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    HR futures: Lack of good news leads futures lower

    Written by Mark Novakovich


    The front end of CME hot-rolled (HR) coil steel futures contracts had drifted lower when this article was filed on Thursday afternoon. And the back end of 2024 had also come under pressure.

    Despite staging a late-month rally at the end of July back into the low $700s per short ton (st) range, the lead August HRC contract once again finds itself near YTD lows around $660/st at the time of writing. The December contract has shed nearly $60/st since the beginning of the month.

    Mark Novakovich

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