US prices for domestic and imported merchant bar products have held steady once again, while domestic market participants have noted improved lead times.
Fastmarket AMM's latest assessment for domestic 2 x 2 x 1/4 -inch angle merchant bar again remained at $38.05 per hundredweight ($761 per short ton) on Friday September 28. Similarly, prices for imported merchant bar held firm at $640-680 per short ton ($32-34 per cwt) due a lack of confirmed transactions. US calm continues, lead times improveAltogether, market participants reported stable pricing dynamics undeterred by fluctuations seen in the scrap market during recent months. Broadly speaking, there are several factors keeping US prices at current levels, according to a distributor source based in the southern United States. The market continues to feel the impact of the Section 232 tariffs, due to participants having bought up floor stock from US producers - boosting domestic demand - and import volumes dwindling since those tariffs were announced. And in the month ahead, steel raw material costs are expected to increase - offsetting previous declines and providing a stabilizing...