Existing home sales rebounded in February from January, swinging positive for the first time in 13 months, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). However, all four major regions in the US registered year-over-year (YoY) drops, though month-on-month (MoM) sales were up among the four regions, NAR said. Sales of existing homes surged 14.5% […]
More than three-quarters of US metro areas added construction jobs year-over-year (YoY) through January, according to Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) figures. Despite the employment boost, construction firms struggled to find enough qualified workers to hire, the report said. The report cautioned that projects may stall or be canceled altogether if contractors lack an […]
By CRU Senior Analyst, Puneet Paliwal, from CRU’s Scrap, DRI/HBI & Pig Iron Monitor The CRU metallics price indicator (CRUmpi) for March rose by 7.4% month on month (MoM), to 357.7, which is its highest value since June 2022. Strong Turkish buying of scrap and pig iron since the second half of February is the key […]
March scrap trading is ongoing as of Friday, but prices are reportedly up. One scrap source said the reason behind the continued trading was pretty simple. “Yes, it’s taken too long,” the source said. “Market is up, and mills are resistant. Took a while to sort through things.” Regarding what he’s seeing in the market at […]
By CRU Research Analyst Rosy Finlayson, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor Last week, trading activity in the Turkish scrap import market was limited. Buyers held off on purchasing material as they awaited details on the announcement of a finished steel price cap agreement between the Turkish Trade Ministry and steelmakers. However, deals done late […]
Steel market participants are bracing for prime scrap prices to rise in March, according to SMU’s most recent survey data. Approximately 82% of survey respondents think prime scrap prices will increase when prices settle later this month. Prices for obsolete grades are heating up as well, according to scrap sources contacted by SMU. One scrap market source […]
Editor’s note: Steel Market Update is pleased to share this Premium content with Executive members. For information on how to upgrade to a Premium-level subscription, contact Lindsey Fox at lindsey@steelmarketupdate.com Flat Rolled = 52.9 Shipping Days of Supply Plate = 45.8 Shipping Days of Supply Flat Rolled US service center flat-rolled steel supply in January reflected typical […]
SMU’s hot-rolled coil price has cracked $800 per ton ($40 per cwt), and so have prices on the futures market. The question of whether the $800-per-ton threshold would be breached has been answered. But it’s still unclear to me whether that threshold was breached by solid underlying demand or by momentum (buying ahead of the next […]
Current Steel Buyers Sentiment ticked up this week, while Future Steel Buyers Sentiment edged down, according to SMU’s most recent survey data. SMU’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Indices measure how steel buyers feel about their company’s ability to be successful in the current market, as well as three to six months down the road. Every other […]
SSAB Americas has announced plans to increase plate prices by at least $60 per ton ($3 per cwt). The price hike applies equally to as-rolled, normalized, quenched-and-tempered, and wide cut-to-length plate products. It is effective immediately on all new, non-contract orders confirmed to ship the week of March 5 or later, the company said in […]
Let’s just clear the air of any confusion here. It looks like Nucor’s price increase – $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt) – announced earlier this week was a catch-up to an increase of the same amount announced by Cleveland-Cliffs in mid-December. Assuming that’s the case, we’ve had two rounds of price increases since Thanksgiving. […]
Scrap market prices increased in January month over month on poor flows in December and surging export demand, according to scrap executives. “Obsolete flows are down seasonally, and export prices have shown dramatic increases over the last month,” one scrap executive said. He said Detroit mills entered the market last week at prices up $60 per gross […]
Steel mills are less willing to negotiate prices as we enter into the new year. With the exception of Galvalume, all of the products SMU surveyed remained more fixed in price compared with the last market check two weeks ago, and a far cry from early November of last year. In fact, the plate market […]
Steel Market Update is taking some time off for Christmas and the New Year. Our last issue of 2022 will be published on Thursday, Dec. 22. Our offices will be closed the week of Dec. 26-30, as well as on Monday, Jan. 2. In addition, we will not update prices on Tuesday, Dec. 27. We […]
After surging in late November to a five-month high, Steel Market Update’s (SMU) Steel Buyers Sentiment Index slipped three points through Dec. 8th. Our Future Buyers Sentiment Index also fell a few points from it’s previous high, down three points in comparison to two weeks prior. Buyers Sentiment remains strong overall, and Current Sentiment is […]
