<span>Long-awaited return of Chinese flats suppliers to export market has brought another export price leap as demand from end-users is forecasted to improve and raw material costs to go up on their shortage. However, market operators report export activity is still weak in the first after-holiday days, because Asian consumers want to wait till most producers determine the size of increase. Chinese suppliers are sure they will be successful this month as their offers are quite acceptable for foreign customers. Besides, they believe limited supply of flats will stir foreign buyers up as well. <br> So, Chinese exporters offer HRC and CRC by $30-40/t and $55/t, respectively, higher compared to late January. In particular, HRC of SS400 grade made to JIS G3101 from Liugang Group are available to foreign buyers at $750-760/t FOB and from Lianyuan Steel – at $770/t FOB. At the same time, 1 mm CRC from Wuhan Iron & Steel and Lianyuan Steel are offered for export at $870/t FOB and $855/t FOB, respectively. <br> Other suppliers will obviously follow the above producers, who plan to keep pushing prices upwards. They are driven by the fact that currently HRC for re-rolling from Taiwan and South Korea, in particular from Shang Shing Steel and Hyndai Steel, are priced within the same range with Chinese similar material and by $30-50/t higher than Chinese pipe-making HRC. Moreover, Russian exporters temporarily stay away from the market, but intend to come back lifting prices for plate of March production up to those of Taiwanese and South Korean sellers. <span> </span> <br> Domestic quotations are also going up, but at slower pace than export ones. Ex-warehouse prices for HRC have climbed the most – $10-15/t in a week, due to shortage of the material. At the same time quotations of CRC have added $5/t over the same period. Taking into account the fact that export prices for HRC are by $50/t higher than domestic stockists’ ones, traders’ offers are likely to continue moving up gradually in the domestic market. <br> (<a href="http://Source:%20www.metalexpert-group.com%20)%0b"><font color="#000066" size="3" face="Times New Roman">Source: www.metalexpert-group.com )</font><br> </a></span>