📡 2026.5.13Northeast Asia Steel Weekly – Free Sample

Report Date: May 14, 2026 | Coverage: South Korea & Japan

Week-on-Week Comparison Included: April 29 – May 6 vs. May 6–13

This free sample offers a curated look at this week’s most market-moving events and data. Subscribers receive the full report, including complete price tables for all eight steel products, detailed import viability analysis, policy tracking, and a comprehensive week-on-week deep dive that reveals exactly where prices are headed — and why.

📌 Sample Core Insights (Excerpt)

📌 Baltic Dry Index Surges to 3,189 — Near Three-Year High, +62% Since February — ▲
The BDI jumped 4.11% on May 13 to 3,189, the highest level since December 2023, capping a week that saw a +9.08% increase. Capesize rates hit a more than five-month high of 5,139, and Panamax hit an over two-year high of 2,195. Since late February, the index has surged over 62%. Freight costs now add an estimated $10–15/t to landed import costs compared with one month ago. [Baltic Exchange]

📌 South Korea Launches New Anti-Dumping Probe on Chinese Alloy Steel Wire Rod — ⚠️
On May 7, 2026, the Korea Trade Commission initiated an anti-dumping investigation on alloy steel wire rod from China, following complaints from domestic producers SeAH Besteel and SeAH Changwon Specialty Steel. This is the fourth active Korean trade remedy case against Chinese steel in 2026, following HRC AD, coated CRC provisional AD, and now alloy steel wire rod. A preliminary determination is expected within approximately three months. [KTC]

📌 KRW Plunges to One-Month Low at 1,490.6; JPY Weakens to 157.65 — ▼
The won tumbled 34.6 won (+2.4%) week-on-week to 1,490.6 — the weakest since April 7 — driven by lingering Middle East uncertainties and hotter-than-expected US inflation data. The yen weakened for a third consecutive day to 157.65, erasing the gains from Japan’s April 30 intervention. Both currency moves inflate landed import costs by $10–15/t in local currency terms. [Yonhap Infomax / Mitrade]

📌 China HRC Export Prices Stall at $510/t; Buyer Resistance Builds — ▶ Chinese HRC (SS400, 3mm) export quotes held near $510/t FOB on May 13, but momentum has stalled. Billet prices initially rose to $488/t midweek before retreating to $483/t as transaction activity deteriorated. Buyers outside China are showing limited acceptance of current prices, according to SMM. [SMM / Mysteel]

📌Iron Ore Climbs to $112.87/t; Scrap Inventories Drop 7% WoW Iron ore (62% Fe) reached $112.87/t on May 12, up $2.97/t (+2.7%) week-on-week and at a five-week high. Simultaneously, scrap inventories at 11 major South Korean steelmakers fell 7% (64,000 tonnes) week-on-week to 851,000 tonnes, triggering purchase price increases from both POSCO and Hyundai Steel. [Mysteel / BigMint / SteelDaily]

💰 Sample Price & Change Comparison (Partial View)

Subscribers receive complete tables for all eight products across China, Korea, and Japan, with precise weekly, monthly, and yearly changes.

🛡️ Sample Policy & Supply Chain Update (Excerpt)

Korea’s Fourth Anti-Dumping Case in 2026 Broadens Trade Defense to Specialty Long Products

The KTC’s initiation of an anti-dumping investigation on Chinese alloy steel wire rod on May 7 marks a significant expansion of Korea’s trade defense architecture. The investigation covers dumping during January 1 – December 31, 2025, and injury analysis from January 1, 2023. A preliminary determination is expected by approximately August 2026. This follows the HRC AD final determination (28.16–33.10%), the coated CRC provisional AD (22.34–33.67%), and now targets specialty long products — signaling a systematic, not reactive, tightening of import controls.

Japan’s Cost-Push Squeeze Intensifies Amid Structural Demand Decline

Tokyo Steel raised scrap purchase prices by JPY 1,000/t on May 12, and the Kanto export tender has now extended its 10th consecutive monthly rise. Raw material costs alone have increased by at least JPY 10,000/t ($63) compared with the end of the first half of last fiscal year. Simultaneously, METI forecasts Q2 2026 steel demand to decline 1.5% YoY to 20 million tonnes, with FY crude steel output at a 59-year low of 80.68 million tonnes. Japanese mills are caught in a classic margin squeeze — rising input costs against softening demand.

POSCO’s Gwangyang EAF Commissioning Imminent — Structural Scrap Demand Increase Approaching

POSCO’s new 2.5 million tpy electric arc furnace is scheduled for commissioning in June 2026 — less than one month away. The concurrent scrap storage expansion to 160,000 tonnes (completion August 2026) and estimated 2 million tonnes of external scrap purchases in 2026 will structurally increase Korean scrap demand. The sharp drop in scrap inventories (–7% WoW to 851,000 tonnes) and rising purchase prices from both POSCO and Hyundai Steel are early signals of this demand shift.

💡 Sample Actionable Advice (Preview)

The full report contains six tailored action items for each audience, with specific rationales, target markets, and implementation timelines.

📥 Get the Full Report

This free sample is only a fraction of the intelligence delivered each week. Subscribers to the Northeast Asia Steel Weekly Report receive:

• 8 product price tables (billet, rebar, HRC, CRC, HDG, carbon steel pipe, stainless steel, CRGO) with FOB, domestic, and import parity data for China, Korea, and Japan.
• Week-on-week and month-on-month comparisons to track market direction with precision.
• Import viability assessments with landed cost calculations under Korea’s price undertaking mechanism vs. full AD duties — now including the new alloy steel wire rod investigation.
• Comprehensive policy tracker: Korea HRC AD duties (with approved exporter list), new alloy steel wire rod AD probe, coated CRC provisional duties, Japan cold-rolled stainless steel & HDG investigations, anti-circumvention legislation status, CBAM/IAA compliance requirements.
• Supply chain dynamics: POSCO Gwangyang EAF commissioning timeline (June 2026), scrap inventory trends, port congestion indices, BDI freight trajectory, Iran supply gap updates, Strait of Hormuz disruption impacts.
• Currency and FX risk analysis: USD/KRW and USD/JPY with quantified impact on import costs, including intervention tracking and Middle East risk premium analysis.
• Forward-looking price forecast for the coming week with three supporting arguments and one key downside risk.
• Full week-on-week deep dive analysis comparing the current reporting week to the prior week across seven dimensions: price trends, policy changes, exchange rates, logistics, market sentiment, new significant data, and overall trajectory.

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Contact Amy directly at amy@amyinsights.com