Import prices for steel billet in Southeast Asia have edged up again over the past week despite the level of general demand remaining soft, while prices for slab fell on lower offers after a period of high prices that lasted for several weeks.
BilletMetal Bulletin's assessment of import prices for billet in Southeast Asia was $540-555 per tonne cfr for the week ended Monday April 30, widening upward by $10 per tonne from a week earlier.Middle East-origin materials were sold to the Philippines at $550-555 per tonne cfr, traders said.Filipino buyers were also heard to have booked 150mm and 100mm billets from the Commonwealth of Independent States at $540 per tonne cfr and $555 per tonne cfr respectively.Offers from Japan and Thailand were at $555 per tonne cfr, while those from the Middle East and Vietnam came in at $545 per tonne cfr.Taiwan-origin billets were offered at $535-545 per tonne fob, equivalent to $545-560 per tonne cfr Southeast Asia.Chinese offers were around $550-560 per tonne cfr on April 27, narrowing downward by $5 per tonne from a week earlier. China's domestic billet prices lost their upward momentum on Wednesday last week, before falling...