Taiwan’s stainless steel prices recently surged, with 304 cold-rolled coils returning to the NT$70,500 per ton level, which is a three-year high, driven by Middle East hostilities that inflated energy and freight costs.

Upstream mills raised April prices by NT$4,000 for April, totaling a NT$19,500 increase over five months.

In spite of the NT$17,000 rise over the last ten months, trading volume remains low as buyers focus on clearing existing stock.

The London Metal Exchange (LME) nickel price stays near US$17,200, and chromium prices dropped slightly, while rising molybdenum costs and a weaker Taiwan dollar keep production expenses high. Traders currently maintain firm pricing to cover these costs, leading to a stable but quiet market trend.