Price trend to change in welded pipe market in February

摘要

Large suppliers of 57-108 mm welded pipes made to GOST 10704(05)have lowered prices by 2% in December.Welded pipe production cost of Russian pipe plants may rise in February dueto higher demand and prices in the export markets for flats. According toMetal Expert, an average export price for Russian HR coils of January outputwill increase by 3% to $610/t FOB Black Sea to add 2-3% and 4-6% more inFebruary and March, respectively. The similar situation will also be seen in thedomestic market in the next three months. In January, prices for HR strip to pipeplants will be relatively steady (a 1-1.5% drop is possible), while in February-March they will add 4-7% every month. A hike in the production cost inmid-Q1 will stimulate mills to raise selling prices for welded pipes.