The World Trade Organization requires members to inform the organization of any domestic subsidy programs they are providing to industries. The WTO said compliance with the obligation to notify “remains discouraging low.” “As of today, a total of 89 members have not yet made their 2015 new and full subsidy notification, for which the deadline […]
Thyssenkrupp AG is in negotiations to sell its Brazilian steel plant Companhia Siderúrgica do Atlântico (CSA) to Ternium SA. According to the Wall Street Journal, talks are at an advanced stage but may hit a stumbling block over price for the Brazilian operations. Thyssenkrupp spent $6.8 billion to build CSA but it is currently valued […]
AK Steel’s efforts to focus on higher value products, cut costs and reduce exposure to commodity products has resulted in a net income of $50.9 million and the company’s best third quarter since 2008. Adjusted EBITDA margins improved to 10.8 percent from 7 percent a year ago. “De-emphasizing commodity products and introducing new products, such […]
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) announced its affirmative final determinations in the antidumping investigations of imports of circular welded carbon-quality steel pipe from Pakistan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam, and the countervailing investigation of imports of the same merchandise from Pakistan. The investigations cover welded carbon-quality steel pipe and tube, […]
Essar Global has teamed up with Cargill Inc. to make a bid for US Steel Canada, according to the Globe and Mail. Essar’s bid was rebuffed by USSC in June of 2016 and again as the entity Ontario Steel in August, despite the backing of the United Steelworkers. Bedrock Industries is the current favorite for […]
Essar Steel Algoma has filed a legal proceeding against Essar Global Fund and its affiliates charging that the Essar Group has engaged in a course of conduct that consistently preferred the interests of the Essar Group and, in particular, Essar Global Fund, to those of Algoma and its stakeholders. This conduct, charges Algoma, includes the […]
With the end of October at hand, it is time for SMU to take another look at shipping conditions around the U.S. Seaborne MID-SHIP is seeing improvement in freight rates and fuel prices and an increase in period chartering activity for seaborne cargo. A surge in coal pricing in the past few weeks has resulted […]
The final three holdouts in the Standard Iron Works v. ArcelorMittal et al. antitrust litigation have come to a settlement. Steel Dynamics, Nucor and SSAB have agreed to settle price-fixing claims for a combined total of $30 million. Steel Dynamics issued an announcement on Tuesday that it will pay $4.6 million in the class action […]
Steel Dynamics reported higher flat rolled prices resulted in an 11 percent increase in earnings in the third quarter. Net earnings were $284 million on net sales of $2.1 billion. Adjusted net income, including a $5 million litigation settlement charge, was $157 million for the quarter. SDI steel production was at 85 percent capacity in […]
Nucor Corporation reported net earnings of $270 million for third quarter, up from 233.8 million in Q2 and 227.1 in Q3 2015. Consolidated net sales in third quarter increased 1 percent to $4.29 billion from the previous quarter and 2 percent from a year ago. Average sales price per ton increased 11 percent QoQ. Tons […]
Reliance Steel & Aluminum reported sales of $2.19 billion, down 0.8 percent from Q2 and down 4.4 percent from Q3 2015. Tons sold were down 4.9 percent from the previous quarter to 1,445,500 tons with average selling price per ton up 4.4 percent, sequentially. Reliance was able to maintain during most of the quarter the […]
EVRAZ North America increased third quarter crude steel production 5.7 percent to prepare for scheduled maintenance outages at its Regina and Pueblo mills. Regina will be out for three weeks for upgrades to the steelmaking and rolling mills while Pueblo is scheduled for a two week maintenance outage. Flat rolled production dropped 25.7 percent in […]
The trend for lower shipments and inventories out of the steel distributors in the United States continued during the month of September, according to just released Metal Service Center Institute (MSCI) data. The MSCI reported total steel shipments declined 6.6 percent compared to one year ago while inventories dropped 17.2 percent YOY. September MSCI carbon […]
Canadian shipments for all steel products in the month of September were 370,800 net tons, an increase of 1.6 percent from the month before but a decrease of 8.5 percent from September 2015. Inventories at the end of the month stood at 1,116,500 tons, down 2.8 percent from last month and down 15.6 percent from […]
Turkish steel producers have filed new antidumping and countervailing duty petitions on hot-rolled coil imports from China, Russia and Ukraine. An AD investigation was previously initiated in January 2015 on HRC imports from China, Japan, France, Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Slovakia in January 2015 but was terminated by the Turkish Economy Ministry after petitioners withdrew […]
