As new capacity continues to come online, there’s a question of what that means for existing capacity. Will the market be flooded with too much supply and not enough demand? North American flat-rolled capacity has been growing and is expected to continue to into 2025. But Philip K. Bell, president of the Steel Manufacturer’s Association (SMA), […]
Domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) continues to hold a competitive price advantage over imported steel, though it has declined over the past couple of weeks, according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis. US HRC is approximately just 1–8% cheaper than foreign prices this week, after consideration of freight costs, trader margins, and […]
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) voted to remove antidumping duties on imports of Brazilian steel plate. The ITC on Monday, Jan. 10, ruled that imports of carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate from Brazil would not likely lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time. Brazil had been subject to […]
Sheet prices continued their upward trek this week on the heels of a $50-per-ton price increase announced by Nucor Corp. on Monday. Plate prices, which were not impacted by that move, were unchanged. Nucor’s increase, which matched one announced last month by Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., was seen by market participants as timed to reflect an upward […]
Sheet imports into the US varied in December, a similar trend also seen in imports of plate and semifinished slab, according to the latest license figures released by the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. All steel imports into the US require an import license to enter through Customs. The license count provides a […]
Algoma Steel Inc. said lower plate shipments and falling steel prices are expected to hit earnings in its fiscal third quarter of 2023. The Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario-based sheet and plate producer said total steel shipments are expected to be around 455,000 tons for its third quarter ended Dec. 31. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, […]
Higher prices rolled out by North American sheet mills are gaining traction downstream, according to our latest survey results. Service centers report that they are raising prices to their customers. And manufacturers say they are seeing higher prices from their service center suppliers. Both trends are more pronounced than what we saw in late August […]
Last week was a short one for US HRC futures, but overall volumes were surprisingly strong given the holiday, as traders were eager to start the year. We see this is a good sign, and we will soon have our annual roundup and breakdown of volumes and open interest in 2022 compared to years past, so […]
The United States lost a dispute in the World Trade Organization last month. This is hardly the first time. In this case, tariffs and other import restrictions on steel and aluminum imposed by President Trump in 2018 were found to violate WTO agreements. The United States argued that its invocation of “essential security interests” was […]
Starting after the recovery of the financial system from the 2008 global financial crisis, and continuing until Covid-19 hit, the economy was remarkably stable and consistent. Demand for aluminum in general grew at a steady pace, with some end-use segments outperforming historical averages. For financial markets, the running joke became “stock prices go up.” Since 2020, […]
Sheet prices started out the year modestly higher. That’s what you’d expect given that Q1 is typically a busy and that scrap prices usually rise over the winter months. The question now is whether prices, which have been moving upward since Thanksgiving, continue to increase or whether the current upswing might prove to be a […]
The following article on the hot-rolled coil (HRC), scrap and financial futures markets was written by Jack Marshall of Crunch Risk LLC. Here is how Jack saw trading over the past week: Hot Rolled Hot-rolled futures have pushed higher in year-end thin trading. December daily futures trading volumes hovered around 19,000 short tons (ST) per […]
US manufacturing activity slipped in December, for the second consecutive month, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). The ISM’s December manufacturing PMI remains below the neutral 50.0 mark — the level typically dividing expansion from contraction. On the heels of a 29-month period of growth, this is now the lowest level since May […]
Preliminary Census data indicates that steel imports will have totaled 2.01 million net tons for the month of November. This is down 17% compared to the month prior, now standing at the lowest level recorded since February 2021. Import levels have been gradually falling since reaching a 26-month high in March 2022 of 3.09 million […]
US Steel has announced the appointment of two new senior vice presidents. Christian Gianni has been named senior vice president and chief technology officer, and John Gordon has been named senior vice president of raw materials and sustainable resources. Gianni comes to US Steel from Deka Research and Development Corp., where he served as the executive […]
