Short Range Outlook : November 2024
Gloomy demand picture prevails in global longs market, but possible bright spots on horizon The supply and demand balance in the global long steel products market is being impacted strongly by low demand and it is reasonable to expect that, if the US introduces new market protection measures, other countries will follow. There is simply not enough demand in the world for all the steel produced. Despite the overall gloomy scenario of mostly insufficient... Read More
IREPAS in Paris : Optimism has been postponed
The 91st meeting of IREPAS (the International Rebar Exporters and Producers Association) was held in Paris on September 15-17 in conjunction with the SteelOrbis Fall’24 Conference. There were 140 representatives from 47 different producers among the 493 registered delegates from a total of 58 different countries. There were also 100 registrations representing 57 different raw material suppliers. At the opening of the conference, Murat Cebecioglu,... Read More
Short Range Outlook : April 2024
Global longs market under pressure from weak demand and China’s aggressive exports Demand in the global long steel products market continues to lag behind supply and the situation is getting worse because of China’s aggressive export policy. At the beginning of 2024, China accelerated its exports. Based on the data for the first two months of 2024, they are poised to exceed their record exports seen in 2015. Chinese steel producers seem to be... Read More
The program of the 90th meeting in Berlin
Day 1: Sunday, April 28, 2024 19:00 – 22:00 Welcome cocktail at InterContinental Berlin Day 2: Monday, April 29, 2024 09:00 – 09:15 Welcome address by Chairman of IREPAS 09:15 – 09:45 SESSION ONE – Critical changes in the global long steel markets - Long products market outlook Overview of global construction... Read More
Short Range Outlook : February 2023
Unpredictability persists in global longs market, recession fears may have been exaggerated The global long steel products market is still characterized by unpredictability. China’s impact on the global markets is still an open question and this contributes to the unpredictability for the second quarter. It seems that customers heard too much talk of recession last year and were convinced that all construction would stop in 2023. Actually, it looks... Read More
Short Range Outlook : November 2022
Demand at crisis levels in global longs market, unlikely to improve in coming months Demand in the global long steel products market is either very low or there is no demand at all, depending on the region. Overall demand is less than real supply and possible supply increases. The demand for ferrous materials has also slowed down considerably as industrial outlooks have lost visibility. Energy cost uncertainty and the destruction of demand have led... Read More
Short Range Outlook : June 2021
Boom continues in the global longs market, how long will it last? There is still a shortage of steel everywhere in the global long steel products market. Demand remains high in the sheltered markets. On the other hand, there is pressure from the Chinese government to reduce steel prices. It is hard to imagine that this will lead to anything but more supply shortages. If we look back at the previous price booms in the global market, circumstances... Read More
Short Range Outlook : April 2021
Producers dominate in global longs market, outlook appears very positive Lead times are longer than ever in the global long steel products market and there is still strong demand, encouraging mills to continue increasing their prices. The situation has certainly become better from the producers’ point of view. They are all making money and their lead times are elongated. Shortages of material keeps prices and margins high It was somewhat surprising... Read More
Short Range Outlook : July 2020
Global longs demand not as bad as reported, some mills more fortunate than others The situation in the global long steel products market has not changed much since last month. There has been a reduction in both supply and demand around the world, except in China where output keeps growing. Demand in the global long steel products market is indeed not as bad as the newspapers and media outlets report. However, the mills operating at more than 60 percent... Read More
Short Range Outlook : November 2019
Confusing environment prevails in global long steel products market The current environment in the global long steel products market is confusing. The raw material for blast furnaces is becoming cheaper, while ferrous scrap is getting more expensive and we observe increasing prices for both reinforcing bars and hot rolled coils. Customers are making inquiries for longer than they normally should, and mills are incurring greater losses than they can... Read More