SMU Data and Models
Survey Respondents Report Steel Mills as Willing to Negotiate Flat Rolled Steel Pricing
Written by John Packard
June 22, 2014
Based on the results of our survey from this past week, steel mills were actively discussing steel prices and our survey respondents were reporting mills as willing to negotiate pricing.
When looking at hot rolled the percentage of respondents reporting mills as willing to negotiate pricing rose from 86 percent at the beginning of June to 92 percent this past week.
Cold rolled was reported at 75 percent up from 61 percent at the beginning of the month.
Galvanized was 83 percent versus 69 percent at the beginning of the month.
Even Galvalume rose from 60 percent to its highest level in quite some time at 83 percent.
Based on the survey results the expectation would be for steel prices to continue to trend lower over the next few weeks.
John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in SMU Data and Models
SMU’s April at a glance
SMU’s Monthly Review provides a summary of our key steel market metrics for the previous month, with the latest data updated through April 30.
SMU Survey: Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Indices recover
SMU’s Buyers’ Sentiment Indices both improved this week, reversing the decline seen two weeks ago.
SMU Survey: Sheet and plate lead times flatten out
Sheet and plate lead times held steady this week, according to buyers responding to the latest SMU market survey. This week we saw little change from mid-April levels, with just one product (Galvalume) showing any significant movement.
SMU Survey: More mills willing to deal on sheet prices, less so on plate
Nearly two thirds of the steel buyers who responded to this week’s SMU survey say domestic mills are negotiable on spot prices. This increasing flexibility marks a significant shift from the firmer stance mills held in recent months.
SMU Survey: Sheet lead times ease further, plate hits one-year high
Steel buyers responding to this week’s SMU market survey report a continued softening in sheet lead times. Meanwhile, plate lead times have moderately extended and are at a one-year high.