Lead times for spot orders of flat rolled and plate steel have seen relatively little change over the past month, but remain about a half week shorter than this time last year as the market tries to come to grips with doing business in a pandemic. Lead times are an indicator of steel demand—shorter lead […]
Steel buyers clearly have the upper hand in negotiations with steel makers given the challenging market conditions from the virus, with overwhelming percentages of those responding to Steel Market Update’s questionnaire this week reporting that the mills are open to price negotiations to win orders. Nearly all the hot rolled buyers (96 percent) said the […]
Demand for design services by architectural firms showed signs of stabilizing in June. The Architecture Billings Index rose 8.0 points to post a score of 40.0. A score of 50 is the neutral point between contraction and expansion. “While business conditions remained soft at firms across the country, those with a multifamily residential specialization saw […]
Steel Market Update is pleased to share this Premium content with Executive-level members. For more information on how to upgrade to a Premium subscription, email Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com. On a percentage basis, the North East and New England suffered the worst job losses in the first half of 2020. The full force of the pandemic-led job losses […]
Since the severe pandemic-led job losses of March and April, all regions and all states have seen some level of recovery, though not on a uniform basis. The recovery in Michigan has far exceeded that of Texas, for example, a reversal of what is considered the normal employment pattern. Comparing September to April on a […]
The multi-month decline in active U.S and Canadian gas and oil rigs seems to have flattened out, according to oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The active drill rigs count is important to the steel industry because it is a leading indicator of oil country tubular goods demand. The number of active U.S. rigs fell by […]
The U.S. dollar weakened against 14 of the 16 steel and raw materials trading nation currencies in the last 90 days, which follows a decline against nine in our June 14 report. The biggest change was in the value of the Australian dollar, which was up by 9.3 percent in three months. The only currencies […]
The U.S. dollar weakened against 14 of the 16 steel and raw materials trading nation currencies in the last 90 days, which follows the same decline that we reported July 14. The biggest changes were in the value of the Australian dollar, which was up by 11.4 percent, following a 9.3 percent appreciation in our […]
The July Federal Reserve “Beige Book” showed economic activity increased in almost all Districts, but was far below pre-pandemic levels. Information from Districts collected on or prior to July 6 revealed a pickup in consumer spending as states began lifting COVID-19 restrictions. Automotive sales led the rebound in consumer activity as well as sustained growth […]
New Yorkers received some respite in the manufacturing sector on Wednesday. The headline general business index of the Empire State Manufacturing Survey rose to 17.2 in July for its first positive reading since February. The index rose 17.4 points from -0.2 in February with 41 percent of respondents reporting improved business conditions during the month. […]
Kevin Dempsey has taken the reins as the chief executive at the American Iron and Steel Institute at a challenging and unprecedented time. Indeed, helping AISI’s steel mill members navigate an economy hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic is first and foremost on his agenda, he said in an interview with Steel Market Update on […]
By CRU Chief Economist Jumana Saleheen, from the Steel Sheet Products Market Outlook There is widespread agreement that the dollar is overvalued by around 10 percent. CRU expects the trade weighted dollar (TW$) to remain overvalued and broadly stable for the rest of 2020, as pandemic uncertainty continues to support the dollar as a “safe-haven” […]
Despite bad news on the coronavirus front, as authorities work to keep a surge in COVID-19 infections from derailing the economy once again, sentiment in the steel industry continues to trend positive. Steel Market Update’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Indexes are near levels comparable to this time last year, prior to the pandemic. Since early April […]
Steel buyers are split on whether the government will need to shut down parts of the economy once again to get the spread of the coronavirus under control. In this week’s check of the market, Steel Market Update asked: Are you or your company concerned about the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in the South […]
Lead times for spot orders of flat rolled steel saw minor and inconsistent changes in the past two weeks, revealing no clear trend. Hot rolled lead times extended slightly, while lead times for cold rolled and galvanized were flat and plate lead times declined, according to Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week. Lead times […]
The vast majority of steel buyers responding to Steel Market Update’s market trends questionnaire this week report that mills are willing to compromise on price to win orders as the economy and steel demand continue to battle the effects of the coronavirus crisis. About 86 percent of hot rolled buyers said the mills are open […]
In stark contrast to the mostly bad news related to the coronavirus pandemic, the North American steel industry is celebrating the new USMCA trade agreement that took effect last week. “Entry into force of the USMCA represents a significant achievement by the United States, Canada and Mexico that will benefit the North American steel industry […]
The Conference Board Employment Trends Index (ETI) increased in June, further stabilizing from sharp declines in recent months. The index now stands at 49.05, up from 45.27 in May. However, the index is still down 54.8 percent from a year ago. “The Employment Trends Index increased for the second consecutive month, but the virus’s recent […]
The U.S. economy added 4.8 million jobs in June, exceeding analysts’ expectations once again, according to data released Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. May’s job gain was revised up by 160,000 to 2,699,000. Figure 1 shows the total number of nonfarm workers in the U.S. since 1990. The net loss since February’s all-time […]
The U.S. manufacturing sector is gaining strength after months of contraction, say supply executives surveyed in the June Manufacturing ISM Report on Business. The June PMI jumped 9.5 points to 52.6 indicating an expansion in the overall economy for a second straight month. “June signifies manufacturing entering an expected expansion cycle after the disruption caused […]
Manufacturing and construction both saw positive growth in employment in June. The net change in employed persons was negative 20.8 million in April followed by positive 2.7 million in May and positive 4.8 million in June. Table 1 breaks total employment down into service and goods-producing industries and then into private and government employees. Most […]
Global manufacturing contraction eased in June as indices rose steeply, marking the second month of upward trajectory. The J.P. Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI rose to 47.8 but remained below the 50.0 neutral mark. Milder rates of decline for new orders and production were cited as the world recovers from a recession exacerbated by the global […]
Steel prices rose in the beginning of June, following May price increase announcements by the mills, but began to decline in the middle of the month and reached $480 per ton as of this week. Scrap prices were flat to down over May, while zinc and aluminum prices increased in June. SMU Buyers Sentiment Index […]
The Chicago Business Barometer rose to 36.6 in June as economic activity returned with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, said MNI Indicators.. The production index jumped 10.1 points from May as demand strengthened by 33.8 percent. Order backlogs were at a two-month high, gaining five points in June. Inventories plummeted 24.7 percent after emerging from […]
In May, China’s crude steel production hit 92.3 million metric tons, an all-time high, despite the coronavirus pandemic. On June 24, the OECD released its updated report of steel production capacity by nation: “Global steelmaking capacity (in nominal crude terms) decreased from 2015 to 2018, but the latest available information (as of December 2019) suggests […]
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that recent declines in demand for petroleum products have led commercial crude oil inventories in the United States to reach an all-time high of 541 million barrels as of the week ending June 19, which is 5 million barrels more than the previous record set in late March […]
While industry sentiment improved at a double-digit rate in May, as measured by Steel Market Update’s Sentiment Indexes, June has seen more moderate changes in optimism. Current Sentiment increased by a further 7 points in the past two weeks, but Future Sentiment actually declined by 3 points. This leveling of sentiment most likely reflects ongoing […]
Keith Gunter, 62, a steel industry veteran and vice president of purchasing at McElroy Metal in Bossier City, La., died this week after a short but courageous battle with cancer. “Keith was a respected leader within the company and a valuable member of McElroy’s executive team,” said Ian McElroy, company president. “His skills, abilities and […]
The Architecture Billings Index remained in contraction in May with a score of 32.0 following a record drop in billings in April, said the American Institute of Architects. Although the monthly scores moderated slightly, billings continued to decrease, inquiries continued to decline and the value of newly signed contracts remained at near record-lows. The projects […]
Lead times for spot orders of hot rolled steel have shortened a bit in the past month, which is somewhat unexpected, while delivery times for other flat rolled products have seen small ups and downs as the market searches for a stable footing. Hot rolled lead times now average 3.59 weeks, down from 3.73 two […]