AIIS May 2013 survey throws light into steel sector trends

WASHINGTON (Scrap Monster) : The American Institute for International Steel (AIIS) has published the results of AIIS Survey-May 2013.

The survey finds that based on already placed orders, the imports of HR Sheet, CR Sheet, Corrosion Resistant, Merchant Bar and Pipe & Tube are expected to be down in the next two months. The imports of Wire rod is expected to remain unchanged. As far as imports of CTL Plate are concerned, 4% participants see imports remaining in the same level while the remaining 96% see imports to go down. For Structural, 76% are in support of same import levels while the balance 24% foresees imports going down. 79% of the survey participants see the imports of All other Pipe & Tube to remain in the same level as opposed to 21% predicting a downfall in imports in the next two months period.

The current booking prices of imports of HR Sheet, CR Sheet and Corrosion Resistant are seen declining moderately compared to 2 months ago. The booking price of Merchant Bar remains stable. The current booking prices of CTL Plates, Wire Rod, Structurals, Pipe & Tube and All other Pipe & Tube are seen stable to moderately declining when compared to 1 to 2 months before.

The survey participants see the supply-demand ratio to remain balanced in the next 1 to 3 months for Semis whereas a moderate oversupply is predicted in CR Sheet, Wire Rod, Rebar, Pipe & Tube and All other Pipe & Tube. For Hr Sheet, 96% of the participants predict moderate oversupply whereas the remaining 4% fear considerable oversupply. A good majority of the participants also forecast moderate oversupply for Corrosion Resistant, CTL Plate and Structural.30% participants see oversupply of Merchant Bar during the next 1-3 months, though the majority of 70% see the supply-demand ratio to be balanced.