Coated Steel Price to be Weakening in Tokyo

Market price of coated steel is weakening at 90,000-91,000 yen per tonne for hot rolled coil based electro-galvanizing steel in Tokyo, Eastern Japan. The price shows no sign to hit the bottom under the slow demand in distributors’ market and no positive factor of improvement of the supply and demand. The demand will decrease in April-June from January-March due to the seasonal lower demand for automobiles, and it keeps firm for other manufacturers and building construction. That in the distributors’ market is still slow. The coil centers try to keep the re-selling prices when domestic integrated steel makers keep the selling prices. However, the imported prices for some construction materials are several thousand yen lower than the domestic prices. The domestic makers and distributors expect the pending inventory adjustment, which will finish in May or June. With the overstock, the market price is likely to be weakening for a while.