<span>As expected, export quotations of CIS HR flats keep falling. Exporters have reportedly dropped their prices again in view of weak business activity now, while in late March some of them were striving to stand firm. Besides, prices for May production will likely go further down, especially as not all producers have started offering the material yet. <br> CIS flats are still exported mostly to North and South America as well as to Europe. Buyers from SE Asia also show interest in it, but Russian suppliers are unable to sell the material there in view of more competitive offers from regional sellers, in particular from China and South Korea. At the same time, Middle Eastern buyers show extremely weak demand for CIS sheets and coils in view of unstable political situation in the region. <br> This week Russia's MMK has preliminarily announced its prices for May production of flats. The company has reduced its quotations by $10-20/t from two weeks ago. Export quotations of MMK's HRC to countries, where there are no import quotas, have lost $20/t, falling to $710/t FOB Novorossiysk. At the same time, the material from the company is available to Turkey at prices by $10/t higher. <br> The manufacturer is offering its HRC to the Far East at $740/t FOB Vladivostok, $10-15/t below prices of the latest deals on April output. However, these levels are evidently nominal and have hardly attracted any buyers in SE Asia. <br> To Eastern and Central Europe, Poland and Slovakia in particular, HRC from MMK are available at EUR 560/t ($806/t, EUR 1 = $1.44) DAP, by EUR 20/t lower than two weeks ago. However, due to stronger euro against the US dollar, the decrease in the dollar terms has been only $12/t. Whereas earlier the supplier planned to leave CRC prices at mid-March levels, this week it has pushed them down by EUR 15/t, to EUR 635/t ($914/t) DAP. However, offers in the dollar terms have inched up on currency fluctuations. <br> Traders have not seen the official price list from Severstal for May yet; however, it is rumoured that HRC from the producer are available at $680/t FOB St.-Petersburg, against $750/t FOB St.-Petersburg a month ago. <br> Export quotations of HRC from Ilyich have lost $10-25/t over the period under review. Thus, to Middle East and North Africa offers of May production have dropped by $10-15/t, to Eastern Europe – by $15-25/t. The producer still offers no CRC for export. <br> Zaporizhstal has not defined its official export prices for May output yet. Moreover, market operators report the producer’s April HR and CR coils have been available at $690/t FOB and $790/t FOB respectively in early April, by $15-20/t lower than two weeks ago. <br> ( Source: <a href="http://www.metalexpert-group.com/"><span><u><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">www.metalexpert-group.com</font></u></span></a> )</span>