Review of international steel hot spots this week: Billet prices in Southeast Asia have risen steadily, while domestic long product demand in Vietnam continues to be weak (April 12-April 19)

This week, most global steel markets were stable and improving, and steel prices rose. In Asia, China's building materials inventory reduction exceeded expectations, and demand performance was acceptable. In the short term, steel mills were not enthusiastic enough to resume production, and inventory reduction expectations still existed. The export price of long products continued to strengthen, and there were many transactions. The export price of billets increased significantly, and the performance of semi-finished products was generally better than that of long products. The price of hot-rolled coils continued to rise, and the market trading atmosphere was good. The export of semi-finished products in Southeast Asia turned better, Vietnam's infrastructure projects were favorable, and the demand for local billets and building materials rebounded. In the Middle East, after the Ramadan holiday, the price of Turkey's deep-sea imported scrap steel fell, and the demand for billets rebounded, but the trading of rebar was tepid. Iran's billet exports were average, and the price remained stable. Due to heavy rainfall in some parts of the UAE, the price of rebar fell, and buyers were in a wait-and-see mood. In the CIS region, the export price of billets rose, and the billet price was higher than that in other regions, and the market competitiveness was insufficient. Overall, most of the international steel markets had good transactions this week, and the demand in some regions was average. It is expected that the steel price in the international market will be stable and strong in the future.