European sheet prices rose after the fall

On August 14, Eurostat released data that the GDP of the euro zone and the EU-27 fell by 0.2% in the second quarter of this year, down by 0.4% and 0.2% respectively year-on-year. This will be worse for the European economy, which is deeply affected by the European debt crisis. The data shows that southern European countries such as Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal have fallen into deep recession, while the economies of Germany and other Nordic countries have experienced relatively moderate growth. Affected by the European economic environment, in mid-August, the European sheet metal market remained sluggish. Market sources told the media that in the current order situation, there is no major change in the plate prices in the Nordic and southern European regions; it is expected that after the autumn, the market situation of the European plate will be better, and will usher in new ones. A round of gains.

Recently, the price of sheet metal in the Nordic region remained at 580 Euros/tonne to 600 Euros/tonne in September. The price of S235 plate in steel mills in Northwest Europe was stable at the level of July, and was 570 Euros/ton to 580. In euro/ton, the price of product orders in southern Europe in September remained at 520 EUR/ton to 540 EUR/ton. Currently, in the European market, the factory price of the commodity grade plate at the end of September is 530 EUR/ton to 540 EUR/ton, which is an increase of 10 EUR/ton to 20 EUR/ton from the lowest market price in mid-July.

Currently in the European market, the only steel mill whose price has been raised at this time is the Czech steel producer Evraz Vitkovice. In August, the mill relaunched the production of sheet products and raised its price by 20 euros/ton. In this regard, a German steel trader believes that: "In the case of other European mills that have not raised their prices but kept their price levels in July, the price adjustment by Evraz Vitkovice is unlikely to be accepted by the market."

In southern Europe, the recent sluggish market appears to have shown signs of recovery. An Italian board manufacturer stated that the market in Southern Europe has reached the bottom of prices in June and July. He also said: "We expect that in the period between the end of September and the beginning of October, there will be a slight increase in the plate market price in southern Europe." At the same time, related sources said that due to the market's low inventory phenomenon is common, so in the fall At the time of arrival, the European sheet metal market may have a resumption of recovery, with an expected increase of 20 Euros/ton.

In addition, on the import side, imported plate products from Asia currently do not have a strong competitive advantage in the European market. This is mainly due to the consideration of shipping time by European sheet buyers. A steel trader in the European region said: "As far as I know, basically all European buyers will buy plate products from local manufacturers."