Steel market faces a turning point in fourth quarter

摘要

As the fourth quarter gets underway, U.S. and Canadian service centers continue to buy steel products on an as-needed basis due to squeezed margins and changes on the supply side. Competition at the service center level also has been increasingly tough, causing some to reconsider loading up on extra steel. U.S. service center operators cite slow economic growth for the uncertainty permeating the domestic steel market. Some recent price increases on hot-rolled, cold-rolled and coated coil are not going to hold, sources told AMM, and there is concern that domestic prices will drop.