As steel prices continued to fall, some domestic mills have decided to slash or halt production for maintenance in the third quarter. Carmakers have reduced their purchases of steel as sales are falling and auto inventories mounting. The household appliances market is also facing a dull season. Iron ore prices have shown signs of leveling off. There is limited room for the prices of imported iron ore to rise sharply. With the steel prices close to their trough level, some speculative buyers may be ready to rebuild their inventories, making the future market more elusive and subtle.