand. Sensing that the bottom of the current cycle had been reached, however, some purchasers placed orders for small quantities, to reduce their average stock value.
European steel prices continued to decline, last month. In late August and early September, the mills started to announce increases, in line with rising costs, across the carbon steel product range. These efforts were against the background of spiralling international energy values.
Major steel manufacturers led the way. Their efforts, initially, were undermined by certain producers seeking to fill their order books. Large, proposed increases were accompanied by a willingness to negotiate, or to extend the validity of previous prices, to their regular customers who had just returned from holiday. This eroded buyers’ confidence in the strength of such moves.
As order books weaken, steel mills are aligning production to apparent demand. Capacity cuts have been implemented, although perhaps not soon enough. Several blast furnaces have been taken offline, for extended periods. Rerollers are restricting production to night-time and weekend working, to control electricity consumption. As a consequence, delivery lead times are once again extending, rather than contracting.
SOURCE MEPS
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