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Forecasts and market analysis based on price assessments from Fastmarkets MB and Fastmarkets AMM

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December 2011 | Galvanized Steel and Tinplate Market Tracker


US HDG prices continue their upward trek: American Market Highlights


Given all of the uncertainty in the marketplace, we don’t believe that prices will increase the entire $100 a ton, but increases of $60-$80 a ton is possible by Feb. 1, especially if further price increase announcements come on the backs of traditional service center restocking and winter weather relating tightening of ferrous scrap flows.

The resistance that was voiced last month when major US HDG sheet producers announced $50-$60 a ton increases effective with January orders has now all but dissipated, with another round of price hikes for January followed by yet another effective in February raising domestic galvanised as much as $100 per ton. Sources say that while buyers sat on the sidelines when the first price hike was announced – especially give the weak construction market, which is a very big consumer of domestic galvanised product – but once the second round was announced, mill lead times started to extend out and spot prices started rising. Now that ferrous scrap prices have also come back to October levels after falling about $50 a ton in November, the price increases have gained traction. In fact, at least one steelmaker increased its minimum prices in...

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