[ferro-alloys.com]Turkish prices for imported ferrous scrap continued to soften Friday as sentiment turned far more bearish, even amongst US sellers who had previously held firm in their optimism.

S&P Global Platts assessed Turkish imports of premium heavy melting scrap 1/2 (80:20) at $335/mt CFR Friday, down $2.75 from Thursday. US players are under pressured to make some sales, said a market source, adding: "They need to move their cargoes in the end and even if prices are lower than they wanted, they will still make a good margin."

One deal reported Friday was a US East Coast-origin trade sold to a Marmara-based mill heard at $335/mt CFR for a 10,000 mt HMS 1/2 (80:20) stem, 15,000 mt of shredded scrap at $345/mt and 5,000 mt of bonus material at $355/mt for September shipment.

Sources said prices look likely to fall even further in August amid uncertainty about Turkish demand for fresh September cargoes.

However, while heards in the market were as low as $330/mt for HMS 1/2 (80:20), not all market participants foresee a dim future. One scrap participant said a "floor has been reached" and suggested prices would not drop any further.

• [Editor:王可]