• Skip to main content

    Prices

    July 31, 2014

    Hot Rolled Futures Prices Pop after Weeks of Malaise...

    Written by Bradley Clark

    The HRC futures market has continued its upward trend in the past few weeks with recent bullish events in the physical market supporting prices.  While nearby periods remain firm with August and September trading around $650-660, further down the curve cal 15 prices have trended upwards trading up to $643.  Similarly, Q1 and cal 15 prices have seen upward pressure trading between $635-645, with the bid moving up $5 / ton from last week.

    Further news from the physical market of yet further consolidation with Severstal being sold to domestic mills has continued to support prices.  So far, the summer lull has not materialized and with U.S. GDP at 4 percent growth the demand side looks to help prices extend further.  Increasing tensions in the Black Sea continues to limit new imports on HRC from Russia, the fundamentals look to support the market through the end of the year.

    Bradley Clark

    Read more from Bradley Clark

    Latest in Prices

    Plate supply squeeze tightens as demand presses higher

    The domestic plate market is showing few signs of relief for steel buyers. Lead times are stretching well beyond seasonal norms, spot availability has all but evaporated, and mills are drawing hard lines on contract volumes heading into 2027 negotiations. And the supply squeeze will likely intensify in a market that some industry sources say is structurally undersupplied because of stringent US trade and tariff policies. Imports have been arriving in larger volumes, and the expectation is they will continue to tick higher into 2027. The big question is whether those foreign tons will arrive in volumes sufficient to provide the relief steel consumers want.