Sales volumes at German steel stockholders increased significantly from August to September, whereas stock levels saw slight downturns, according to figures from German stockholder association BDS, sent to S&P Global Platts.
Sales volumes of long steel products saw a 13% month-on-month increase in September to 297,939 mt, while flat steel sales volumes grew 18% on the month to 542,509 mt, reflecting an uptick in activity after the end of the summer holidays.
In year-on-year comparison, sales volumes were almost stable for both product groups, indicating that volume pick up was similar the same month a year ago.
However, the situation in the European steel market was different in 2019 as the market was in a downturn that lasted well into November 2019. The pandemic put the price increases to a halt in February this year and prices have been in a consistent upwards trend since July with significant price increases seen over the August-September period across Europe.
The market experienced persistent material bottlenecks in September amid production curbs and a lack of attractive import material, and stockholders struggled to source bigger volumes, particularly for coil products.
Stock volumes of long steel products fell slightly in September by 0.4% to 776,553 mt, decreasing 6.8% on-year. Flat steel products saw a 2.3% monthly drop to 1.3 million mt, and a 4% on-year decrease.
— Laura Varriale
