TOKYO, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Tokyo Steel Manufacturing Co Ltd
, Japan's top electric-arc furnace steelmaker, said on
Monday it will hold steel product prices unchanged in February
as steel markets at home and abroad were balanced.
This is the third month the company keeps prices steady for
all of its steel products, including its main H-shaped beams.
For February, prices for steel bars, including rebar, will
remain at 89,000 yen ($777) a tonne while H-shaped beams will
also stay at 111,000 yen a tonne.
Demand in overseas markets has been hit by supply chain
bottlenecks and chip shortages amid a resurgence in global
COVID-19 cases, Tokyo Steel said in a statement, while global
supply has been curbed by lower Chinese output and exports.
Domestic demand for steel products is expected to rise due
to large construction projects, manufacturers' growing appetite
for capital spending and high orders from shipbuilders, but
demand for steel sheets has been restrained by slow auto
production, it said.
"It is inevitable that steel production costs will rise
further in the spring and beyond and it will be essential to
pass on the higher costs to product prices, but we'll keep our
prices steady for now to reflect the current market condition,"
it said.
Tokyo Steel's pricing is closely watched by Asian rivals
such as South Korea's Posco and Hyundai Steel
, and China's Baoshan Iron & Steel Co Ltd (Baosteel)
.
($1 = 114.4800 yen)
(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa)