USA/Demand stops falling, though base prices continue downwards

摘要

The US market is still downbeat. Demand remains low, but at least has stopped declining. Mills have not picked up output after slowing for last year's weakness, so supply is restrained, and with net imports falling, lead times have edged up. However, this has not been enough to arrest decline in base prices. Depressed demand is permeating the stainless market. Although there are signs of some stability going forward, threats from any weakness in key sectors in the coming months have the affect of softening the market further. With the latest figures showing US sales of new homes down 26.4 percent in 2007, residential-housing related off is weak, unsurprisingly, with demand in other sectors pulled-down as a result.