The Raw Steels Monthly Metals Index (MMI) rose by 7.8% for this month’s reading, as steel prices continued to rise. Are you prepared for your annual steel contract negotiations? Be sure to check out our five best practices. Steel price gains slow As we’ve chronicled in this monthly column, steel prices have been rising consistently since last summer. Buyers have struggled to find supply in what eventually became an allocation market. Steel prices have posted double-digit percentage gains on a month-over-month basis. However, that ascent appears to be slowing somewhat. The US hot rolled coil price, for example, continued to increase. The US HRC three-month price rose 20% month over month to $1,280 per short ton. However, the price has flattened out thus far in April.