Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
December 9, 2015
I expect the other domestic mills to go along with price increases of their own – whether they choose to announce the move may depend on what they feel is in their best interest. I would anticipate that Nucor will come out with their own announcement. US Steel and ArcelorMittal are in the process of negotiating labor contracts and they may be more reserved with any kind of public display announcing higher prices when they are trying to get concessions out of their customers. As we write this article we are aware of three mills having announced increases: NLMK USA, Northstar Bluescope and AK Steel.
Nothing is a for sure when these kinds of announcements are made. If you have a couple of mills who do not support the move, for whatever reason, the whole thing can come crashing down. At this moment, my opinion is that the mills will collect somewhere around $30-$40 per ton above the business levels being used this past week.
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Final Thoughts
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Final Thoughts
I want to draw your attention to SMU’s monthly scrap market survey. It’s a premium feature that complements our long-running steel market survey. We’ve been running our scrap survey since late January. And over just that short time, it’s become a valuable way not only for us to assess where scrap prices might go but also to quantify some of the “fuzzy” indicators - like sentiment and flows - that help to put the price in context.
Final Thoughts
I think there is an obvious case for sheet and plate prices going higher from here. That’s because, on a very basic level, the floor for flat-rolled steel prices, which is typically provided by imports, is now significantly higher than it was a week ago.
Final Thoughts
We're about to hit 50% Section 232 steel tariffs. What could happen?
Final Thoughts
With higher tariff rates on steel and aluminum set to go into effect on Wednesday, June 4, a new round of chaos across the supply chain is likely in store. Expect a significant impact on manufacturers and metal fabricators. But even before the latest round of Trump-tariff whiplash on Friday evening, there was a lot of interesting data coming out of SMU's steel-market survey.