Market Data
June 5, 2014
Written by Brett Linton
Steel inputs were steady to down during the month of May. Scrap prices declined $18 to $3 per ton while iron ore prices were down $20.60 to $13.60 per ton. Zinc and Aluminum prices showed a slight increased of $0.0105 to $0.0074 per pound.
Following four consecutive monthly declines, world crude steel output recovered 1% from September to October to an estimated 143.3 million metric tons (mt), according to the World Steel Association (worldsteel).
US and Canadian rig counts both improved this week, according to the latest Baker Hughes data.
Sources say domestic mill lead times and consumer spot prices have increased this week.
In the month since my last column, the tides have started to turn – and as usual it wasn’t the physical market that moved first.
Most steelmaking raw material prices remained stable over the past month. Prices are mixed in comparison to this time last year.