Steel Sheet Price Keeps Flat in Tokyo

Steel sheet price is flat in Tokyo. The market price is 65,000-67,000 yen per tonne for hot-rolled steel sheet, 75,000-77,000 yen per tonne for pickled steel sheet and 80,000-81,000 yen per tonne for cold-rolled steel sheet.The supply and demand became tight in whole. The demand for construction is increasing.However, coil centers and distributors seem facing difficulty to hike the reselling price because they feel uneasy about the expanding of price difference between the market for distributors and the market for specific consumers. They can’t seize the moment of their price hike in the shrinking market.Japanese integrated steel manufactures give suggestion for another price hike in October-December, but they didn’t change their selling price in July-September. The market price is unlikely to decrease when foreign steel makers such as POSCO and Chinese steel makers announced the selling price hike. The market price would keep flat in the short term.