In context, the market bottomed out several weeks ago, and with an anti-dumping case in front of US trade courts, the upward trend in prices has become apparent. While Russian and Venezuelan material is still available for import to the US, there is still a sense of caution in regard to said supply. In addition, despite many feeling that Chinese suppliers would step up their deliveries, there has not been a strong case supporting this claim, while Russian imports have dropped noticeably. As a result, while the lower-priced sale is valid and certainly demands recognition, it remained the anomaly last week as the trajectory is undeniably upward. Several other sales were booked in a very narrow range of 99-100 cents per lb over the past three days, supporting no change in the price index. Despite this, sellers remained firm that numbers will rise even further as the last round of mills close their purchases for the fourth quarter.

• [Editor:editor]