Economy

SMU's January At-a-Glance
Written by Brett Linton
February 1, 2020
Both steel and scrap prices increased in the month of January, raising with them optimism levels over market conditions one month into the new year. The average price for hot rolled steel rose by about $30 per ton in January. The benchmark price for hot rolled peaked at $610 per ton in mid-January, but ended the month slightly lower at $590 per ton. Steel Market Update’s Pricing Momentum Indicator continued to point upward through the end of last month, but the price trend was beginning to show signs of potential slowing.
SMU Buyers Sentiment Index readings showed significant improvement over December with Current Sentiment at +62, Future Sentiment at +63.5 and the three-month moving average at +51.33, quite an improvement from the lower readings seen in December and for most of 2019.
Key indicators of steel demand were mixed with the AIA’s Architectural Billings Index rising to 52.5, showing improvement in planned construction, while ISM’s Manufacturing Index declined to 47.2 indicating contraction in manufacturing, according to December data to be updated soon. In the energy sector, the U.S. rig count dipped below 800 in January, showing reduced demand for oil country tubular goods. Auto production slowed to a still-healthy annualized rate of 16.7 million vehicles at the end of 2019.
See the chart below for other key metrics in the month of January:

Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Economy

Steel Summit: Schneider sees SDI ‘on the edge of a very good run’
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) President and Chief Operating Officer, Barry Schneider, remains bullish about the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker’s position in the current market.

US housing starts gain momentum in July
US housing starts rose in July both month-on-month and year-on-year, according to figures from the US Census Bureau.

Manufacturing in New York state improves again in August
Business activity in New York state improved modestly in August. It was just the second positive reading for the general business conditions index in six months.

President Trump intends to set additional steel tariffs
While boarding Airforce One on Friday, US President Donald Trump stated that he would be setting more steel tariffs and putting ~100% tariffs on semiconductors and chips.

Hot-rolled spot market conditions linger, prices slip
Market participants said they have high hopes that the stable hot-rolled spot market will improve as the year rolls on.