Steel mill lead times extended across the board this week, with production times increasing for all five products we track. Recall that lead times for hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized products were previously at or near multi-year lows in our late November market check. Lead times are up by an average of 0.5 weeks compared to […]
By CRU Research Analyst Aaron Kearney-Keaveny, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor The CRU metallics price indicator (CRUmpi) for November fell by 3.5% month-on-month (MoM), to 298.3, which is the lowest level since December 2020. Global scrap demand continues to be undermined by weak steel market fundamentals in key markets. Over the past few months, […]
Ferrous scrap prices declined from October to November, marking the seventh consecutive month of falling prices, according to Steel Market Update sources. Buyers reported prime scrap fell as much as $30 per gross ton in some regions, while shredded prices were flat to down $20 per gross ton. Sources continue to attribute price declines to […]
Greenwave Technology Solutions Inc. is significantly expanding its operations with two new metal recycling facilities, new trucks, and an online car buying program. The Suffolk, Va.-based recycler currently operates 11 facilities in Virginia and North Carolina through its subsidiary Empire Services Inc. This month, its 12th facility will open in Fairmont, N.C., and in December, a […]
Longs producer and scrap recycler Commercial Metals Co. (CMC) has acquired a metals recycling facility in the Galveston, Texas, area. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. CMC acquired the facility and assets from Kodiak Resources Inc. and Kodiak Properties LLC. The majority of the 55,000 tons per year of ferrous and non-ferrous material processed […]
By CRU Senior Analyst, Puneet Paliwal, from CRU’s Scrap, DRI/HBI & Pig Iron Monitor The CRU metallics price indicator (CRUmpi) for November fell by 3.5% month-on-month (MoM), to 298.3, which is the lowest level since December 2020. Global scrap demand continues to be undermined by weak steel market fundamentals in key markets, causing prices to stay […]
Sticking with a business model that’s proven successful over the past three decades, David Stickler and his team at Global Principal Partners (GPP) hope to make their next endeavor with Hybar’s two new rebar minimills another prosperous one. Steel Market Update sat down with the industry veteran this week in an exclusive interview to discuss […]
Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc. said its fourth quarter ended Aug. 31 results were negatively impacted by declining ferrous and nonferrous sales prices and demand. The trend partially offsets the benefits of strong prices for its finished steel products. Tighter supply flows and an extended outage at its Everett, Mass., recycling facility were partly to blame […]
By CRU Senior Analyst, Puneet Paliwal, from CRU’s Scrap, DRI/HBI & Pig Iron Monitor Global scrap prices stay subdued while those of ore-based metallics have found some support. Overall metallics demand continues to be hampered by the steel market weakness, a trend which may sustain through the short term, particularly in Europe. The CRU metallics price […]
H2 Green Steel (H2GS) is partnering with Midrex Technologies for its new direct reduced iron (DRI) facility in northern Sweden. Using Midrex’s technology, H2GS’s 2.1-million-metric-tons-per-year facility will run on 100% green hydrogen. Paul Wurth, an SMS group company, will also provide technology and equipment for the first-of-its-kind DRI plant. “We started working together almost two […]
Steel Market Update sources report that ferrous scrap prices fell again in October. The drop marks the sixth consecutive month of declining scrap tags. Prime scrap prices fell an average of $45 per ton, while obsolete grades were relatively flat to down $25. Scrap sources attributed falling prices to weakening demand on both the domestic and […]
Supported by high finished steel and scrap prices, Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc. expects its results for full-year fiscal 2022 to be the second best in the company’s history. This week, the Portland, Ore.-based scrap recycler and long steel producer announced its preliminary results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2022. Although […]
Steel Market Update sources expect ferrous scrap prices to be sideways to down in October, potentially the fifth consecutive monthly decline since the record highs seen earlier this year. Obsolete grades are anticipated to fall as much as $20 per gross ton or more, while prime scrap is expected to remain flat or slightly decline. […]
By CRU Research Analyst Aaron Kearney-Keaveny, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor The CRU metallics price indicator (CRUmpi) rose by 2.2% month-on-month (MoM) to 312.3, following four continuous months of decline since May 2022. This MoM rise in the CRUmpi was specifically driven by a sharp rebound in Asian scrap prices while European prices stabilized. […]
US plate prices fell this week, responding to Nucor’s latest price announcement on Monday, Sept. 19. Price tags remain under pressure and further declines are expected through the fourth quarter as spot demand is likely to remain limited. But few expect Nucor’s latest plate price announcement to generate any immediate business, sources told SMU, speculating […]