In tonight’s Steel Market Update (SMU) newsletter we will cover items of interest to the flat rolled steel industry in North America and across the world. Steel Market Update just completed a steel market survey as of this afternoon. For the past four days we have been collecting information on a wide variety of topics from those actively involved in the flat rolled steel industry in the U.S. and Canada.

Some of the topics which will be covered this evening include:

Our SMU Steel Buyers Sentiment Index – which is measured twice per month. Over the past few months Sentiment has been drifting lower – will the trend continue?

We have a couple articles derived from our survey. One is about the AK Steel price increase announcement on hot rolled, cold rolled and coated steels. The AK increase was announced last week at $40 per ton. What is the industry saying about the increase and will other mills follow?

Another article will discuss mill lead times and price negotiations for hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized and Galvalume steels.

What direction do those taking our survey believe prices are headed over the next 30 days?

We also have a number of articles regarding economic data which has been released over the past couple of days. These include the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Billing Index – a leading indicator of construction activity 9-12 months in the future; AHRI shipment data (furnaces, air-conditioners, heaters), Philadelphia Fed Survey, etc.

Also on tap for this evenings edition – a letter to the editor from the president of the Steel Manufacturers Association regarding imports, Prepainted steel import data, iron ore spot pricing in China, Hot Rolled Futures article which we do every Thursday evening and more.

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