Driven by Indonesia's reduced nickel quotas for 2026 and surging raw material costs, Taiwan’s stainless steel giants like Yieh United Steel Corp. (Yusco) and Tang Eng prepare to raise their prices for February. Indonesia's Tsingshan has hiked 304 hot-rolled prices by US$140 per ton this year, forcing Taiwanese mills to react.

LME nickel remains volatile above US$17,600, squeezing production margins. After a significant increase of NT$5,000 per ton in January, market participants expect another February jump of NT$2,000 to NT$3,000 for 304 products, or possibly similar to last month’s surge.

Despite the upcoming Lunar New Year break, buyers are stocking up now to avoid paying more later as the supply chain tightens globally.