Steel sales slip in September

Steel sales in September surprised experts by dropping 41 per cent over August to 283,000 tonnes.

“September’s decline was not expected. We forecast that the price of steel ingots would go through the US$600 per tonne mark but instead it dropped to $580,” said the Viet Nam Steel Association’s Deputy Chairman Nguyen Tien Nghi.

Nghi added that due to the low price of pig iron on the world market, Vietnamese consumers were still waiting for further reductions.

Because of this, the decline has continued into the first few days of this month.

Meanwhile, he added, traders had been selling off their steel stocks.

Due to the situation, many companies and agencies have cut prices by roughly VND300,000 ($15) per tonne to stimulate the market.

According to a report by the association, the price, excluding value-added tax, is now standing at about VND13.6 million ($697) per tonne.

The association said the situation would steady itself in the second half of October, as the rainy season ends and demand for construction steel picks up.

“In addition, when steel stocks are sold out, traders will be forced to renew their supplies and consumption will increase,” Nghi said.

He added that demand on the world market was also increasing which would help push the price back up.

Talking about sales for the whole year, Nghi optimistically said that they would increase by 15 per cent over last year.

“Because of high consumption in previous months, the dip in September will not affect sales for the whole year,” he explained.

Last year, the country consumed nearly 4.2 million tonnes of steel. — VNS

Tags: Vietnam steel industry, Vietnam steel market