Market Data
September 24, 2026
Written by Ethan Bernard
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) said slightly fewer firms reported a decline in billings in August than in July, but the headline index reading remained in contraction.
The AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) stood at 47.2 in August vs. 46.6 in July. The slight uptick follows two months of declines.
Domestic raw steel output fell to a six-month low last week after hitting a multi-year high one week earlier, according to the latest American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) figures.
Drilling activity increased in the US this week but declined in Canada, according to active oil and gas rig count figures recently released from Baker Hughes. The US rig count rose by four to 595 rigs this week, now at the highest level recorded in over two years. Canadian counts eased to a 10-week low of 197 this week, down 10 rigs from the prior week.
The results of the latest SMU flat-rolled market survey are now available on our website to all premium members.
Steel mill lead times extended for sheet and plate products this week, according to buyers responding to our latest market survey. Production times have been historically long for most of the summer.