• Skip to main content

    Prices

    HR futures: Grinding lower while grinding to a halt

    Written by David Feldstein


    The last time we were together on April 18, the June hot-rolled coil (HRC) future was sitting around the $800 support level where the May future found a bottom in mid-February. Towards the end of April, HRC futures started to drift higher. The attempted rally quickly fizzled, but $800 still held. That is until Monday, May 6, when the June future dove to settle at $766. This clearly broke below the $800 support level as well as last August’s $771 low as the market responded to Nucor’s surprise $760 Consumer Spot Price (CSP) announcement. The June future has been trading in a range between $750-775 since.

    June 2024 CME hot-rolled coil future $/st

    David Feldstein, SMU Contributor

    David Feldstein

    Read more from David Feldstein

    Latest in Prices

    Plate supply squeeze tightens as demand presses higher

    The domestic plate market is showing few signs of relief for steel buyers. Lead times are stretching well beyond seasonal norms, spot availability has all but evaporated, and mills are drawing hard lines on contract volumes heading into 2027 negotiations. And the supply squeeze will likely intensify in a market that some industry sources say is structurally undersupplied because of stringent US trade and tariff policies. Imports have been arriving in larger volumes, and the expectation is they will continue to tick higher into 2027. The big question is whether those foreign tons will arrive in volumes sufficient to provide the relief steel consumers want.