RMU: Unraveling the enigma of April's scrap market dynamics

From what I have been able to determine, the plants feeding the auto industry have not backed off significantly their production of prompt industrial scrap. I have been told that the flow of shredder feed increased during March, and there has been an increase in demolition projects, especially in the Cleveland market. A number of dealers are not seeing robust flow of scrap across their scales but that is nothing new.

Putting this all together, one could certainly see at least some downward pressure on scrap pricing in April. Two weeks ago, I was hearing a “sloppy sideways to down 10-20.”

And then things started to change. I noted that the minions of a very large scrap company were not out making the rounds of the smaller dealers to talk the market down. This flew in the face of tradition, so something was up – or at least sideways.

In fact, I was told by several very reliable sources (aren’t they all?) that the aforementioned scrap company was actually pushing sideways very hard. ‘Tis a puzzlement!

So, what does this mean for May and beyond? I would like to say that I have good idea of what is to come but that would not be very accurate. My feeling at present is that we have reached a bottom, but steel imports increased in March, and I don’t have an optimistic view of the overall economy.

The best I can say is that without any significant pressure on either side of the steel/scrap divide, May pricing is probably not going to be drastically different from April.

Editor’s note: This article appeared first in Recycled Metals Update (RMU), SMU’s new sister publication. RMU is devoted entirely to the ferrous and nonferrous scrap markets. If you’d like to learn more, visit RMU’s homepage and take out a free, 30-day trial.