September was another month in which shipments by service centers failed to live up to long term expectations. Carbon steel shipments decreased by 317,800 tons, mostly as a result of the number of shipping days declining from 23 in August to 21 in September. However tons per day shipments also declined being down from 139.7 […]
NLMK USA produced 100,000 tonnes of crude steel and 420,000 tonnes of finished steel in third quarter 2016. Sales volume decreased to 440,000 tonnes (485,000 net tons) from 522,000 tonnes (575,000 net tons) in second quarter, down 15 percent quarter-over-quarter and down 10 percent year-over-year. NLMK attributed the decline in sales to weaker client demand […]
US Steel Canada court monitor Alex Morrison reported sales were good in August, resulting in revenue of CAD $144.6 million. EBITDA increased by $30.7 million from July. Shipments were up 19.7 percent year-over-year to 192,734 tons. The company has been successful in replacing sales to automotive customers that were lost when US Steel cut ties […]
China’s Hebei province is cracking down on steel operations in the region by imposing “special emission restrictions.” Mills in the province have until September 1, 2017 to comply with new air pollution standards for pollution. Failure to do so could result in fines, mandated reduction in output, or total closure. In a notice issued on […]
Steel Market Update asks our readers to interact with us anytime they need help finding information or if they have a question about the steel industry. During the process of responding to these requests many times we find ourselves doing research on a topic that would be of interest to a larger audience. On Friday […]
AIIS urges the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bureau to use caution in responding to allegations of evasion of antidumping and countervailing duties. Interim measures can be devastating to alleged evaders who are later found to be innocent of charges, says AIIS. The press release outlining recommendations by AIIS follows: Falls Church, VA. October 14, […]
The Vietnam steel industry is between the proverbial rock and hard place. U.S. steel manufacturers claim that Vietnamese exporters are party to China’s circumvention of antidumping and countervailing duties on cold rolled steel and are calling for AD duties to match those on China products. Vietnam’s influx of Chinese steel is also a concern for […]
After our last issue of Steel Market Update was published we received an email “letter to the editor” from a steel trading company regarding circumvention and other issues facing the domestic steel industry. Here is what the letter said: “After reading your update tonight and having been on a conference call with our Washington DC […]
John Ferriola, Chairman, CEO and President of Nucor Corp., has been elected Chairman of the World Steel Association (worldsteel). The elections for officers and the 2016 Executive Committee were held at worldsteel’s 50th Annual Conference in Dubai, UAE. Officers for worldsteel will serve for a period of one year. The new officers for 2016/2017 are: […]
The European Union, on Friday, placed provisional tariffs on imports of hot-rolled flat steel and heavy plate steel from China. Steel association Eurofer lodged the antidumping complaint with the European Commission in January on behalf of European steel producers representing 90 percent of the region’s hot-rolled flat rolled steel production. Eurofer alleged in its complaint […]
China’s Commerce Ministry criticized the European Union for antidumping duties imposed Friday on imports of hot rolled steel and plate. The Ministry called the investigation methods unfair. A spokesperson for the Ministry said Chinese steel imports cannot be affecting EUs steel prices because they only account for 5 percent of the European market. “Reckless trade […]
China is not likely to meet its steel capacity reduction target of 45 million tons this year. According to data from the World Steel Association, steel output in China has fallen only 0.1 percent from January to August with production at 536 million tonnes. Steel production rose 3 percent year-over-year in August and increased 2.6 […]
Essar Steel Algoma is approaching the end of one year of protection under the Canada’s Companies Creditors Arrangement Act. The company entered protection on November 9, 2015. The latest court monitor report by Brian Denega, senior vice principle of Ernst & Young, shows the company maintaining its production and stocking up on iron ore for […]
The Department of Commerce announced adjustment to the antidumping duties assigned to Australia, Korea and Turkey in the hot rolled steel investigation. Regarding the Australia AD orders, Commerce agreed with the Petitioners that there were two ministerial errors. The Department failed to fully adjust BlueScope Steel’s normal value for processing revenue and freight revenue. It, […]
Nucor announced Tuesday that it has restructured its natural gas supply agreements to improve access to a long-term supply of natural gas. Nucor purchased 49 percent of Encana’s leasehold interest of 54,000 acres in the South Piceance Basin. In addition, Nucor and Encana have terminated the two Carry and Earning drilling agreements from 2010 and […]