Italian long steel distributors forecast gloomy November

October has been a difficult month for Italian domestic long products sales so far, Kallanish learns from large service centres and distributors in the country.

An established distributor in Northern Italy has described the month as “… disastrous” with sales for some products such merchant bars extremely low in a difficult market. “In the period July-October merchant bar sales have registered the lowest figures since 2009,” the source comments.

There are fears for all domestic long products in terms of both prices and sales volumes for November and December. The sources interviewed believe more price falls should be expected before the end of the year before some level of stability becomes apparent.

The only product for which another distributor has seen some recovery in sales volumes is welded tube for which discounts have been increasing up to 44 points but sales are ongoing. The product with the worst commercial profile remains merchant bar for which demand is low amidst competition from cheaper Spanish material.