Equity Research l Metal May 6, 2013 JSW Steel (JSTL) has been the best executor of projects in the domestic ferrous space. The company has increased capacity from a 0.8MTPA in FY00 to 11MTPA (including 1MTPA at Salem) in FY12 translating into a CAGR of 27%. Further, with the acquisition of ISPAT, JSW steel is now the largest steel company in India with an installed capacity of 14.3MTPA. Also, with Supreme Court lifting the iron ore mining ban on Category A & Category B mines, iron ore procurement cost for JSW steel should come down gradually over a period of time. Further, with operational efficiencies at JSW ISPAT expected in the coming quarters, the company is expected to report healthier margins. We initiate coverage on JSW Steel with a BUY rating and a target price of Rs 972, providing a 39% upside from the current level. Investment Argument Efficient Converter with rich product mix Despite no backward integration (earlier ~20% for iron ore), JSTL has been able to maintain competitive operating margins due to its efficient operations. JSW steel has one of the lowest conversion costs amongst large steel producers with conversion cost of around USD 150/tonne. Further, being a non integrated player, the company is highly susceptible to change in raw material prices thus making it the main beneficiary of falling raw material prices. Further, given the companys continuous emphasis on value addition, share of semis in total volumes has come down over the years from 22% in FY10 to 5% in FY12. Going forward, we expect the share of semis to remain below 3%. Lifting of mining ban to improve utilization levels With the positive verdict from the Supreme Court of India on Category A & B iron ore mines and auctioning of sub-grade ore along with an evolving regulatory framework we expect more supply of ore and sub grade ore. This in turn should lead to a drop in ore prices and benefit steel mills like JSW Steel with captive beneficiation and pelletisation facilities and also improve utilization levels. However, the benefits of the same are expected only from the end of FY14E. JSW-Ispat - Operating metrics set to improve JSTL had outlined substantial cost savings at JSW Ispat to the tune of Rs3.5bn-5bn annually. As per our understanding, while part of the synergy gains in marketing and power sourcing are already being realized, we think the actual turnaround at JSW ISPAT is not too far, with the full benefits of cost savings from the 55MW power plant fed on BF gas, 1MT coke oven battery 4MT pellet plant and replacement of external gas with coke oven gas expected to gradually contribute. We believe post completion of all these initiatives, JSW ISPAT could see cost savings of ~USD75-80/tonne. Valuation JSTL has corrected 22% since the announcement of the mining ban in the Bellary district (and 16% YTD). At the current valuations of 4.4x FY15E EV/EBITDA, JSTL trades at a discount to its historic EV/EBITDA of 6x, implying value in the stock. We value JSTL at 5xFY15 EV/EBITDA and arrive at a SOTP target price of Rs 972/share, a discount to its historical average due to lack of raw material integration and slow off-take of steel in the domestic market. Delays in securing timely and adequate e-auction ore supplies and starting of mining operations in Category B mines pose key downside risk to our estimates. Particulars (Rs mn) FY12 FY13E FY14E FY15E Revenues 341,237 363,874 376,525 421,121 EBITDA 58,575 65,025 66,686 79,018 EBITDA margins (%) 17.2 17.9 17.7 18.8 EBITDA growth (%) 25.6 11.0 2.6 18.5 Adj. Net profit 11,151 16,123 15,556 20,868 Adj. Net profit growth (%) (36.4) 44.6 (3.5) 34.1 Net Profit margins (%) 3.3 4.4 4.1 5.0 FDEPS (Rs) 50.0 66.7 64.4 86.3 FDEPS growth (%) (36.4) 33.5 (3.5) 34.1 P/E (x) 14.0 10.5 10.9 8.1 Source: Company, Violet Arch Research
