• Skip to main content

    Prices

    December 26, 2013

    US & Canada Rig Counts Continue to Drop

    Written by Brett Linton

    According to Baker Hughes data from December 27, 2013, the U.S rig count for this week is 1,757 rigs exploring for or developing oil or natural gas. This count is a decrease of 11 rigs when compared to last week, with oil rigs down 13 to 1,382 rigs, gas rigs up 2 to 374 rigs, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 1 rig. Compared to last year the 1,757 count is a decrease of 6 rigs, with oil rigs up by 55, gas rigs down by 57, and miscellaneous rigs down by 4.

    The Canadian rig count decreased by 135 to 263 rigs this week, with oil rigs down 96 to 131 rigs, and gas rigs down 39 to 132 rigs. Compared to last year the 263 count is an increase of 59 rigs, with oil rigs up by 27 and gas rigs up by 32. International rigs decreased by 4 to 1,311 rigs for the month of November, an increase of 44 rigs from the same month one year ago.

    Brett Linton

    Brett Linton is a digital operations analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

    Read more from Brett Linton

    Latest in Prices

    Mills seek more scrap after lower prices fail to attract tons

    Several mills that bought October scrap early last week are still asking for additional supplies, scrap market participants said. The reason: the mills' initial prices did not attract enough of the raw material, they said. A trading source based in northern Ohio said three mills have contacted his firm seeking offers for additional tons. He said the mills asked for offers even if prices were higher than their original buys last week.

    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.