Mid-sized Plate Price is Flat in Tokyo

Mid-sized plate price makes no problem to face at 70,000 yen per tonne around Tokyo. Coil centers’ price hike doesn’t penetrate to their consumers when their inventory increased by the increased shipment from domestic integrated steel makers and electric furnace makers and the end of business year after March with low demand for mainly building construction. The market price is at around 69,000 yen per tonne around Tokyo. Large dealers and coil centers raised their selling price step by step for the recovering of their profits, and by 4,000-5,000 yen per tonne from last autumn when Tokyo Steel Manufacturing increased the selling price.However, the dealers’ shipment was slow after March. Dealer source said order placement for building construction is late. Marketing battle by dealers grow heated because the market is weak by large users influence of purchase integration by large users.Large dealer sources said the market environment is not bad. They forecast the supply and demand keeps firm because an import products may increase by Chinese government announcement which the government eliminate export tux rebate for common steel products, and Japanese hot, cold and coated steel sheet inventory held by makers, distributors and processors was below at 4 million tonnes for domestic shipment at the end of February.They expect to recover their shipment for building construction after golden Week holidays in May. Domestic integrated steel makers show their price hike stance. The import products prices are increasing. Strong Tokyo Steel Manufacturing’s price hike also lifted the price along with distributors’ effort that Tokyo Steel Manufacturing raises the selling price by 2,000 yen in October contracts. The price is expected to keep firm when hot, cold and coated sheet inventory decreased to less than 4 million tonnes and the sheet market price shows sign to increase. With this situation, the market price is expected to be raising mood.