(MB) Import prices for stainless steel in East Asia softened slightly over the past week due to weak regional demand, despite the recovery in the London Metal Exchange nickel price. Fastmarkets‘ weekly import price assessment for benchmark-304 stainless 2mm trimmed cold-rolled coil (CRC) in East Asia was $2,030-2,110 per tonne cif on Wednesday April 3, down by $10-20 per tonne from a week earlier. Fastmarkets‘ weekly import price assessment for benchmark-304 stainless trimmed hot-rolled coil (HRC) in the same region was $1,920-1,990 per tonne cif on Wednesday, narrowing downward by $10 per tonne week on week. Bookings for stainless cold-rolled sheet from China were heard at prices equivalent to $2,070-2,080 per tonne cif.
