Category: Market Data

After four months of increases, orders for durable goods in the US dropped in July.

This year, the 13th annual edition of our Summit, we polled more than 1,450 attendees about where prices and demand would be, come August 2024.

Will there be a recession in 2023? Steel Summit keynote speaker Gene Marks weighed in on what he thinks about the possibility of a recession.

July was a stable month for business at architectural firms, according to the month's Architecture Billings Index (ABI) reading from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Deltek .

Reshoring or nearshoring in manufacturing is real and happening now. And that trend is driving steel consumption, executives from steelmaker Ternium and service center group Reliance Steel & Aluminum said at SMU’s Steel Summit this week in Atlanta.

To kick off the official sessions of the 2023 Steel Summit, Dr. Anirban Basu, chairman and CEO of the Sage Policy Group, focused on the broader context in which steel prices are set, outlining major factors currently shaping economic outcomes in our country.

Steel Market Update’s Demand Index remains in contracting territory, where it has been for most of the last four months, according to the latest survey data. While the market did react temporarily in response to mill price hikes in mid-June, apparent demand for flat-rolled steel in the US continues to trend down.

Mexico has decided to implement import tariffs on a number of products, among them, steel.

The latest SMU Market Survey results are now available on our website to all Premium members.

SMU's Current Sentiment Index slipped this week, while the Future Steel Buyers Sentiment Index jumped 10 points from the last market check, according to our most recent survey data.

As mortgage rates continue to rise and housing demand slows, builder confidence is waning. A drop in July housing starts was the first in seven months.

US service center flat-rolled steel inventories spiked in July with a slowdown in shipments. At the end of July, service centers carried 56.1 shipping days of flat roll supply, according to adjusted SMU data.

Steel trade continues to cause dissension among our friends, perhaps more so than our adversaries. The conflict between the US and EU is the most talked about, but it impacts others including Japan, Brazil and India.

SMU senior analyst David Schollert provides an overview of steel market indicators for the month of July.

Economic activity in the US manufacturing sector contracted for the ninth month in a row in July, according to the latest report on business from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).

Steel Market Update’s Demand Index has now been contracting territory for the better part of the past 3-plus months, according to the latest survey data.

US Midwest premium has continued to trend lower. Slack end-use demand is the main driver as the CME backwardation holds for dates further out in 2023. Lower freight and weak LME prices lower the replacement costs of aluminum and thus lower the floor for the premium.

Iron ore prices remained elevated in July, averaging $112 /dmt for the month, unchanged from June.

China recently became the world’s largest exporter of cars. Experience from the steel industry suggests this is not a trend that will reverse.

Five domestic steel trade associations wrote a letter requesting the government to ensure the use of US-made steel in certain components of wind and solar projects receiving federal funding. Addressing the letter to US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the groups included the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), […]

China recently became the world’s largest exporter of cars. Experience from the steel industry suggests this is not a trend that will reverse, though it might reduce. Changes in auto supply chains and metals demand outside China are likely. China Is Now the World’s Largest Car Exporter China recently became the world’s largest exporter of […]

The rig count roller coaster continues, with numbers dropping in the US but inching up in Canada this week, according to the latest data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The total US rig count dipped to 664 active rigs as of July 28, down five from the week prior. Active oil rigs in the US decreased […]

Most metal formers predict business conditions will remain stable over the next three months, according to the July 2023 Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Conditions Report. PMA’s July report said that 55% of the metal-forming companies the association surveyed expect no change in general economic activity in the next three months vs. 58% in June. Thirty-four […]

Global steel production slipped modestly in June as output declined in the world ex-China, according to the latest figures from the World Steel Association (worldsteel). Globally, an estimated 158.8 million metric tons of crude steel was produced in June, worldsteel said. This was a 1.7% decline from the month prior, and comparable to the 158.1 […]

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects, including steel prices, demand levels, import offers, and inventory. Rather than summarizing the comments we received, we are sharing some of them in each buyer’s own words. We want to hear your thoughts, too! Contact david@steelmarketupdate.com to be included in […]

Over the last month, the iron ore price has shown more weakness as fewer participants in the market maintain a positive outlook based on more stimulus measures in China. Simultaneously, on the supply side, Australia followed seasonal trends with a marginal y/y increase. Recovered Brazilian volumes have also begun to weigh on the market. Supply […]

he latest SMU Market Survey results are now available on our website to all Premium members.

Over the last month, the iron ore price has shown more weakness as fewer participants in the market maintain a positive outlook based on more stimulus measures in China. Simultaneously, on the supply side, Australia followed seasonal trends with a marginal y/y increase. Recovered Brazilian volumes have also begun to weigh on the market. Supply […]

Lock Joint Tube will supply steel tubing to solar energy company Array Technologies from a new mill in Texas. The two companies entered into an agreement for Albuquerque, N.M.-based Array to secure structural-grade steel tubing from Lock Joint, which is based in South Bend, Ind., Array said in a statement on Thursday. The new mill […]

The active rig count in the US and Canada dropped in both countries, according to the latest data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The total US rig count stood at 669 active rigs as of July 21, down six from the week prior. Active oil rigs in the US decreased by seven to 530, while […]