The Romanian longs market has taken a firmer direction this week after the announcement of the new EU quota period and lower quota volumes.
The reduced availability expected under the new quota structure has raised concerns over higher import-related costs and supply uncertainty, giving sellers room to test higher prices, particularly in the rebar segment. However, the overall reaction has remained cautious both in the EU and non-EU markets, as demand is still weak across Europe and buying activity in Romania remains limited. Market sources say the recent upward price attempts may be difficult to sustain unless buyers start accepting the new levels, especially ahead of the August holiday slowdown and amid the ongoing continuing cash flow pressure.
In the local spot rebar market, prices are currently heard at around €620-640/mt ex-warehouse, compared to €620-630/mt ex-warehouse last week. Some sellers are also offering at around €650-655/mt ex-warehouse, while higher indications are being tested in the market.
Domestic producer Beltrame Group is still reported to be quiet, with its rebar offers remaining broadly stable at around €635-640/mt ex-works, unchanged from last week.
In the wire rod segment, domestic prices have increased slightly to around €685-695/mt ex-warehouse, compared to €680-690/mt ex-warehouse last week. Demand is still slow, and the upward movement has remained more limited than in rebar due to weaker buying interest.
On the import side, no fresh deals have been heard so far this week, as buyers are reassessing their positions following the announcement of the new EU quota period. According to sources, Italian rebar offers have been heard at around €600/mt delivered to Romania, while Italian rebar in coil offers are at around €685-690/mt delivered. Hungarian rebar in coil offers have also been heard this week at around €695/mt delivered to Romania. Meanwhile, Bulgarian rebar offers have remained stable week on week at around €650-660/mt CPT Romania. On the non-EU import side, Egyptian rebar offers have remained stable at €535-555/mt CFR Romania, while Egyptian wire rod offers have increased to €555-575/mt CFR, compared to €555-565/mt CFR last week. Turkish rebar offers are currently heard at around €525-540/mt CFR Romania, down from last week’s wider range of €535-550/mt CFR, based on an exchange rate of €1 = $1.14.