Stock data CMP Rs 700 Reuters Code JSTL.BO Bloomberg Code JSTL IN Equity Shares o/s (mn) 241.7 Market Cap (Rs bn) 160 Market Cap (USD bn) 3.2
Promoter, 38 Public & others, 37 FII, 20 DII, 5 80 90 100 110 120 130 A p r - 1 2 M a y - 1 2 J u n - 1 2 J u l - 1 2 A u g - 1 2 S e p - 1 2 O c t - 1 2 N o v - 1 2 D e c - 1 2 J a n - 1 3 F e b - 1 3 M a r - 1 3 A p r - 1 3 JSW Steel Sensex Absolute Rating BUY Target Price Rs 972 Upside 39%
Scenario Analysis FY15E (Standalone) Bull Case Base Case Bear Case Realisation (Rs/tonne) 43,922 41,920 39,732 Steel Sales Volumes (mn tonnes) 10 9.1 8.49 Exchange Rate (INR:USD) 49 51 55 EBITDA (Rs mn) 103,951 74,365 48,952 Inc / Dec from base case (%) 39.8 - (34.2) EPS (Rs) 165.83 103.44 52.4 Inc / Dec from base case (%) 60.3 - (49.3) CMP 700 700 700 Target Price 1,188 972 514 Upside % 69.7 38.9 (26.6) Source: Violet Arch Research Bull Case Steel Realizations to be higher at Rs 43,922/tonne on the back of improved international prices and increased domestic demand. Sales volumes assumed at 10mn tonnes an increase of 10% from our base case assumption and 16.3% over FY14E levels on the back of optimum capacity utilisation and higher demand for steel domestically. Exchange rate assumed at Rs49/USD. Base Case Steel Realizations to average at Rs 41,920/tonne on the back of subdued domestic demand and import parity prices. Sales volumes assumed at 9.1mn tonnes an increase of 6% from FY14E levels as domestic demand expected to grow by ~7%. Exchange rate assumed at Rs51/USD. Bear Case Steel realizations expected to fall from the current levels and average at Rs 39,732/tonne on the back of a fall in international prices and weak demand. Sales volumes at 8.49mn tonnes as iron ore supplies get delayed Exchange rate assumed at Rs53/USD
Impact of 5% change of various Parameters on EBITDA & EPS (FY15E) EBITDA EPS Exchange rate 8.4% 17.8% Iron ore 4.4% 9.3% Coking coal 9.2% 14.9% Steel Prices 21.4% 34.3% Source: Violet Arch Research
Key Assumptions Steel Sales volumes expected to grow by 4.4% to 8.6mn tonnes in FY14E and 5.8% to 9.1mn tonnes in FY15E. Blended Realization/tonne expected to fall by 2.35% to Rs 39,584 in FY14E and increase by 5.9% to Rs41,920 in FY15E. Iron ore cost on a per tonne basis expected to increase by 2.5% to Rs3,381/tonne in FY14E and increase by 3.4% to Rs3,496/tonne in FY15E. It must be noted that iron ore costs increased by 26% in FY13E due to the mining ban in Karnataka. Blended Coking coal cost to decrease by 4.7% to Rs11,600/tonne in FY14E and increase by 5.8% to Rs12,271/tonne in FY15E. Exchange rate expected to average at Rs53/USD in FY14E and Rs51/USD in FY15E.
Strengths 1) JSW Steel is amongst the fastest growing steel companies globally with steel capacities increasing by 7x in just 10 years. Besides, JSTL also features amongst the most efficient steel producers globally. 2) This clearly illustrates the Companys excellent brown field execution and cost management skills.
Weaknesses 1) JSW Steel meets 100% of its coking coal and iron ore requirement from external sources. Lack of raw material sufficiency would imply higher costs and in-turn earnings volatility for the company. Further, with the domestic iron ore mining industry facing bans in certain regions, prices domestically have increased as supply has not been able to match demand.
