Driven by upstream stainless steel mill price hikes for 300 series products led by Yieh United Steel Corporation (Yusco) and Tang Eng, Taiwan's sluggish stainless steel spot market saw increased buying activity this week.

Although some distributors and major traders are still cautious due to weak demand and high-priced inventory, higher replacement costs pushed dealers to raise selling prices.

Small traders and end users started restocking, generating more orders in the first three days than the entire first half of the month. While trading volume remains modest, the market shows signs of life, with future stability depending on demand recovery, mill strategies, and trends of imported materials from Vietnam.