Mills Mixed on Price Negotiation

Over the course of this week, Steel Market Update has been canvassing active participants in the flat rolled steel markets as we try to capture any changes in market trends. The more than 100 respondents we had this week provided us a snapshot on how steel mills are handling price negotiations. As a group, respondents reported mills sending mixed signals on their willingness to negotiate steel prices. The majority of respondents (53 percent) to this week’s flat rolled market trends questionnaire report that some mills are open to negotiation, while others are not. Another 37 percent say mill order books are weaker than expected and mills do tend to be open to price discussions. Only 10 percent have found that mill order books are full and negotiation is off the table.