Opportunities 1) As Indias largest steel producer, JSTL will be a key beneficiary of domestic growth and rising steel demand. We estimate steel demand to grow by 6% in FY14E and 7% in FY15E. 2) While the company has currently put its 10 MTPA plant in West Bengal on hold, land acquisition for the same is complete. The company is waiting for iron ore mine allocation there until it puts some meaningful investment into the same. Hence, if JSTL is successful in commissioning of these projects, it will see the company well placed to reap the benefits of rising steel demand.
Threats 1) Sudden drop in steel demand and inability to pass on raw material price increase to end customers would result in a severe dent to profitability on the back of negative impact of higher operating leverage. It must be noted that in FY13, steel demand grew by a mere 4% YoY. 2) As per our understanding, 60% of Indias capacity addition over the next few years is expected to come in the flats segment, with HRC accounting for over 50%. JSTL has high exposure to the flats segment (HRC in particular) which could imply pricing pressure on the majority of its product offerings.
7.0 6.4 5.5 Source: Bloomberg, Violet Arch Research JSTL is trading at 4.4x FY15E EV/EBITDA as compared to its peers, which are trading at an average 5.5xCY14E/FY15E EV/EBITDA. Further even other domestic players like SAIL & Tata Steel are trading at a premium as compared to the company. Valuation JSW steel has corrected 22% since the announcement of the mining ban in the Bellary district (and 16% YTD). At the current valuations of 4.4x FY15E EV/EBITDA, JSTL is trading at a discount to its historic 5-year average EV/EBITDA of 6x, implying value in the stock. Further, with the Chinese macro and bulk commodity outlook looking bleak, we believe that JSW Steels non- integrated (direct beneficiary of a drop in international coking coal prices) nature and efficient operations puts it a sweet spot. Also, we like JSW Steel from a bottom-up approach, wherein we expect its iron ore procurement costs to drop due to demand supply mismatch for iron ore fines in Karnataka, and re-starting of Category B mines by end FY14E. In our view this along with increased domestic off take and improvement in operating metrics at JSW Ispat would be the key drivers for the stock going forward. We value JSW Steel based on EV/EBITDA methodology, as it captures the operating dynamics of the business model and also its capital structure. We value JSTL at 5xFY15 EV/EBITDA and arrive at a SOTP target price of Rs 972/share, a discount to its historical average on the back of lack of raw material integration and slow off-take of steel in the domestic market. Delays in securing timely and adequate e-auction ore supplies and re-starting of mining operations in Category B mines pose key downside risk to our estimates. We initiate coverage on the stock with a BUY rating. (Rs mn) Basis Multiple FY15E JSW Steel (Consolidated) EBITDA 5.0 79,018 Enterprise Value
395,092 Less :- Net Debt
(176,065)
Add:- Investments
JSW Energy (5.6% stake) 30% discount to CMP 0.7 4,160 Ispat 0.5x invested equity 0.5 11,785
Key Investment Argument Efficient converter with rich product mix Despite no backward integration (earlier ~20% for iron ore), JSTL has been able to maintain competitive operating margins due to its efficient operations. JSW steel has one of the lowest conversion costs amongst large steel producers with conversion cost of around USD 150/tonne. Further, being a non integrated player, the company is highly susceptible to change in raw material prices thus making it the main beneficiary of falling raw material prices. However due to the recent iron ore ban in Karnataka which has just been lifted and will take miners some time to increase output, domestic iron ore prices are expected to remain buoyant and the company is not expected to benefit from falling iron ore prices globally as it will have to buy iron ore at e-auction prices till end FY14. Nevertheless, decline in coking coal prices will benefit JSTL. JSTL lowest conversion cost amongst domestic majors
