Steel Products Prices North America
June 11, 2017
Will Steel’s Price Hike Stick?
Written by Tim Triplett
About 65 percent of respondents to SMU’s June 5 Steel Buyers Sentiment Index questionnaire predict steel mills will not be able to collect the full $30 per ton flat rolled steel price increase announced last week, while just 35 percent believe the hike will stick.
Nearly two out of three respondents, mostly service centers and manufacturers, are skeptical that demand is sufficient for mills to hike prices. Many believe the mills are hoping the price announcement will at least stem the recent slide in steel prices. Much depends on the outcome of the government’s Section 232 investigation that could sharply curtail competition from imports later this year on the grounds they are a threat to national security. Following is a sampling of respondents’ comments:
