Do you have a sense that conditions in the steel market are changing? If so, you are not alone. The majority of steel buyers polled by SMU over the last two weeks feel it won’t be until the fourth quarter, if not well into next year, before there will be any significant changes in steel […]
The Senate passed a sweeping infrastructure bill on Tuesday – the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act – that calls for a nearly $1 trillion federal investment in roads, bridges, rail, the electrical grid and broadband. Steel is chief among the industries that stand to benefit from this new spending over the next decade if the […]
The U.S. economy continued to accelerate in July, as hiring rose at its fastest pace in nearly a year. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 943,000 for the month, while the unemployment rate dropped to 5.4%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The payroll increase was the best since August 2020. Following sizable jumps in […]
The U.S. labor market saw its best monthly performance in nearly a year in July, reported the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The latest data shows a flood of 943,000 new workers added to payrolls in July, as the American economy roared into midsummer. With just under 3 million new jobs added from May through July, the […]
Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week shows no significant change in lead times for deliveries of spot orders from the mills. Average lead times for hot rolled orders remain above 10 weeks, while those for cold rolled and coated products are still above 12 weeks – at least twice as long as […]
An offshore wind developer plans to breathe new life into Sparrows Point, former home to Bethlehem Steel, with ambitious plans for electricity-generating wind farms off the coast of Maryland. Through a long-term lease agreement with Tradepoint Atlantic, the 3,300-acre multimodal logistics and industrial center that encompasses the former mill site, US Wind is investing $77 […]
U.S. offshore wind energy is expected to grow rapidly, but bottlenecks in the market and a crucial lack of infrastructure mean that President Biden’s optimistic offshore wind target of 30GW by 2030 will almost certainly be missed, reports IHS Markit. Wind towers are a promising growth market for steel plate. IHS Markit expects U.S. offshore […]
New orders, production and employment grew in July despite a deceleration is supplier deliveries and growing backlogs, said the Institute for Supply Management in the July 2021 Manufacturing ISM Report on Business. The Manufacturing PMI fell 1.1 percentage points in July to 59.5%, still above 50% and indicating expansion in the overall economy for the […]
The U.S. manufacturing sector saw the most substantial improvement in operating conditions on record, according to July’s U.S. Manufacturing PMI data from IHS Markit. “July saw manufacturers and their suppliers once again struggle to meet booming demand, leading to a further record jump in both raw material and finished goods prices,” said Chris Williamson, chief […]
Steel prices continued to climb through the month of July, now the 11th consecutive month prices have increased. Hot-rolled steel prices increased an average of $30 per ton ($1.50 per cwt) each week, with the SMU index averaging $1,860 per ton ($93 per cwt) as of last Tuesday. The SMU Price Momentum Indicator has remained unchanged since the […]
The number of active oil and gas drill rigs slipped in the U.S. yet increased in Canada this past week, according to data released by oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The rig count is important to the steel industry because it is a leading indicator of oil country tubular goods demand. The number of active […]
The Chicago Business Barometer rebounded in July to a reading of 73.4, the second highest pandemic-era level, according to MNI Indicators. The July PMI is up 7.3 points over the month prior. MNI reports that demand is strong, but firms remain concerned about supply chain disruptions and rising prices. Production rose ;8.8 points in July […]
U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 6.5% in the second quarter of 2021 on an annualized basis, according to the advanced estimate from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). While the gain was the second-fastest pace of growth in 38 years, it was a disappointing mark, falling short of forecasts for 8% GDP. The second […]
U.S. consumer confidence remained steady in July following more accentuated gains in five of the past six months, according to the latest data from The Conference Board. The July index rose by just 0.2 of a point month on month, on top of increases totaling nearly 34 points from February through June. “Consumer confidence was flat […]
Orders for manufactured durable goods rose slightly in June, slowing the upward momentum seen the month prior, reported the U.S. Census Bureau. Orders for cars, appliances and other durable goods rose by 0.8% to a seasonally adjusted $257.6 billion in June, weaker than expected and much less than the 3.2% growth seen the month before. […]
Steel Market Update’s poll of service center and manufacturing executives this week shows a general consensus that steel prices still have a ways to go before they roll over and begin to correct. When that might happen is anyone’s guess. There are nascent indications that the tight steel supplies may be loosening a bit, however. […]
Steel Market Update’s poll of service center and manufacturing executives this week shows a general consensus that steel prices still have a ways to go before they roll over and begin to correct. When that might happen is anyone’s guess. There are nascent indications that the tight steel supplies may be loosening a bit, however. […]
Steel Market Update’s survey of steel buyers this week shows no signs of anxiety about a possible price correction in the coming months. Like steel prices, buyers’ attitudes have never been loftier. SMU’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Index moved up four points to tie its all-time high of +79 as steel prices continued to rise and […]
World crude steel production, at an estimated 167.9 million metric tons in June, was down 3.7% from a month ago but up 12.0% when compared to the same year-ago period, reported the World Steel Association (worldsteel). June’s data is the first decrease in more than four months and follows sequential record-breaking increases seen from March […]
World crude steel production lost momentum in June after repeated months of record-breaking output, according to World Steel Association (worldsteel) data. Global production in June, at an estimated 167.9 million metric tons, declined 3.7% from May, but was still 12.0% higher than the same period last year. Since March’s historic 12.7% jump, world crude steel production […]
Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week shows that lead times for deliveries of spot orders from the mills have shortened slightly on all flat rolled products. The dip of a half-week or less is not highly significant, however, as average lead times for hot rolled orders remain above 10 weeks, while those […]
Demand for design services from U.S. architecture firms continued to increase in June, said the American Institute of Architects. AIA’s Architecture Billings Index reached 57.1 in the month, 1.4 points lower than May but still in growth territory. The billings index has expanded every month since January. The index for new design contracts declined 4.3 points from […]
U.S. steel mills shipped 7,987,038 net tons in May, a 46.2% increase compared with the 5,461,851 net tons shipped in May 2020 when the economy was struggling with the worst of the pandemic. May shipments also were up 1.8% from the 7,845,008 net tons shipped in the previous month, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute. […]
The number of active oil and gas drill rigs increased again this past week for both the United States and Canada, according to data released by oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The rig count is important to the steel industry because it is a leading indicator of oil country tubular goods demand. The number of […]
Flat Rolled = 47.6 Shipping Days of Supply Plate = 44 Shipping Days of Supply Flat Rolled U.S. service center flat rolled inventories increased again in June, though service centers continue to report that they are unable to meet customer demand. At the end of June, service centers carried 47.6 shipping days of supply, up from the […]
Producer prices continue to rise into the summer months showing no signs of slowing down. The index and subcategories for final demand have not only recovered from the collapse seen at the onset of COVID-19 but have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Since the repeated decreases from February through April of 2020, the composite Producer Price […]
Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of monthly Key Market Indicators highlights that the road to recovery from the COVID-19 doldrums is far from over. Markers for the Present Situation have contracted a bit while Trends show small but positive moves from a month ago. The markers are not necessarily an evaluation of the economy’s journey from affliction to […]
Mill shipments of steel products rose in May by 1.9%, rebounding from the 2.0% decline seen the month prior, while apparent supply was up 1.7% compared to April. Although mill shipments and apparent supply gains have decelerated from the nearly 20.0% rally seen in March, May’s gains were the third increase in as many months […]
Manufacturing growth in New York State surged to a record high in July, according to the data collected in the Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The general business index jumped 26 points to 43.0. Indicators for new orders, shipments and inventories all increased by double digits from June, rising 16.9 points, 29.6 points, and 18.8 points, respectively. Unfilled orders increased as well, […]
By CRU Research Analyst Yusu Mao CRU hosted its inaugural Steel Decarbonization Strategies Virtual Conference from June 25-28. Policy makers, industry leaders and financial institutions from across the global steel value chain joined the event to discuss pathways to carbon neutrality, the financial tools to support necessary investment and the policy frameworks needed to make […]