Global manufacturing is approaching the stagnation point, says a new survey by J.P. Morgan and IHS Markit. The J.P. Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI fell for the ninth month in January to register 50.7, its lowest reading since August 2016. Trade tension originating with the U.S. was a common theme throughout the IHS Markit PMI reports […]
The Association of Steel Distributors has selected Andrew (Andy) Gross as its 2018 Steel Executive of the Year. Gross is president and CEO of Alliance Steel, Bedford Park, Ill. A long-time member of ASD, Gross has served as president and chairman of the service center trade group since 2017. He is also a member of […]
By CRU Principal Economist Lisa Morrison The partial U.S. government shutdown, which began on Dec. 22, 2018, lasted 35 days and is the longest shutdown in U.S. history. President Trump decided to re-open the government until Feb. 15 to allow time for additional negotiations regarding the border security issues. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that […]
January got off to a tentative start as steel prices continued to decline, leaving buyers with a cautious perspective on the months ahead. Steel Market Update’s Buyers Sentiment Index shows buyers slightly less optimistic than they were in November. Sentiment factors into buyers’ decision-making about such factors as purchasing, inventory levels, capital investment and hiring. […]
Metalforming companies are concerned that higher prices for steel and aluminum in the U.S. are hindering business competition. More than half of metalforming companies surveyed by the Precision Metalforming Association are expecting little change in business conditions during the next three months. The January survey found that 57 percent expect no change (compared to 49 […]
The manufacturing sector expanded in January following a weak December, according to the latest survey of purchasing managers by the Institute for Supply Management. ISM’s January PMI rose 2.3 points to 56.6 with new orders, production and inventories growing at a faster rate last month. A reading above 50 indicates growth. New Orders led the […]
Pointing to the temporary reprieve from the longest government shutdown in American history, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce calls on Congress and the administration to work together to keep the government open. “Our nation simply cannot afford another shutdown. Our message to Washington’s leaders is simple: do your jobs so Americans can do theirs,” wrote Chamber […]
Key Market Indicators in January, indicators of the present situation, remained strong, but trends deteriorated to the weakest level in two years. This report summarizes 36 data streams that we believe critically describe the state of and provide forward guidance for the steel market. Due to the government shutdown, 13 of the 36 indicators were […]
The U.S. government shutdown has had a negative effect on consumer expectations. The Conference Board’s measure of consumer confidence declined each month from November through January. It appears the shutdown had a major effect on consumers’ expectations, but not so much on their perception of the present situation. The composite value of consumer confidence in […]
President Trump signed an executive order today intended to boost the use of American-made iron, steel and other manufactured products in infrastructure projects by adding pressure on private and public sector entities that receive federal financial assistance. Called “Strengthening Buy American Preferences for Infrastructure Projects,” the order directs agency heads to “encourage recipients of new […]
Whether the mills succeed in collecting the $40 increase on flat rolled they announced in recent days depends a lot on how strong demand proves to be in the first quarter. Such price hikes are common in January as the mills anticipate a pickup in business following the seasonal slowdown in the fourth quarter. Service […]
The Steel Manufacturers Association would like to see the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement ratified by the three countries, even if it calls for a change to the tariffs. Speaking at a press briefing during SMA’s board meeting Thursday in Washington, SMA President Phil Bell said the modernized trade rules in the USMCA are an improvement on NAFTA. […]
The Chicago Business Barometer plummeted in January, falling 7.1 points to 56.7 from December’s downwardly adjusted reading of 63.8. New orders and production contributed heavily to the decline as new orders dropped to a two-year low and production to a 10-month low. Order backlogs eased to a three-month low and delivery of raw materials improved […]
Last week, Steel Market Update conducted our mid-January flat rolled and plate steel market trends analysis. One of the areas of interest to SMU was how manufacturing companies and service centers would peg spot pricing coming out of the distributors to their end customers. Prior to the New Year, just below 75 percent of the […]
