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    March 16, 2021

    CRU: Record Prices Further Enhance Adoption of CME Group’s HRC Steel Futures Contract

    Written by Josh Spoores

    By CRU Principal Analyst Josh Spoores, and Gregor Spilker, CME Group

    By early 2021 Q2, HRC prices in the U.S. Midwest market had tripled from the trough reached in August 2020. As prices rose from $437 /s.ton to a record high of over $1,300 /s.ton, CME Group’s U.S. Midwest HRC contract settled on CRU surged to record levels of open interest and the contract is seeing continued growth in trading volumes. Spot HRC prices have run ahead of longer dated futures, leading to the market being in deep backwardation.

    Josh Spoores

    Josh Spoores joined CRU in 2012 as Principal Analyst and editor of CRU’s Steel Sheet Monitor and Steel Sheet Market Outlook. During that time, Mr. Spoores forecast prices, demand, production and trade of sheet and plate products for both Canada and the US for CRU's Steel Sheet & Plate Market Outlooks. Today, he heads up steel analysis and forecasting for the Americas region. Prior to joining CRU, he was a Senior Marketing Analyst at Severstal North America, founder of Steel Reality, a forward-looking market analysis firm using a models-based approach for flat rolled and plate steel. He was also the Market Research Manager at Majestic Steel USA, one of the largest flat rolled service centres in the USA. He has a BSc in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University.

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