Steel market expected flat for 2013

Dec 31, 2012 | 07:00 PM | Chris Prentice

Tags  flat-rolled steel, 2013 outlook, steel, IHS Global Insight Inc.,

Plagued by political uncertainties at the tail end of 2012, flat-rolled steel market players say they expect pricing in 2013 to be on par with last year, with both buyers and sellers expecting little to change in terms of underlying steel demand.

“We don’t expect a robust recovery,” a source at one steel sheet and plate distributor said.

Sources agreed that while they expect an uptick in demand after the slowdown during the third and fourth quarters of 2012, they believe overall demand will be relatively flat year over year.

“During the first part of 2013, you may see a little activity because people are at low stocks and replenishing, but whether 2013 will be stronger than 2012 ... 2012 was a weak year and we don’t see any dramatic uptick coming,” one mill source told AMM. People have curbed their hopes that demand will be anything more than stable for steel products, although some sectors will continue to keep the market afloat.....