The U.S. active rotary rig count, an indicator of oil country tubular goods demand, increased this week, according to oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The number of active U.S. rigs rose by 9 to 1,059, with oil rigs up 10 and gas rigs down 1. Compared to this time last year, the 1,059 count is […]
The Chicago Business Barometer for December was revised downward to 63.8 from 65.4 following annual seasonal adjustments. The changes resulted in higher growth for first and second quarter, no change in third quarter, but a downward revision for the fourth quarter. The results indicate a cooling of growth at the end of 2018, said MNI […]
The growth of China’s economy has slowed partly as a result of the tariff war with the United States, and China may be in a mood for serious negotiation. Once each quarter, we publish the official statistics for Chinese GDP, industrial production, consumer price inflation and fixed asset investment. Many analysts don’t believe these self-serving […]
In Q3 and Q4 2018, the Pacific region regained the lead as the engine of national job creation. Fourth-quarter employment data by state was released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Friday. The state data follows and confirms the strong employment situation that we reported earlier at the national level. In the fourth […]
Global steel production slowed in December, but this was purely a seasonal effect. Global steel production in December was at an annual rate of 1.765 billion metric tons. Capacity is calculated to be 2.4 billion tons and capacity utilization in December was 74.0 percent, according to the latest Steel Market Update analysis of World Steel […]
Steel Market Update’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Index, which has been on a downward trajectory for months, has shown no signs of changing direction so far in 2019. The SMU Index continues to be well within the “optimistic” range, but is not as high as what we saw one year ago and is flat compared to […]
Mill lead times for spot orders of flat rolled steel continued to shrink this month. Even plate, which has been in short supply, is showing signs of loosening with its average lead time dipping to less than six weeks from more than seven weeks at the beginning of January. Lead times for steel delivery are […]
Halfway through the first month of the year, buyers report that most mills are willing to talk price to secure the order. Even price negotiations with plate mills are beginning to loosen up. Nearly half (47 percent) of plate buyers responding to Steel Market Update’s market trends questionnaire this week said suppliers are now open […]
Steel Market Update asked: When do you expect flat rolled steel prices to reverse course and begin rising? Judging by the widely varied responses to this week’s market trends questionnaire, there is no clear consensus among steel buyers on when prices will turn around. A small group, about 6 percent, said they believe prices will […]
The Architecture Billings Index dipped in December, falling to 50.4 from 54.7 in November, according to the latest report by the American Institute of Architects. Billings continued to be positive for the 15th consecutive month, scoring above the neutral reading of 50. Backlogs lengthened to an average of 6.4 months in December, a historical record […]
Phillips 66 Partners, Harvest Midstream Co. and PBF Logistics LP have agreed to jointly develop the ACE Pipeline System in Louisiana, which will move crude oil some 60-80 miles from the market hub in St. James to downstream refining destinations in Belle Chasse, Meraux and Chalmette. The partners may elect to add a delivery destination […]
This article on the competitiveness of steel against other products was originally produced last week for Steel Market Update Premium members. We want our entire readership to review the analysis done by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and then analyzed by Peter Wright on our staff. If you would like information about upgrading to Premium […]
The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil has recovered from its recent low in December. The spot price of WTI FOB Cushing, Okla., recovered to $50.31 on Jan. 14 from its recent low of $44.48 on Dec. 27. WTI had a recent peak on Oct. 3 of $76.40 per barrel. The total number […]
Steel became less competitive in 2018 against aluminum, plastic and wood, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data. The cost of carbon cold rolled sheet was up more than twice as much as aluminum sheet, and steel pipe was up by nine times as much as plastic […]
The U.S. dollar has retreated from the last Steel Market Update currency report when it had the highest value on the foreign exchange markets for over 16 years. In the last month, the dollar weakened against 13 of the 16 currencies that Steel Market Update tracks. This was a turnaround from November when it strengthened […]
Sherwin-Williams has announced a 6 percent hike in the cost of paint effective in March, upsetting customers in the prepainted steel and aluminum market. “There is no justification for this paint increase,” said one coil coater. “Oil prices are at their lowest level in years.” Sherwin-Williams raised prices twice last year when oil prices were […]