Import prices for stainless steel in East Asia continued to rise during the past week with mills increasing their offers again amid costlier nickel, although spot trading activity remained sluggish amid the Lunar New Year lull.
Fastmarkets MB's weekly import price assessment for 304 stainless 2mm trimmed cold-rolled coil in East Asia was $1,980-2,080 per tonne cif on Wednesday February 13, up $40-50 per tonne from February 7.Fastmarkets MB's weekly import price assessment for 304 stainless trimmed hot-rolled coil in the same region was $1,890-1,980 per tonne cif on Wednesday, up $60-80 per tonne from February 7.Deals were sparse over the past week, with trading activity still slow to pick up after the Lunar New Year holiday in the first week of February."Most market participants just came back to...