Global crude steel production was estimated at 139.1 million metric tons in November, as steelmakers around the world cut output by 4.2 million metric tons vs. the same year-ago period, the World Steel Association (worldsteel) reported. Last month’s estimated production was also down sequentially, declining 5.6%, or 8.2 million metric tons, from October’s total crude […]
A significant percentage of steel buyers continue to report that mills willing to negotiate lower prices on new order prices. But that rate has been declining since early November, according to Steel Market Update’s recent market checks. Mills’ willingness to negotiate lower prices for sheet products is at its lowest point since late April, when tags […]
World crude steel production declined month on month (MoM) in November, driven by a widespread decline worldwide. Global production was also down nearly 3% vs. the same period last year, according to World Steel Association (worldsteel) data. November’s output lost ground when compared to October, down 5.6%, declining for the second straight month. World crude […]
Worthington Industries is building cash to strengthen its balance sheet as it prepares to move its Steel Processing segment into a separate business. The Columbus, Ohio-based company said it had had $129.6 million of cash at the end of its fiscal second 2023 quarter ended Nov. 30, an increase of $95.1 million from May 31, […]
I’m eager to see the results of our survey later this week because I think it might shed some light on what appears to be a tale of two steel markets. Some of you are telling me that you’re already busy and will only get busier as people come back into the market after the […]
Sheet prices continued to inch upward this week, but the pace of gains slowed ahead of the holidays. Some market participants noted sharply higher offers from mills following a round of $50-per-ton ($2.50/cwt) price hikes last week. They also said activity and backlogs were strong heading into 2023. But others said mills were still offering […]
Raw steel production by US mills fell again last week as capacity utilization slipped to only 72.9%, according to data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Monday, Dec. 19. The decline came as mills in the South and Northeast cut production, even as those in the Great Lakes, Midwest, and West […]
Trying to neatly summarize the North American steel market right now can give you a case of cognitive dissonance. Domestic mills think they have some momentum, and they’re trying as hard as they can to get prices higher for Q1. Case in point: ArcelorMittal has put the heft of one of the world’s largest steelmakers […]
The number of active drilling rigs dipped this week in the US and in Canada, according to data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The number of oil and gas rigs in operation is important to the steel industry because it is a leading indicator of demand for oil country tubular goods (OCTG), a key […]
The trend is your friend these days in US HRC futures. They posted another strong week of gains on the back of a massive upswing in the index last week. While widely expected to be higher—we supposed a $40-per-ton increase was being priced into the cards in our last comment on Dec. 9—this still managed […]
We’re nearing the end of 2022, which means it’s time to register for the Tampa Steel Conference as you make your travel plans for 2023. The event will be at the Tampa Marriott Water Street hotel again this year. Mark your calendar for Sunday-Tuesday Feb. 5-7. Nearly 200 of you have registered already. We’re on track […]
Flat Rolled = 52.4 Shipping Days of Supply Plate = 50.3 Shipping Days of Supply Flat Rolled US service center flat-rolled supply in November was steady month on month (m/m), according to Steel Market Update data. At the end of November, service centers had 52.4 shipping days of flat-rolled steel supply on an adjusted basis, compared […]
Domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) continues to hold a competitive price advantage over imported steel, though that advantage is slightly easing, according to our latest analysis. US HRC is theoretically 3–13% cheaper than foreign prices this week, after consideration of freight costs, trader margins, and any applicable tariffs. This is the seventh consecutive week domestic prices […]
Nucor Corp. said Noah Hanners will be promoted to executive vice president effective Jan. 1. Hanners began his career with Nucor in 2011, the steelmaker said, noting that he currently serves as vice president and general manager of the David J. Joseph Co. “Noah has proven his abilities in the many leadership roles he has held at Nucor and throughout his career,” Nucor chair, […]
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects including current and future steel prices, inventory strategies, supply, demand, and new mill capacity. We are sharing the comments we received in each buyer’s own words rather than summarizing them in ours. We want to hear your thoughts, too! […]