Category: Features

Trade issues do not seem poised to leave the headlines anytime soon. And as recent developments show, the administration’s tariff policy remains ever-changing.

Both current and future scrap sentiment jumped this month, though survey participants reported responses before key trade news was announced.

Heating and cooling equipment shipments grew from April to May, according to the latest data released by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).

US oil and gas drilling activity continued to decline for the 11th consecutive week, while Canadian counts climbed for the sixth week in a row, according to the latest data from Baker Hughes.

SMU’s Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Indices moved in opposite directions this week. After rebounding from a near five-year low in late June, Current Sentiment slipped again. At the same time, Future Sentiment climbed to a four-month high. Both indices continue to show optimism among buyers about their company’s chances for success, but suggest there is less confidence in that optimism than earlier in the year.

SMU’s ferrous scrap market survey results are now available on our website to all premium members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the pricing and analysis tab and look under the “survey results” section for “ferrous scrap survey” results. Past scrap survey results are also available under that selection. If you need help accessing the survey results […]

SMU’s latest steel buyers market survey results are now available on our website to all premium members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the pricing and analysis tab and look under the “survey results” section for “latest survey results.” Past survey results are also available under that selection. If you need help accessing the survey results, or if […]

The difference: The spat with Turkey was a big deal for steel. This time, the 50% reciprocal tariff for Brazil – if it goes into effect as threatened on Aug.1 – hits everything from coffee and to pig iron. It seems almost custom-built to inflict as much pain as possible on Brazil.

Mill lead times for sheet products were steady to slightly longer this week compared to our late June market check, while plate lead times contracted, according to steel buyers responding to this week’s market survey.

Domestic mills are more open to talk price on new orders than they were in June, according to most steel buyers responding to our market survey this week. Negotiation rates have recovered from the early-June lull and are now just a few percentage points shy of the high levels seen late last year.

With steel prices drifting and trade flows shifting, CRU analysts provided a grounded look at what's really happening — and what's not — across the metallics supply chain during Wednesday's SMU Community Chat.

Institute for Supply Management CEO Tom Derry will join SMU for our next Community Chat on Wednesday, July 23, at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT)

The latest SMU Community Chat webinar reply featuring Thais Terzian and Frank Nikolic of CRU Group, is now available on our website to all members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the community tab and look under the “previous webinars” section of the dropdown menu. All past Community Chat webinars are also available under that selection. If you need […]

Are we on the cusp of sorting out the tariff situation, or is this merely another round in the bout?

Following one of the lowest levels seen in more than two years, US steel imports rebounded from April to May. However, trade remains low relative to recent years. Preliminary license data suggests another fall in June.

Industry veteran and longtime steel advocate Thomas A. Danjczek announced he will “finally fully retire” as senior advisor of Headwall Partners.

CRU analysts Thais Terzian and Frank Nikolic will be the featured guests on the next SMU Community Chat on Wednesday, July 9, at 11 am ET.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters that tariffs for Vietnamese imports to the US are 20% and "specific industries" have trade protections under the Section 232 tariffs.

Domestic steel mill output inched higher last week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Raw production remains historically strong and has been growing steadily since April.

I’m not sure how many different ways I can write that it’s been a quiet market ahead of Independence Day. There are variations on that theme. I’ve heard everything from the ominous “eerily quiet” to "getting better" and even the occasional “blissfully unaware” (because I’m enjoying my vacation).

It will be a shorter week as the United States celebrates Independence Day on Friday. But we won’t leave you high and dry.

Steel trade groups praised the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) in Congress on Thursday.

The rig count declined for the 10th consecutive week in the US, while Canadian count rose for the fifth straight week, according to Baker Hughes.

Steel buyers this week are lamenting weak demand, cautious buying, and So. Much. Uncertainty. I'm no doctor, but I suggest a dual diagnosis of extreme tariff fatigue and early-onset summer doldrums.

A look at SMU data for the month of June.

What's going to be the next big thing in steel?

Canada has implemented tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on steel imports to help stabilize its domestic market.

The owner of Liberty Steel and his family were among the six victims of a plane crash in Ohio on Sunday, according to local media reports.

Here are the details and a case timeline for the rebar trade case recently initiated by the Commerce Department.

Based on the amount of ‘out of office’ replies we’ve been receiving and the results of this week’s steel buyers’ survey, those pesky summer doldrums have arrived for the steel industry.