Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by Tim Triplett
July 20, 2020
Steel prices are always unpredictable, but a confluence of recent events is making price prognostication more difficult than usual.
Steel prices have plummeted along with demand ever since the coronavirus appeared in mid-March and undermined the economy. The benchmark base price for hot rolled steel is down to $460 per ton, based on SMU’s canvass of the market this week. That’s unchanged from last week, though prices for other flat rolled products weakened by a further $5-10 per ton.
U.S. Steel, UPI and AK Steel each announced a $40 increase in flat rolled steel prices today. The price hike was unexpected by some, who believe it is highly unlikely to stick given the surging virus and questionable steel demand. Others applaud the move. Said one SMU source: “They have nothing to lose. My sense is inventories are righting themselves and the industry is busier than some make it out to be. Imports will disappear in Q4. If the increase fails, some minimills will try next month after scrap bottoms out. In any event, I am optimistic that the bottom has been reached or is within eyesight.”
That seems to be the consensus view. Two-thirds of the respondents to SMU’s market trends questionnaire this week said they believe hot rolled steel prices are at or near the bottom. Here are some comments:
“I expect pricing to bottom out for a while in July/August, but then weaken again in Q4.”
“Asian prices are on the rise and thus less imports from these sources. We are pushing the cost levels of HRC. So, prices are close to a bottom.”
“I think the integrateds are backing away from producing at losses and the minimills are reaching their bottom limits as well.”
“I believe closer to $400/ton is the bottom.”
“Spot will certainly hit $400.”
“I think the JSW shutdown and AM blast furnace issue will be a stabilizing factor.”
Considerable capacity was removed from the market this month when JSW USA opted to temporarily idle operations at its Mingo Junction mill due to the difficult market conditions. The EAF at Mingo Junction has a 1.5 million metric ton capacity. A few days later, ArcelorMittal was forced to take down furnace D at its Burns Harbor mill when an explosion and fire damaged the 2.48-million-ton capacity BF. Normally, taking nearly 4.0 million tons of production out of the market so abruptly would have an impact. But sources point out that Mingo Junction was operating at a limited level and ArcelorMittal says it can continue to meet customers’ needs by shifting production to other facilities. So, the capacity may not be missed, in terms of tightening supplies and helping to firm up steel prices in the short-term.
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Tim Triplett, Executive Editor
Tim Triplett
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Final thoughts
Our spot price is little changed this week after moving sharply lower last week on the heels of Nucor’s unexpected price cut. Here’s one thought on that trend: Nucor's weekly HR price (aka, its “Consumer Spot Price” or CSP) has to date functioned almost more like a monthly price.
Final thoughts
What's the tea in the steel industry this week? Here's the latest SMU gossip column! Just kidding... kind of. Yes, some of the comments we receive in our weekly flat-rolled market steel buyers' survey are honestly too much to put into print. Some make us laugh. Some make us cringe. Some are cryptic. Most are serious. We appreciate them all. Below are some highlights from our survey results this week. Some of the comments that we can share with you are also included, in italics, in the buyers' own words, with minimal editing on our part.
Final thoughts
Last week we wrote about a brief lull in price movement, labeling it a period of wait and see. It did, in fact, turn out to be pretty brief. This week... things are little bit different. Perhaps right now we are more in a period of "hope and pray" or "Here we go, hold on to your hats."
Final thoughts
Unless you've been under a rock, you know by know that Nucor's published HR price for this week is $760 per short ton, down $65/st from the company’s $825/st a week ago. I could use more colorful words. But I think it’s safe to say that most of the market was not expecting this. For starters, US sheet mills never announce price decreases. (OK, not never. It has come to my attention that Severstal North America rescinded a price increase back on Feb. 14, 2012. And it caused quite the ruckus.)
Final thoughts
Is it just me, or does it seem like the summer doldrums might have arrived a little early? I could be wrong there. It’s possible we could see a jump in prices should buyers need to step back into the market to restock. I’ll be curious to see what service center inventories are when we update those figures on May 15. In the meantime, just about everyone we survey thinks HR prices have peaked or soon will. (See slide 17 in the April 26 survey.) Lead times have flattened out. And some of you tell me that you’re starting to see signs of them pulling back. (We’ll know more when we update our lead time data on Thursday.)