Steel Mills Less Willing To Negotiate Lower Prices

Figure 2 below shows negotiation rates by various products. This week, 58% of hot rolled buyers responded that mills are willing to negotiate lower prices on new orders. This is down from a rate of 71% two weeks ago. Recall that in early November we saw a rate of 96%, which was one of the highest rates seen since February. The last time hot rolled negotiation rates were this low was in April.

Sixty-eight percent of cold rolled respondents reported that mills were willing to talk price this week. This is up from 61% two weeks ago but down from 88% one month prior.

For galvanized steel buyers, 70% responded that mill prices were negotiable this week, down from 83% two weeks ago. Recall that in late October our galvanized negotiation rate reached 96%, the highest rate recorded in more than eight months. As with hot rolled, the last time we saw galvanized negotiation rates this low was in April.

Galvalume negotiation rates tend to be more volatile due to the smaller market size. All of the buyers we polled this week reported that mills were negotiable on new orders. This is up from a rate of 67% two weeks ago.

Negotiations have been slightly less common in the plate market but ticked up in recent weeks: 75% of buyers reported that mills were willing to negotiate in our latest survey. This is down from 77% recorded two weeks earlier but up from 60% one month ago. Plate negotiation rates were as high as 80% in September. Recall we saw plate negotiation rates between 0–18% in March and April.

SMU’s Price Momentum Indicator was adjusted from Neutral to Higher on Dec. 13 for sheet products, in light of recent mill price hikes and extending lead times. Our plate momentum indicator, in contrast, continues to point Lower.

Note: SMU surveys active steel buyers every other week to gauge the willingness of their steel suppliers to negotiate pricing. The results reflect current steel demand and changing spot pricing trends. SMU provides our members with a number of ways to interact with current and historical data. To see an interactive history of our Steel Mill Negotiations data, visit our website here.

By Brett Linton, Brett@SteelMarketUpdate.com