The world's steelmakers are increasing output despite softer demand, pushing down prices.

　　盡管需求疲軟，全球鋼鐵廠(chǎng)商卻在增加產(chǎn)量，這推低了鋼鐵價(jià)格。

　　In a few countries, notably Brazil and the U.S., steel prices remain high, thanks to steady demand in the former and limited output in the latter. AK Steel Holding Corp. in February said it would increase, by $50 a short ton, prices for all of its carbon, flat-rolled steel products, a move followed by other U.S. steelmakers.

　　一些國(guó)家的鋼材價(jià)格居高不下，尤其是巴西和美國(guó)。因?yàn)榘臀鞯男枨蠓€(wěn)定，而美國(guó)的產(chǎn)出有限。AK鋼鐵控股公司（AK Steel Holding Corp）二月表示旗下所有碳扁鋼價(jià)格每短噸（約合0.907噸）上調(diào)50美元，隨后美國(guó)其它廠(chǎng)商也紛紛漲價(jià)。

　　But U.S. prices -- especially for hot-rolled steel, a key component used in most steel products -- could be headed lower too, says Peter Marcus, economist and steel analyst for World Steel Dynamics Inc., a consulting firm. 咨詢(xún)公司W(wǎng)orld Steel Dynamics Inc.

　　的經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家和鋼鐵分析師馬庫(kù)斯（Peter Marcus）說(shuō)，美國(guó)的鋼鐵價(jià)格也可能走低，尤其是熱軋鋼。熱軋鋼是在多數(shù)鋼鐵產(chǎn)品中都會(huì)使用到的關(guān)鍵原料。

　　"Steel buyers in the United States are bearish on the price outlook for hot-rolled," he says. "They're now receiving offers for hot-rolled band from abroad in the $740-$800 per-net-ton range, which compares to the domestic price in the $870-$890 per-ton range."

　　馬庫(kù)斯說(shuō)，美國(guó)的鋼鐵買(mǎi)家看跌熱軋鋼的價(jià)格前景。這些買(mǎi)家收到的熱軋帶材（hot-rolled band）的海外報(bào)價(jià)為每短噸740美元至800美元。相比之下，美國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)報(bào)價(jià)為每噸870美元至890美元。

　　Many global steelmakers increased production in the second half as world economies strengthened. But price increases followed because of stronger demand -- and higher costs for raw ingredients, such as iron ore, coal and scrap -- across a broad spectrum of products, such as premium automotive-grade steel, pipe and tube for energy markets and plate steel for ships. The price of plate steel rose 22% in major steel-producing countries and the price for pipe and tubing rose 14% in the second half.

　　隨著全球經(jīng)濟(jì)走強(qiáng)，全球許多鋼鐵廠(chǎng)商在去年下半年增加了產(chǎn)能。隨后由于對(duì)一系列產(chǎn)品的需求增加（其中包括優(yōu)質(zhì)汽車(chē)鋼，能源市場(chǎng)用到的各類(lèi)管材以及造船所需的厚鋼板），以及鐵礦石、煤炭和廢鋼等原材料價(jià)格走高，鋼材價(jià)格也開(kāi)始跟著回升。去年下半年，主要產(chǎn)鋼國(guó)厚鋼板價(jià)格上漲了22%，各類(lèi)管材的價(jià)格上漲了14%。

　　Now, prices are falling as demand softens, in part because of unrest in the Mideast, the effects of Japan's earthquake and tsunami and relatively high supply. In China, the world's biggest steel producer and consumer, annualized steel production rose 16% to 708 million metric tons in February from November, according to the China Iron and Steel Association. Steel prices in China meanwhile have fallen around 8%-10%. 'The fundamental problem the Chinese mills have faced in recent times has been strong competition among the 30-plus entities selling their products to the same customers,' Mr. Marcus says.