Source: Company, Violet Arch Research
JSW Steel Units (Standalone) Particulars Capacity (MTPA) Location Crude Steel 11 Vijaynagar + Salem Slabs 10 Vijaynagar Billets 2.75 Vijaynagar + Salem HRC + plates 6.7+0.32 Vijaynagar + Salem Rolled Long 2.2 Vijaynagar + Salem Cold rolled coils 1.8 Vijaynagar Galvanised coils 0.9 Vasind Colour Coated Sheets 0.2 Vasind Captive Power plant (MW) 920 Vijaynagar + Salem + Vasind Source: Company, Violet Arch Research JSW Steel, through its timely capacity expansion, has delivered a staggering 27% CAGR in volumes over FY00-FY12. JSTLs steel making capacity has increased ~4x over FY05-FY12 to 11mtpa, which after the ISPAT merger now stands at 14.3MTPA. With iron ore sourcing likely to improve from end FY14E, we expect the company to benefit from the same. Given the companys continuous emphasis on value addition, share of semis in total volumes has come down over the years from 22% in FY10 to 5% in FY12. Going forward with value added capacity 540 369 280 150 339 419 - 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 JSW Steel SAIL Tata Steel Raw Material Conversion Cost
coming on stream, we expect the share of semis to remain below 3%. Enhanced product mix has also led to JSTLs realisation spread over landed HRC prices to remain at ~9% over the past few years. JSTLs capacity has grown at a staggering 30% CAGR over the years
Source: Company, Violet Arch Research Lifting of mining ban to improve utilization levels The blanket ban across the districts of Chitradurga, Tumkur and Bellary in Karnataka practically left JSTL with NMDC as its supply source as procuring iron ore from Orissa and Chhattisgarh is not a viable option due to high logistics costs. Also, this left JSTL highly exposed, given concerns over NMDCs ability to ramp-up iron ore production in Karnataka (to 1mn tonnes/month). However, with the Supreme Court decision to allow e-auction of iron ore gave the much needed breathing space to JSTL. Now, after clearance by the Supreme Court of Category A & Category B mines, few category A mines have restarted operations with 3 mines starting during 4QFY13, in addition to 6 mines starting earlier. The combined capacity of the 3 new mines stands at ~5.5 MTPA. Further two more mines are expected to restart adding further ~1 mtpa. On the other hand after the introduction of advance e-auction, the company expects NMDC also to supply more iron ore (~9 mtpa) in Karnataka. As far as category B mines are concerned, R&R plans for 20 mines have been approved and are under preparation for other mines. Also, 12 mines have accepted all the conditions stipulated by the Supreme Court to consider re-commencement of mining. Hence, all in all, the iron ore availability situation is likely to improve gradually. At 78% utilization levels (our estimate for FY14E), the company would need ~15 mn tonnes of high grade ore. As per our understanding, NMDC should contribute ~9 mn tonnes along with another 6 mn tonnes from category A mines. Considering JSW Steel buys ~65% of the fines auctioned, the company can secure ~8 mn tonnes through this route. Further, the company has also has been buying ~2.5 mn tonnes from Orissa and Chhattisgarh. Thus, total availability should be in excess of ~15 mn tonnes giving us the confidence that even without dump ore and category B mines, the company should not see a major problem in achieving our estimated utilization level for FY14E.
