• Skip to main content

    Product

    July 8, 2020

    SMU Steel Summit 2020: New Speakers & Attending Companies

    Written by Brett Linton

    Quite a bit has happened over the past two days as we have added new speakers and have had quite a few new registrations for the 2020 SMU Virtual Steel Summit Conference.

    First the speakers: SMU is pleased to announce the addition of Mark Millett, President & CEO of Steel Dynamics, and Maximo Vedoya, CEO of Ternium. We have also added an elections expert that we have personally heard speak. Dr. David Schultz has written 30 books and has been interviewed by many major publications and news outlets regarding his analysis of the electoral process, key states (and districts within those states) and what will turn the 2020 presidential and congressional races. He is a professor at Hamline University and the University of Minnesota Law School. SMU has also added Michael Setterdahl who is a member of the Global Advisory Board for the GFG Alliance, and Jose Gasca, Managing Director of Metrading International AG. Lastly, we’ve added David Everett, Associate Vice President of Inclusive Excellence at Hamline University. You can view all of our speakers and their biographies by clicking here.

    Brett Linton

    Brett Linton is a digital operations analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

    Read more from Brett Linton

    Latest in Product

    Drilling activity holds in the US, moves higher in Canada

    The latest tally of active drilling rigs held steady in the US for a fourth straight week, while activity rose further in Canada this week, according to oil and gas rig count data published by Baker Hughes. The US rig count remained unchanged at 603 rigs this week, maintaining a 17-month high. Compared with this time last year, 57 more rigs are in operation today. Canada’s count rose by six to 226 rigs this week, gaining ground for a second consecutive week. Activity is up from the same week of 2025, with 39 more rigs operating today.

    HR Futures: Basic story remains, but curve shifts

    In my last column, the HRC futures curve was pricing a sizable premium on near-term tightness while still pointing toward eventual normalization. Since then, that basic story has remained intact, but the shape of the curve has shifted meaningfully. Rather than simply moving higher and pushing the peak out by another month, as has largely been the pattern throughout this rally, the curve is now pricing a more pronounced and prolonged period of tightness, while the long end has remained relatively anchored, which previously had also been lifted with the rest of the curve.

    galvalume steel coil

    SMU Survey: Mill willingness to negotiate price at lowest levels since 2021

    The majority of steel buyers responding to our latest market survey reported that mills continue to hold a firm grip on prices. The share of buyers reporting that mills were negotiable fell this week to the lowest rate seen in over five years. Every two weeks, SMU surveys service center and manufacturer buyers asking if mills are negotiable on new spot sheet and plate orders. In this week’s survey, just 3% of respondents said mills were willing to talk price to secure an order (Figure 1). This is down 11 percentage points from our mid-October survey.

    SMU flat-rolled market survey results now available

    The results of the latest Steel Market Update (SMU) flat-rolled market survey are now available on our website to all premium members. After logging in, look under the Data tab for Market Reports, and there you will find the Flat-Rolled Survey Results section. Previous survey results are also available on that page. If you need help accessing these results, or if your company would like to have your voice heard in our future surveys, contact smu@crugroup.com.