Day: 3 October 2016

The European Union is likely to find provisional anti-dumping duty rates on heavy plate originating in China: from Nanjing Iron & Steel at 73%, Minmetals Medium Plate Co 65%, Wuyang 74% and all other companies at 70%, Fabricio di Gianni, partner at trade law firm Van Bael & Bellis, said at the EUROMETAL conference in Milan on Thursday.

As Platts reported, the EU opened this investigation on 13 February 2016, so that after nine months the market expects a result. However, some market players said that are actually expecting not only less than 60-70%, but rather duties of around 30%.

According to di Gianni, it is likely that the EU will impose duties on HRC in November at 15-20%, a level that other market participants agreed is likely.

He said also that there are rumours that the EU is looking into opening an investigation into galvanized coil from China and South Korea, plus alloy bar from China.

The EU has nine active AD investigations underway on steel products. In the last six months the EU imposed definitive duties in four steel-related AD cases and terminated one investigation without adopting any measures.

Annalisa Villa, PLATTS

The EU flat product distribution sector’s outlook for the last quarter of 2016 looks more challenging after a positive development during the first half of the year, Georges Kirps, general director of distributors’ group EUROMETAL said on the sidelines of the EUROMETAL conference held in Milan on Thursday and attended by Platts.

The slowdown started in July with EU shipments dipping by almost 10% as service centers faced difficulties to pass on their higher costs. “Mills pushed for higher prices but these were not sustained by the demand, and we saw this across all Europe”, Kirps commented.

“Yes, on the higher end of the chain the mills have already passed to us their price increases since July by at least €30/metric ton with further increments still in progress, but for us it still remains difficult to pass these increases on to the final market – squeezing the gross margins for distributors”, Cesare Viganò, vice-president of EUROMETAL, echoed.

According to the last EUROMETAL data, in the EU-28 the first half of 2016 service center sales increased by 1% in all strip products, with Italy seeing an increase of 3%, scoring slightly better than the EU average.

In the first seven months of 2016, EU flat service center shipments for HRC went up by 1% (Italy +3%), CRC down 2% (Italy 0%), HDG and other coated flats +4% (Italy +4%), EUROMETAL data showed.

Annalisa Villa, PLATTS

The European Commission is set to announce a long-mooted anti-dumping investigation into imports of hot-dip galvanized coils from China, according to multiple sources involved in the trade.

A number of trader and mill sources have told S&P Global Platts the EC will declare its intentions “imminently” in a move that is causing consternation for traders who already feel they are being squeezed out of the market by a raft of anti-dumping measures. They comments echo those of trade lawyer Fabricio di Gianni, who told a meeting in Italy on Thursday that a case against HDG from China and Korea is expected, as Platts reported.

Traders speaking to Platts at an International Steel Trade Association event in London noted large volumes of Chinese HDG being imported recently, with Duferco and Stemcor-affiliated companies understood to be the biggest players and much of the HDG being sourced from Hebei I&S and Anshan I&S. Trading sources said that, shortly after the initiation of duties for cold rolled coil, 75,000 mt of Chinese HDG was booked, with Duferco booking over 25,000 mt.

“Chinese galv isn’t even that competitive on price right now. But on the thinner gauges, the European mills don’t want to do it. The margins aren’t there for them,” a trader said.

However, mill sources said HDG prices should be higher and that, with automotive demand being so good, they should be enjoying stronger margins. “It should help the market. There are sites in Europe that closed because they could not make profits amid Chinese competition. By closing two or three lines and then having the barriers in we can get more reasonable prices,” one mill source said.

However, Jeff Kabel, chairman of ISTA, said they would be resistance to any potential measures, noting the association “will be formulating a plan of action.”

China has been a particular target for the EC with duties already imposed in recent years for rebar, cold rolled coil and organic-coated sheet, while investigations are ongoing for plate and hot rolled coil.

Peter Brennan, PLATTS