Iron ore sourcing should not be a major problem going forward
Source: Company, Violet Arch Research In 4QFY13, the Monitoring Committee had auctioned about 6.3 mn tonnes of low-grade ore from the dumps of Mineral Enterprises Limited for an average price of Rs 650/tonne for 53% Fe grade ore. Since the company has technology available to beneficiate low-grade iron ore, it has so far used up to 52% Fe and for the first time the management plans to experiment with even lower grade ore. However, recovery of iron would be in the range of 35-40% and the losses around 60%. Utilization Levels have steadily improved in recent times
Source: Company, Violet Arch Research Also, as per data from Indian Bureau of mines (IBM), 56% of the Karnataka ore inventories have Fe content lower than 62% and fines account for 60% of total inventory volumes. We expect lower bidding for low grade fines/ lumps in the e-auction process given limited domestic pelletisation/sintering facilities. With its captive 20mn tonnes beneficiation and 9mn tonnes pelletisation facility, JSW Steel will be a key beneficiary of the favorable inventory mix. JSTL (FY14E) ~15mn tonnes of high grade ore NMDC (9mn tonnes) Category 'A' mines (6mn tonnes) Orissa & Chattisgarh (2.5mn tonnes) Fines (8mn tonnes ) 50.0% 55.0% 60.0% 65.0% 70.0% 75.0% 80.0% 85.0% 1 Q F Y 0 9
JSW-Ispat - Operating metrics set to improve JSW Ispat will get merged with JSTL and the swap ratio has been fixed at 1:72 implying Ispat share holders will get one share of JSTL for 72 shares held in JSW Ispat. The merger will be effective from 1st July 2012 and is expected to be completed anytime soon as JSTL had guided of completion by end FY13. As part of the merger, JSTL will hive off the downstream capacities of both the entities at Vasind Tarapur and Kalmeshwar into a 100% subsidiary. The total collective capacity of downstream production units is ~1.2mtpa. The Dolvi plant of Ispat has the potential to increase its capacity to ~7.5mtpa from the current 3.3mtpa. However, expansion plans for this brownfield project expansion is at a very nascent stage. Ispat Merger to make JSW Steel the largest steel company in India
While the benefits of marketing synergies (the result of VAT benefits and freight savings) along with reduced power costs (sourcing from JSW Energy vs. MSEDCL) are already being realized, we believe there is more in store on the cost savings front in the coming quarters. We expect benefits from the 55MW captive power plant to flow in immediately, thereby leading to annualized cost savings of around Rs1.8bn per annum. In addition, we expect material improvement in operational metrics at JSW Ispat once its coke oven and pellet plant facilities are commissioned over 2HFY14. Cost Savings USD/tonne 55 MW Power plant 14 4 MTPA pellet plant 21 1 MTPA coke oven battery 25 Replacement of purchased gas with coke oven gas 22 Total Savings 82 Source: Company, Violet Arch Research With boiler hydro testing, light up and chemical cleaning at the 55MW power plant already done, we believe the power plant will be commissioned very soon. Waste heat gases recovered from the blast furnace will be utilized to feed the 55MW power plant. And hence cost benefits of the power plant will flow immediately, resulting in annual cost savings of Rs1.8bn ($14/T) translating to a payback of less than two years. On the pellet plant front, JSW Ispat currently procures ~50% of its ore requirement from domestic sources and the rest from imports. With a 1.6MT DRI dependent on pellet feed (~2.7MT) and 2MT BFs 15% ore requirement met via pellet route (~0.5MT), JSW Ispat will require around 3.5mn tonnes of pellets annually. With commissioning of the pellet plant, we expect JSW Ispat (a port- based facility) to have increased leeway to import fines over domestic sourcing of lumps. With commissioning of the pellet plant, we expect JSW Ispat to realize cost gains to the extent of USD21/t.
