EU HR prices gain ground on US, Asian HR still well behind

Domestic hot-rolled (HR) coil prices moved lower this week after a brief pause the prior week. US hot band has declined five times over the past six weeks, even as some price erosion has recently been seen in offshore markets.

Tariff fears resulted in early buying, pulling forward demand. The move slowed the US market and lowered prices, and spot buyers moved to the sidelines.

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is deputy editor-in-chief for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. He can be contacted at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.