SMU Data and Models
January 12, 2020
Steel Mill Negotiations: Mixed Messages
Written by Tim Triplett
Negotiations between steelmakers and steel buyers were mixed in early January, depending on the product. Responses to Steel Market Update’s market trends questionnaire this week indicate that talks over price have tightened considerably for plate, while loosening slightly for hot rolled and cold rolled orders.
In the hot rolled segment, the majority of buyers (56 percent) said the mills are still unwilling to negotiate prices on HR, but that’s down from 60 percent two weeks ago. The percentage reporting mills open to price talks rose to 44 percent from 40 percent in the last poll.
