Demand in Europe limits recovery whilst materials drive up pricing

摘要

European base prices for CR 304 remained stable in December but should decrease in January. Mills have announced a 9-10 m/m increase in January’s alloy surcharges driven by high and volatile raw material prices. The European market will not have the capacity for an equivalent increase in delivered price due to soft demand and elevated levels of inventories. In the US, raw material pricing is driving up transactional prices whilst end use demand remains low and inventories remain high.