[Ferro-Alloys.Com]Settlement prices this week on the CME US Midwest Hot Rolled futures contract increased nearly USD10 per ton for Q4 2012 periods and USD 5 per ton for calendar year 2013 periods.

Volumes have been extremely light this past week as the market looks to digest recent mill prices hike announcements. However, while traded volumes have been thin, increased buying interest has been seen down the forward curve as market sentiment has turned decidedly more bullish; particularly on Q4 periods with November 2012 being bid at USD 620, December 2012 at USD 633 and January 2013 at USD 640.

After weeks of speculation, US Steel became the first mill to announce a USD 40 per ton price increase only to be followed by virtually every other mill by the end of the week. These price increases have caught some in the futures market off guard as their timing is earlier than was expected. Short covering can account for the increase in the nearby bids as the average price for October looks to settle above USD 600 per ton, a far cry above the doomsayers prediction of prices in the low USD 500s by year end.

• [Editor:editor]