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    Market Segment

    Employment by Industry: Widespread Gains a Surprise in November

    Written by David Schollaert


    The US labor market added 263,000 jobs in November, down from an upwardly revised total of 284,000 payroll gains the month prior. Last month’s total, although better than expected, still marked the slowest pace of job gains since April 2021, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

    The unemployment rate held steady at 3.7%, even though payroll gains slowed. The jobless rate no longer matches the pre-pandemic low of 3.5%.

    David Schollaert

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    Cliffs posts first profit since 2024 on high steel prices, trade barriers

    Cleveland-Cliffs recorded its first profitable quarter since 2024 on higher steel prices, increased sales volumes, and trade policies supportive of US mills. The Cleveland-based steelmaker swung to a profit of $152 million in Q3’2026 compared to a loss of $251 million in the same quarter last year on revenue that rose 18.5% to $5.6 billion over the same period. Prior to Q3’2026, Cliffs had not posted a profit since Q2’24, when it recorded a profit of $2 million.

    Cliffs shifts customers to index-linked, take-or-pay contracts

    Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. expects to earn more from the repricing of contract tonnage than it previously projected. The Cleveland-based steelmaker raised its estimate for the earnings benefit of the repricing to about $850 million from about $500 million. The company also said negotiations for 2027 contracts are progressing better than expected. More than half of the 2027 renewal process was complete as of Cliffs' third-quarter earnings call on Monday morning.

    Cleveland-Cliffs postpones Burns Harbor furnace reline to 2028

    Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has rescheduled the planned reline of the C blast furnace at its Burns Harbor steel mill in northwest Indiana from mid-2027 to April 2028, company executives said. The delay allows the Cleveland-based steelmaker to keep the furnace, which has annual capacity of ~2.2 million short tons, operating while steel prices and demand remain favorable for mills, they said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Monday.