[SMM Steel] European HRC: Mills Probe Higher Target Prices, Supply Tightness Battles Downstream Slump
[Europe] European hot-rolled coil (HRC) suppliers continued to probe the market with higher target prices this week; although overall market activity remained generally limited, price levels continued to edge slightly upward. Specifically, despite ongoing weakness in end-use demand, prices in Italy remained resilient under the support of supply-side constraints, with mainstream workable transaction levels holding firm between 750–770 EUR/tonne EXW (840–862 USD/tonne). Additionally, a UK-based seller offered imported cargoes into Spain at 725 EUR/tonne CFR (812 USD/tonne), inclusive of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) costs. Notably, crude steel output in Italy is projected to contract further over the coming months following Acciaierie d’Italia's (ADI) blast furnace shutdown; however, dragged down by a significant decline in downstream business over the past two months, end-user buyers are only entering the market when holding firm orders, preventing any explosive restocking wave.