Analysis
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
October 9, 2013
The weather in Arkansas couldn’t have been more perfect. We had temperatures in the low 70’s with a cool breeze and sunny. A perfect day to go on a mill tour.
I want to take a moment to thank all of the employees at Nucor Steel Arkansas for hosting Steel Market Update and our Steel 101 attendees earlier today. Nucor opened their doors to us answering all of our questions and allowing us to tour the Nucor Hickman steel facility.
Government shutdown is impacting a number of the economic indicators we track on a regular basis. Hopefully the government will come to their senses and we will be able to provide more information soon.
As always your business is truly appreciated by all of us at Steel Market Update.
John Packard
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Most steel buyers responding to our market survey this week reported that domestic mills are considerably less willing to talk price on sheet and plate products than they were in recent weeks.
SMU Survey: Lead times tick higher
Steel mill lead times marginally extended for both sheet and plate products this week, according to responses from SMU’s latest market survey.
North American auto assemblies slipped in September
North American auto assemblies declined in September, down 5.1% vs. August. And assemblies were also down 1% year on year.
Cliffs touts steel stamping solution to replace aluminum in automotive
Cliffs said it successfully completed a defect-free trial production of exposed steel parts using aluminum-forming equipment in collaboration with an unnamed OEM,
Final Thoughts
SMU’s hot-rolled coil price increased for a third consecutive week. And the gains were more pronounced this time following a price hike initiated on Friday by NLMK USA.