Ni Series Stainless Cold Sheet Price Levels Off in Tokyo

Nickel series stainless cold rolled sheet market price levels off at 290,000 yen per tonne for SUS 304 around Tokyo. Dealers are in wait-and-see mood when nickel price is surging. The market price trend seems upturning.

One dealer source said Nippon Steel & Sumikin Stainless Steel is expected to raise the sales price by 15,000 yen per tonne for February contracts. The dealer started to increase the inventory in January though the dealer had reduced the inventory widely.

Small-middle lot orders are recently increasing at dealers for building materials. Another dealers’ official showed an expectation for the selling price upturn. Many dealers aim to secure moderate sales volume toward the fiscal yearend in late March and maintain the profit ratio by the price improvement.