Manufacturers/End Users
September 29, 2023
Written by Laura Miller
The United Auto Workers (UAW) union expanded its strike on Friday, calling on an additional 7,000 workers at Ford and General Motors to strike as of 12 p.m. ET.
Earlier this week, SMU polled steel buyers on topics ranging from market prices, demand, and inventories to tariffs, imports, and evolving market events. Below, we share a selection of the comments we received, in each buyer’s own words.
SMU’s latest Flat-Rolled Steel Survey points to largely stable demand, but foreign steel orders have softened since the previous survey, and service centers continue to report stronger activity than manufacturers.
The results of the latest Steel Market Update (SMU) flat-rolled market survey are now available on our website to all premium members.
The Chicago Business Barometer rebounded in September, returning to expansion after slipping into contraction in August.
The overall mill negotiation rate ticked up slightly this week, but the overwhelming majority of buyers are still finding mills inflexible on price, according to our latest survey data.