Firm Ni Stainless Cold Rolled Flat Steel Price in Tokyo

Market price of nickel series stainless cold rolled flat steel is firm at around 280,000-290,000 yen per tonne around Tokyo. Some of the dealers offer higher price when they have some stock out sizes at the inventory. The price is expected to increase under recovering their shipment since February.

The dealers are, however, still cautious to build inventory and limit the additional purchase under uncertainty for the demand. A dealer source said the inventory decreased additionally in June and backed to normal level while the shipment is around 60% of the peak. The dealers expect the supply balance could be tight when the shipment would recover more.

The makers improve the operation rate from the bottom. The makers also try to increase the selling price for July order to reflect higher nickel ingot price. The makers are expected to increase the selling price more for August. However, the price recovery is based on higher raw materials cost, not supported by demand recovery when the construction demand is still very low.