The lack of forward -looking and lingering economic recession worries continued to have a negative impact on the confidence of American buyers. The S & P Global American Manufacturing Purchasing Manager Index rose slightly to 47.3 in February. However, because the index is still less than 50, this confirms that the US economy is still in a negative growth state.

However, the emotions of the stainless steel supply chain participants are quite positive. Most reports say that market activities are now improving after the decline in the second half of last year. Nevertheless, the total sales volume from January to March will be lower than the first quarter of 2022.

Stainless steel inventory began to increase rapidly in mid -2022, because the import volume in the first half of the year was extremely high, but the demand was weak. This has led most companies to quickly change its strategy because they stop purchasing for supplementary inventory, especially purchased from East Asia. Therefore, in the second half of last year, the import of stainless steel cold -rolled boards decreased monthly. Although overseas offers are still much cheaper than domestic prices.

Preliminary data shows that the import volume of stainless steel chimb -rolled sheets and steel bands in January increased slightly, but the tonnage was still nearly 50%lower than the level of January 2022. The import volume in the second half of last year decreased by about 40%compared with the first half of the year. The main reason for decreased is the sharp decline in the tonnage from Taiwan in Taiwan -87,436 tons from January to June to 44,612 tons of the next six months.

The stainless steel inventory of the United States, especially the inventory of hot and cold -rolled materials, has exhausted time longer than most people expect, although the import volume has declined significantly. Some market participants now expect their inventory to return to the easier management level in April. Once overseas suppliers have begun to reappear, domestic manufacturers are eager to get replenishment orders before overseas suppliers.

Customers who have not been able to purchase materials from local factories have been purchased again since mid -2021. However, they were told that if the order was fully filled, the tonnage distribution may be restored by April.

Although demand has decreased for several months, the base price of US steel mills has remained stable, and transaction value has risen with the increase in alloy added value. However, in February, their gains were less than the increase in alloy surcharges announced by steel mills -indicating that the base price faces downlink pressure. Some interviewees reported that their discount level has increased significantly this month -although U.S. manufacturers have not officially announced their prices.

The price of the 304th level in February is likely to be the peak of the current cycle. Recently, the decline in nickel cost will lead to decreased alloy surcharges from March. The surge in molybdenum price will constitute further upward pressure on the price of 316 products. However, in the case of uncertain economic and geopolitical conditions, it is expected that buyers will remain cautious when buying decisions. Therefore, in the short term, steel mills may continue to negotiate on individual non -contract transactions.