　　現(xiàn)在由于需求疲軟，價(jià)格出現(xiàn)下跌。導(dǎo)致需求疲軟的部分原因是中東動(dòng)亂，日本地震和海嘯帶來(lái)的影響以及供給相對(duì)過(guò)剩。據(jù)中國(guó)鋼鐵工業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)估計(jì)，從去年11月至今年2月，中國(guó)的鋼鐵產(chǎn)量折合年率增加了16%，至7.08億噸。中國(guó)是世界最大的鋼鐵生產(chǎn)國(guó)和消費(fèi)國(guó)。與此同時(shí)，中國(guó)的鋼材價(jià)格大約下跌了8％-10％。馬庫(kù)斯說(shuō)，近幾個(gè)月來(lái)中國(guó)鋼廠(chǎng)面臨的根本問(wèn)題在于激烈的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，30多家鋼廠(chǎng)在爭(zhēng)取同一批客戶(hù)。

　　Outside China, February steel production rose to an annualized rate of 827 million metric tons, slightly higher than the peak of 811 million metric tons reached in May, according to World Steel Dynamics.

　　 中國(guó)之外，據(jù)World Steel Dynamics估計(jì)， 2月份鋼鐵產(chǎn)量折合年率上升至8.27億噸，略高于去年5月8.11億噸的產(chǎn)量峰值。

　　Prices for key raw ingredients are falling as well. Prices for iron ore fell about 9.5% last month from February on the spot market, aided by plentiful supply.

　　關(guān)鍵原材料價(jià)格也出現(xiàn)下跌?，F(xiàn)貨市場(chǎng)上，由于供應(yīng)充足，3月份鐵礦石價(jià)格比2月份下跌了約9.5％。

　　While analysts don't believe lower steel prices are part of a longer-term trend, they could continue to fall as buyers and traders wait and pit sellers against each other. Mills in Russia, India, Taiwan and parts of Europe have tried to boost prices between 2% and 7% for several types of steel, but some buyers are holding off.

　　雖然分析師并不認(rèn)為鋼材價(jià)格走低是一個(gè)中長(zhǎng)期趨勢(shì)，但由于采購(gòu)商和貿(mào)易商還在觀(guān)望，并在不同鋼廠(chǎng)間相互壓價(jià)，所以鋼材價(jià)格可能繼續(xù)下跌。俄羅斯、印度、臺(tái)灣以及部分歐洲國(guó)家試圖給好幾類(lèi)的鋼材提價(jià)，漲幅在2%至7%之間，但一些采購(gòu)商持觀(guān)望態(tài)度。

　　"It would not be prudent for us to buy more steel now if the prices are continuing to drop," says Stanislav Khazanov, steel buyer for Central Steel Co., a small Moscow-based buyer that also has operations in India and Ukraine and buys steel for use in tool making. "We have about six weeks of inventory that is sufficient. I believe prices will drop another 2%-5% in the next few weeks."

　　莫斯科小型采購(gòu)商Central Steel Co. 的鋼鐵采購(gòu)員哈扎諾夫（Stanislav Khazanov）說(shuō)，如果鋼價(jià)還在持續(xù)下跌，那么我們現(xiàn)在購(gòu)入更多鋼材將是不夠謹(jǐn)慎的行為。我們有大約六周的存貨，足夠用了。我認(rèn)為未來(lái)幾周鋼價(jià)還會(huì)跌2%至5%。Central Steel Co.在印度和烏克蘭也有業(yè)務(wù)，采購(gòu)的鋼鐵用于制造工具。

　　Mr. Khazanov isn't alone.

　　持上述觀(guān)點(diǎn)的并不只是哈扎諾夫一人。

　　"There is something of an impasse in the West European market as customers prefer to sit on the sidelines rather than place business at the inflated levels being demanded by the domestic producers," according to MEPS International, a U.K.-based steel consulting firm.

　　總部位于英國(guó)的鋼鐵咨詢(xún)公司MEPS International 說(shuō)，西歐市場(chǎng)有點(diǎn)陷入停滯。客戶(hù)寧肯觀(guān)望，而不愿意以國(guó)內(nèi)生產(chǎn)商要求的上漲后價(jià)格達(dá)成交易。