Strong Stainless Steel Plate Price in Tokyo

The market price is strong at 550,000 yen per tonne for SUS304 grade hot cut plate and at 650,000 yen for plate mill products around Tokyo. The market inventory keeps below 3 months of shipment per month around Tokyo. The supply still keeps tight, even though which became easier than November 2006. Nickel price at London Metal Exchange was US$ 18.7 per pound on January 25, increasing by US$ 3.5 from the beginning of this year. Nickel price seems increasing more and is expected to reach US$ 20 in February. Nippon Steel & Sumikin Stainless Steel raised the selling price by 10,000 yen per tonne for January contracts to reflect supply tightness and higher material prices. The private sector business investment is active in Japan as well as at overseas. The firm’s sales volume kept high level in December 2006. Many dealer sources said their stocks are thin. The market price is expected to keep strong with the good demand especially for small-sized orders.