Tokyo Steel to keep product prices unchanged in October

Tokyo Steel Manufacturing

14/09/2021 10:34

TOKYO, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Tokyo Steel Manufacturing Co Ltd
 5423.T , Japan's top electric-arc furnace steelmaker, said on
Tuesday it will hold steel product prices steady in October to
ensure hikes implemented in recent months would be absorbed by
the market.
    For October, prices of its main H-shaped beams will stay
steady at 106,000 yen ($964) a tonne while hot rolled coils will
remain unchanged at 110,000 yen ($1,000) a tonne.
    The company raised prices of pickled and oiled sheets by
2.4% in September, following a hike by up to 4.7% for some of
its steel products in August.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2PO0DX 
    "Overseas steel markets have stagnated due to resurgence of
the coronavirus in Southeast Asia, but a quick recovery is
anticipated thanks to solid demand in China and its policy of
reducing crude steel output and steel exports," the company said
in a statement.
    "The price increases will likely be absorbed by local market
as inventory of sheet products are low," the company said. But
it added it was not clear how much impact slowing automobile
production would have on steel demand.
    Toyota Motor Corp  7203.T  cut its annual production target
on Friday by 300,000 vehicles as rising COVID-19 infections
slowed output at parts factories in Vietnam and Malaysia,
compounding a global shortage of auto chips.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2QC0DD
    Tokyo Steel's pricing is closely watched by Asian rivals
such as South Korea's Posco  005490.KS  and Hyundai Steel 
 004020.KS , and China's Baoshan Iron & Steel Co Ltd (Baosteel)
 600019.SS .
    ($1 = 110.0100 yen)

 (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi;
Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
 ((Yuka.Obayashi@thomsonreuters.com; +813-6441-1798; Reuters
Messaging:))