SMU Data and Models
SMU MoMo Index Shifting into Lower Gear
Written by Brett Linton
June 25, 2014
The Steel Market Update Price MoMo Index for flat rolled steel in the U.S was negative this week for the second week in a row after being in positive territory for the prior ten weeks. MoMo, a trailing indicator, is measured as a percentage and shows the relation of the current hot rolled coil (HRC) price movements against the previous 12-week average spot price as recorded by Steel Market Update. MoMo was measured at -1.74 percent this week, meaning that the current HRC price is lower than the average price over the previous 12 weeks.
The change in MoMo can be a useful indicator in depicting the severity of price movements and evaluating the directional trend prices may be in. The week-over-week change in MoMo was -0.93 percent, the seventh consecutive week-over-week decline. Looking at this change on a 3-week moving average, we see that the trend in HRC price fluctuation is showing a negative direction for HRC prices for the sixth week in a row. The 3-week average change in MoMo is -0.91 percent, up from -1.07 last week.
The interactive graph below demonstrates the relationship between the SMU hot rolled coil price and the three week moving average change in MoMo. Published in our Tuesday evening issue, the SMU HRC price range for this week is $640-$680/ton with an average price of $660/ton, unchanged from last week.
SMU Note: You can view the interactive graphic below when you are logged into the website and reading the newsletter online. If you have not logged into the website in the past and need a new user name and password we can do that for you out of our office. Contact us at: info@SteelMarketUpdate.com or by calling 800-432-3475. If you need help navigating the website we would also be very happy to assist you.
{amchart id=”70″ SMU Price MoMo Index}
Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in SMU Data and Models
SMU Survey: Buyers’ Sentiment tumbles as caution increases
SMU’s Buyers’ Sentiment Indices resumed their downward trend this week, erasing the modest recovery seen two weeks ago.
Service centers: Mill orders down further in April
SMU’s Mill Order Index (MOI) declined for a second straight month in April after repeated gains at the start of the year, according to our latest service center inventories data.
SMU Survey: Mill lead times edge lower
Sheet and plate lead times declined across the board this week, according to buyers responding to the latest SMU market survey. While our lead time ranges were unchanged compared to mid-April levels, average production times for each steel product we measure have declined from they were two weeks ago.
SMU Survey: Most buyers say price negotiations back on the table
Domestic mills are largely negotiable on spot prices, according to the majority of steel buyers responding to our latest market survey.
SMU Scrap Survey: Current, Future Sentiment Indices log declines
However, in a month plagued by tariff and economic uncertainty, both current and near-term outlooks for our scrap survey respondents remained surprisingly optimistic.