Prices for flat-rolled steel imports have moved higher than those for domestic goods in the United States, in a rare inversion of the typical pricing dynamic.
That development means imports are not attractive to US buyers, especially those uncertain of whether higher domestic prices seen over the past month are sustainable.US prices are expected to recover, given higher steel prices abroad, rising scrap prices at home and better demand during the northern hemisphere's spring months, some sources said."There is no question that demand is still good [and that domestic prices have bottomed]," one US Midwest service center source said.But others said they feared that trade policy uncertainty under President Donald Trump's administration might continue to hobble buyers' appetite for steel - especially from mills abroad.Case in point: Various import tariffs - and other countries' retaliatory trade measures - have hurt agricultural demand, a key end market for steel, sources said. And while some said any weakness there might be offset by seasonally...