Steel Markets

Case-Shiller Reports Home Price Gains in November
Written by Sandy Williams
January 28, 2020
Average home prices increased 3.5 percent year-over-year in November, according to the latest release of the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index.
The 20-City Composite rose 2.6 percent, up from a 2.2 percent annual gain in October.
“With the month’s 3.5 percent increase in the national composite index, home prices are currently 59 percent above the trough reached in February 2012, and 15 percent above their pre-financial crisis peak,” said Craig J. Lazzara, managing director and global head of Index Investment Strategy at S&P Dow Jones Indices. “November’s results were broad-based, with gains in every city in our 20-city composite.”
“It is, of course, still too soon to say whether this marks an end to the deceleration or is merely a pause in the longer-term trend,” added Lazzara.
Low mortgage rates, tight inventories, especially for entry level homes, and strong demand led to higher prices in November.
Home prices increases were highest in the Mountain region on an annual basis but the lowest on a monthly basis. Phoenix led price appreciation with a 4.9 percent annual gain, followed by Charlotte at 4.2 percent and Tampa at 5.0 percent.

Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Markets

Drilling activity slows in US but picks up steam in Canada
Oil and gas drilling in the US slowed for a third consecutive week, while activity in Canada hovered just shy of the 19-week high reached two weeks prior.

SMU Survey: Buyers remain leery of tariffs, but more see reshoring happening
This week’s SMU survey reveals that a growing number of steel market participants are weary of tariffs and are awaiting evidence of progress reshoring. At the start of 2025, now-second-term President, Donald Trump, pronounced that his plan to implement tariffs would result in increased revenue for the US.

Hot-rolled coil market remains slow, market participants say
Hot rolled spot market participants reported another week of moderate demand and ample supply, with no strong signs that conditions will change next week.

Plate prices slip even as mills officially keep tags unchanged
US plate market participants are not fazed by the constricted nature of the current spot market pricing environment. Right now, they said, mill’s choosing to hold prices from one month to the next makes sense because service centers remain amply supplied and demand is stable. Modest upticks or slips in prices are aligned with most of the participants' expectations right now.

Still no cure for the summertime HR market blues
Seasonal steel slowdowns combined with ongoing anxieties about tariffs and mill strategies have dampened sentiment for several hot-rolled steel market participants this week. Buyers are jittery, market stands still The operator of a Midwest-based service center said that steel buyers are scared. “Everyone is afraid to buy steel right now. Unless you’re on a […]