Further, work at the coke oven batteries is in full swing, with the structural frames already in place. We expect the first coke oven battery to be commissioned by the end of 2QFY14 and the second battery by the end of 3QFY14. As per our estimates, the commissioning of the coke oven batteries will see JSW Ispat realize cost gains up to USD25/tonne. Sales Volumes and EBITDA/tonne set for improvement
Source: Company, Violet Arch Research JSW Ispats installed steel capacity stands at 3.3MTPA, however given the volume-cost trade off on gas supplies, the company prefers to operate the DRI facility at lower utilization (and BF at full capacity), due to higher gas procurement costs. However, JSW Ispat is expected to increase utilization levels at its DRI facility once it starts substituting the external gas with surplus coke oven gas and once both coke oven batteries are commissioned by 3QFY14. This could result in additional savings to the tune of US$ 22/tonne. US subsidiaries still in red however operational improvement seen While JSTL has a profitable steel business in India and has been the fastest growing steel company in the world, in the last few years, it has invested USD900m in US plate & pipe mill, USD250m in Chile iron ore mines, and USD100m in a US coking coal mine. While none of its overseas acquisitions have been profitable and there is no visibility of turnaround, given the global economic slowdown, high cost structure, and strategic / technological disadvantage, the US Plate and pipe mill has shown some gradual improvement. As per our understanding, we do not expect any major surprises from its overseas operations barring the US plate and pipe mill as the company is trying to secure orders and is banking on shale gas output there. Further, the company has been guiding iron ore production of 1- 1.2 mn tonnes from Chile, while coking coal from US is not likely to materialize any time soon. US Plate & Pipe mill US Plate & Pipe mill FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13E FY14E FY15E Plate sales (tonnes) 199,861 119,614 106,936 247,796 254,500 279,500 305,750 Pipe sales (tonnes) 143,608 72,508 45,217 68,010 74,063 80,136 86,627 Revenues (USD mn) 501 160 141 362 377 412 450 EBITDA (USD mn) 71 (41) 15 56 32 41 69 PAT (USD mn) (37) (70) (33) (18) (27) (23) (15) Source: Company, Violet Arch Research 2 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3 3.2 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,500 5,000 5,500 6,000 FY10* FY11 FY12 FY13E FY14E FY15E EBITDA/tonne (INR) Sales Volume (Mn tonnes)
As far as the Chilean iron ore mine is concerned, JSTL has commenced shipments from Chilean iron ore mines with FY12 shipments of 7,42,871 tonne. The mine has annual production capacity of 1mn tonne, which the company is planning to augment to 2.5mn tonnes by FY15E. Chilean iron ore mine is expected to generate EBITDA/tonne of $12/tonne in FY14E and $16/tonne in FY15E as we expect iron ore prices to remain suppressed for next couple of years. Chile Iron ore mine
FY12 FY13E FY14E FY15E Production (mn tonnes) 742,871 727,724 873,269 1,030,458 Shipments (mn tonnes) 593,586 949,088 838,339 989,239 EBITDA/tonne (USD) 37.8 8.0 12.0 16.0 Source: Company, Violet Arch Research In 4QFY10, JSTL acquired a coking coal mine in West Virginia State in USA. The acquisition includes seven coal blocks with initial production capacity of 0.5mtpa. As per initial estimates, the coking coal mine has 123mn tonnes of resource base along with railway load-out and barge facility. While the company has undertaken drilling activities, shipments are yet to commence. Coking coal shipped will be used for JSTLs Indian operations and as per our understanding, landed cost should be around USD150-155/tonne. Initially, JSTL is expected to produce 0.5mn tonne of coking coal, which will subsequently be increased to 3mn tonnes. We have not factored in any shipments from the mines in our numbers.
Key Risks and Concerns Delay in resumption of mining activities in Karnataka JSTL sources 100% of its ore (post mining ban imposed in Karnataka) and coking coal requirement from external sources and remains exposed to volatile raw material costs. We believe that despite Supreme Court lifting the ban on Category A and B mines, improvement in the mining sector has clearly been far slower than anticipated, with only seven Category A mines with a cumulative output of 3.3mn tonnes operational so far. While we remain hopeful that by end FY14, higher ore production leading to increased ore availability will bring down procurement costs for JSW Steel, if the same Skewed product mix JSTLs skewed product mix (83% of volumes are flats and semis) vis--vis more balance product mix of its domestic peers like Tata Steel and SAIL leaves the company exposed to pricing pressures. Significant drop in steel prices Global steel market has been looking sluggish for a while and prices have corrected significantly across geographies. In India prices have held up largely due to stable demand and rupee depreciation. However, local currencies of CIS origin countries has depreciated against dollar and this might result in fall in dollar denominated prices there by putting pressure on domestic prices. Bloated balance sheet At the end of 3QFY13, JSTLs standalone net debt stood at Rs202bn (as compared to net debt of Rs183bn at the end of 1HFY13). Consolidated net debt including JSW Ispat stands at Rs265bn, excluding acceptances of Rs80bn. Further, in-case the company is unable to turnaround ISPAT to the extent desired and steel demand and prices weaken further, there could be a serious risk to the companys balance sheet. Excess supply from domestic sources and imports Steel production in China and CIS origin countries has been on higher side. Due to suppressed demand growth in these regions the excess steel might find its way in countries like India. Further, around 18mn tonne of incremental capacity is coming up in India over next 18-24 months most of which will be in flat steel segment and could put pressure on prices.
