• Skip to main content

    Canada

    February 6, 2026

    US steel exports down to 5-year low in November

    Written by Brett Linton

    The volume of steel exported from the US in November tumbled 15% from the month prior to 563,000 short tons (st), according to recently released data from the US Department of Commerce. This marks the lowest monthly export rate since July 2020.

    This decline comes just one month after exports rebounded to a seven-month high of 662,000 st. November trade was 12% below the average export rate for the previous year (641,000 st per month) and 15% lower than the same month in 2024.

    Brett Linton

    Brett Linton is a digital operations analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

    Read more from Brett Linton

    Latest in Canada

    Drilling activity holds in the US, eases in Canada

    The latest tally of active drilling rigs held steady in the US and slowed in Canada this week, according to oil and gas rig count data published by Baker Hughes. The US rig count remained unchanged at 603 rigs this week, maintaining a 17-month high. Compared to this time last year, there are 55 more rigs in operation today. Canada’s count decreased by five to 217 rigs this week, slowing for the first time in four weeks. Still, activity is up compared to the same week of 2025, with 19 more rigs operating today.

    Stelco proceeds with layoffs as Ottawa warns of penalties, forced divestiture

    Stelco is proceeding with layoffs at its Hamilton, Ontario, mill despite the Canadian government’s threat of legal action. Last week, Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly had given Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., the owner of Stelco, five days to respond to its call to maintain employment levels at the Canadian mill. Just days earlier, Cliffs announced it would indefinitely idle Stelco's finishing operations and lay off 500 workers. But the government says Cliffs agreed to maintain employment levels as a condition of its 2024 purchase of Stelco.

    The words "Aluminum Market Update" in white against a dark blue background

    AMU: Edward Meir’s week in review and thoughts for the week of Oct. 12, 2026

    Base metals had a mixed week. Tin lost almost 4% on the week, finishing at $53,000/ton. Prices dropped to a low of $51,259/ton at one point. Aluminum was another loser, off by about 1.6% on the week. Investors are expecting more aluminum supply going forward, especially out of China and Indonesia. Copper prices tacked on 1.1%. They have now recovered more than half of the $700/ton loss sustained (over the course of a week) following reports/rumors in mid-September that US tariffs on refined copper imports might not proceed after all.