• Skip to main content

    Prices

    Hot Rolled Futures: Waiting Mode

    Written by Andre Marshall


    Financial Markets

    Two weeks back we were 1640 on SP 500 and technically it looked like we were headed to 1550-1560 zone as part of a larger retracement. Well the market has dumbfounded the chartists again, and we have since rebounded to today’s level of 1682. We are likely headed now to the 1770-80 zone before seeing a significant pull back. The US stock market is the manifestation of the world’s hope for better things to come as money flight to our shores continues. However, it feels a bit like the whole world is waiting for something, grasping onto slightly positive economic data coming out of China  (August industrial output, retail sales, exports) and the US (positive August auto sales numbers, and slightly improving unemployment number). Meanwhile the underlying picture for the world economies continues to struggle with tremendous headwinds from debt levels, to unemployment and wage issues, not to mention whole regions that are in political turmoil.

    Latest in Prices

    Nucor increases spot HR to $1,240/ton

    Nucor said on Monday, Oct. 12, that its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil will be $1,240 per short ton (st) this week, a $10/st increase from a week earlier. The CSP for HR coil from California Steel Industries (CSI) on the West Coast will be $1,305/st, up $15/st from the prior week. Nucor is still offering lead times of three to five weeks, according to the letter to customers. You can track mill price announcements on our website. Steel Market Update (SMU) published a weekly price assessment on Tuesday, Oct. 6, showing HR coil prices averaging $1,270/st, up $10/st from the previous week. We will update our prices on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 13.

    Leibowitz: US steel prices skyrocket above world prices. Which are right?

    Steel markets in the United States now feature supply shortages. Spot tons are well-nigh unavailable, and even contract tons are scarce. Based on the available statistics, the US market for flat-rolled products is seriously constrained. The US economy is still the strongest in the world, and manufacturing output remains vigorous. But the available supply is tight. The reason is fairly obvious. US domestic supply has increased a bit. Meanwhile, imports have fallen significantly.