Baowu Steel announced its November prices, adopting a strategy of keeping prices flat across the board to maintain stability. This move is not a concession to a weakening market. Rather, amidst rising production costs and squeezed margins, it is a strategy centered on cutting output to support prices, bolstered by positive expectations for the fourth quarter of this year.  

At present, growth in domestic consumption remains modest, and the stimulus policies typically seen at year-end have yet to take full effect. Consequently, reliance on exports is necessary to alleviate domestic supply-demand imbalances, and voluntary production cuts by steel mills provide a measure of support to the domestic market. 

The increase in exports during October and November effectively diverted sales pressure, as overseas manufacturing demand for restocking rebounded and global steel prices stabilized, and securing export orders has become a key priority for steel mills. 

Additionally, market anticipation of favorable policies for the fourth quarter is expected to drive a rush of orders from downstream industries.