Company Background JSW Steel is part of the O.P.Jindal Group. The group has a presence across various sectors Steel, Energy, Minerals, Port & Infrastructure, Cement, Aluminium and IT. JSW Steel is Indias largest and amongst the most efficient steel producers globally. JTLS has manufacturing facilities located across three states in India and has a plate/pipe mill in USA. JSTL also acquired a stake in Ispat Industries Ltd, with which it became Indias largest steel producer with a combined capacity of 14.3 MTPA. It has tied up with JFE Steel Corp, Japan, to manufacture the high grade automotive steel. JSWS has mining assets in Chile, USA and Mozambique. By 2020, it aims to produce 34mt of steel annually with planned Greenfield integrated steel plants in West Bengal and Jharkhand.
Industry Overview Slowdown in developed economies and China to weigh on steel demand With major economies across the world facing slowdown, the demand for steel is expected to remain sluggish. Demand scenario is particularly weak in developed economies; Euro Zone in particular. China being the largest producer and consumer of steel is also witnessing its economy cooling off after witnessing GDP growth in excess of 9% in past few years. The World Steel Association (WSA) has recently cut steel demand growth estimates by 90bps to 1.2% for CY12 and by 30bps to 2.9% for CY13 as EU27, CIS, Nafta and Middle East are now expected to grow slower. We continue to believe that global steel demand growth will be even slower, with growth rate of 1.6% for world, 2% for China and 2.5% for India in CY13. Raw material prices to remain weak In response to falling demand, coking coal and iron ore prices have come down by almost 50% from their recent highs. Coking coal prices have come down from $335/tonne to $170- 180/tonne at present. Iron ore prices are now trading near $130/tonne as lower demand from China and higher supplies from iron ore producing countries have put pressure on prices. In absence of any meaningful pickup in steel demand, we expect iron price to remain soft and may come down further in the event of increased supply from India, which has been limited due to ongoing mining issues and 30% export tax. Steel prices have corrected rupee depreciation keeping import parity in check Combination of declining demand and falling raw material prices has resulted into decline in steel prices globally. Steel prices world over have come down by 6-12% in CY12. Chinese HRC export prices have come down by ~8%. However, steel prices in India have been resilient as rupee depreciation has kept domestic to imported steel prices parity in check. Despite prices holding firm as compared to a fall in global prices, domestic prices are still at marginal discount to landed prices. We expect domestic flat steel prices unlikely to drop significantly, though they may see marginal correction given the increased imports from countries like Japan and South Korea with whom India has signed free trade agreement there by making imports cost competitive. Domestic steel consumption set to increase Indias steel demand growth averaged at around 9.4% over FY03-FY11 but demand tapered down to 6.5% in FY12 and further down to around 4% in FY13, largely due to higher interest rates and slowing Indian economy. Historically, over FY98-FY2012, steel consumption to GDP growth multiple has been 1.1x, with the highest being reported at 1.9x in FY03. As per our understanding of the multiplier, the same gets higher when GDP growth is above 8% and goes upto 1.6x the GDP, while during lower GDP growth phase up to 5% the multiplier dips to 0.5x. Going forward, based on the GDP forecast of 5.8% in FY14E and 7% in FY15E, steel consumption based on multiplier of 1.0x is expected to grow at ~6% in FY14E and 7% in FY15E respectively.
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