Growth in Chinese steel production continues to outpace the world, according to a Steel Market Update analysis of World Steel Association data. Production in the month of August was 143,580,000 metric tons, down slightly from 143,729,000 metric tons in July. Capacity utilization was unchanged at 71.7 percent. The three-month moving averages (3MMA) that we prefer […]
Nucor Corp. executives urged the U.S. Trade Representative and Department of Commerce to vigorously oppose any efforts to weaken existing Buy America/n requirements, in their comments on President Trump’s April executive order. The steel company also urged the U.S. government to take additional action to stimulate demand for domestic steel in U.S. and foreign government […]
Steel buyers are evenly split on how their businesses will be affected by the cleanup from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. About half (48 percent) of respondents to Steel Market Update’s latest steel market trends questionnaire expect the hurricanes and flooding in Texas and Florida to have a significant impact on their businesses and steel demand […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) futures markets was written by David Feldstein. As the Flack Global Metals Director of Risk Management, Dave is an active participant in the hot rolled futures market, and we believe he provides insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Besides writing futures articles for Steel […]
The American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Billings Index continued to show demand for design services with a seventh month of growth in August.The ABI gained 1.8 points last month for a solid score of 53.7. The new projects inquiry index rose to 62.5 from 59.5 and the new design contracts index slipped to 54.2 from […]
Are “Buy American” policies good for the U.S. economy and the U.S. steel industry? President Trump issued an executive order in April instructing all federal agencies to conduct comprehensive assessments aimed at cracking down on weak enforcement of Buy American policies, and targeting the abusive use of waivers and exceptions that undermine Buy American laws. […]
The latest data on automotive production offers potential ammo to U.S. trade officials as they work to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. Assembly of both cars and light trucks is shifting from the U.S. to Mexico, with Canada largely on the sidelines. Total light vehicle production in the U.S. and Canada has declined […]
The U.S. dollar is continuing to collapse on the international foreign exchange markets. Through Sept. 8, the Broad Index value of the U.S. dollar had depreciated by 9.3 percent since Jan. 3 and the decline is accelerating. See the end of this report for an explanation of data sources. The analysis of currency trends is […]
The value of the U.S. dollar on the international exchange markets has been in freefall since Dec. 12, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of currencies. From Jan. 3 through Sept. 8, 2017, the Broad Index value of the U.S. dollar depreciated by 9.3 percent. The value rebounded by 2.97 percent from Sept. 9 […]
Steel shipments by Canadian service centers in August totaled 387,500 net tons, up 11.8 percent from the previous month, and up 6.2 percent from August 2016, reports the Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI). On a daily basis, total shipments were 17,600 tons per day in August (a 22-day month), up from 17,300 tons per day […]
Weakening federal vehicle fuel economy standards would not relieve the auto industry of burdensome regulation, but rather would hurt job growth, as well as the environment, maintains the BlueGreen Alliance (BGA), a coalition of American labor unions and environmental organizations whose mission is to “work together to solve today’s environmental challenges in ways that create […]
ArcelorMittal is not expecting a big bump in business anytime soon due to the hurricane damage in Texas and the Southeast. “That will take a while to pass through,” said Wendell Carter, vice president and general manager of the steelmaker’s Indiana Harbor mill. Carter responded to questions during a media tour of the East Chicago, […]
Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs in the year from August 2016 to August 2017, reports the Associated General Contractors of America, analyzing Labor Department data. Hiring likely would have been stronger if not for a shortage of workers. Seventy percent of companies report having a hard time finding craft workers […]
The Producer Price Index of commodities increased by 3.8 percent in the 12 months through August 2017, according to data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS released its series of producer price indexes (PPIs) for more than 10,000 goods and materials this week. The latest release reported results through August. For […]
The Producer Price Index of commodities increased by 3.1 percent for the 12 months ended in November, according to data released Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics—the largest advance since the 12 months ending January 2012. On Thursday, the BLS released its series of producer price indexes (PPIs) for more than 10,000 goods and […]
The following calculation is used by Steel Market Update to identify the theoretical spread between foreign hot rolled steel import prices (delivered to USA ports) and domestic (USA) hot rolled coil prices (FOB Domestic mills). We want our readers to be aware that this is only a “theoretical” calculation as freight costs, trader margin and […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) futures markets was written by David Feldstein. As the Flack Global Metals Director of Risk Management, Dave is an active participant in the hot rolled futures market, and we believe he provides insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Besides writing futures articles for Steel […]
Editor’s note: Following is a response from Zekelman Industries CEO Barry Zekelman to remarks by Daniel Pearson of the Cato Institute published in Steel Market Update’s Sept. 5 newsletter. Zekelman comments on his position on imports and the current state of steel-related trade into the U.S. During our exchange at the recent SMU Steel Summit […]
The Dodge Momentum Index, a measure of nonresidential construction projects in planning, dropped 2.4 percent to register 129.1 in August. Commercial planning led the decline, falling 8.7 percent, while institutional planning partially offset it with a gain of 7.3 percent. In general, commercial planning has seen a steep rise this year as large office building […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) futures markets was written by David Feldstein. As the Flack Global Metals Director of Risk Management, Dave is an active participant in the hot rolled futures market, and we believe he provides insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Besides writing futures articles for Steel […]
Global manufacturing rose to a 75-month high in August. The J.P. Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI climbed to 53.1 from 52.7 in July. Most components of the PMI increased in August and at a faster rate. Future output was the only measure to remain the same as July, at a strong 63.5. Developed nations on average led […]
Thyssenkrupp finalized the sale of Brazilian steel mill CSA Cia Siderúrgica do Atlántico to Ternium this week. The sale takes effect retroactively from Sept. 30, 2016. The $1.3 billion deal was hammered out in February. Completion of the transaction ends a long process for Thyssenkrupp to divest all of its Steel America assets. In 2014, […]
Employment growth in both construction and manufacturing was strong in August. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) net job creation report released on Friday was disappointing in total, but unusual in the detail. Disappointing because employment growth was worse than normal for August. Unusual in that the ratio of goods-producing to service-industry job growth was […]
Steel Market Update (SMU) received pricing information from China this morning along with a warning that China may be building a steel price bubble that will pop. The only question is when and how much damage will it do when it does. Traders are complaining that the new Chinese numbers are too high to be […]
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded again in August as the Institute for Supply Management’s PMI registered 58.8 percent, an increase of 2.5 percentage points from July. This indicates growth in manufacturing for the 12th consecutive month and is the highest reading since April 2011, reports ISM. Any reading above 50 percent indicates expansion. […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) steel and financial futures markets was written by Jack Marshall of Crunch Risk LLC. Here is how Jack saw trading over the past week: Steel HR futures prices along the curve have been range bound this past week on modest trading activity. The quiet week could […]
Barry Zekelman calls himself a free-trader. Yet his company, Zekelman Industries, filed a trade case last year alleging that Chinese producers of circular welded steel pipe were guilty of evading U.S. import duties. Espousing free trade while suing to block imports may seem like a contradiction, but Zekelman made a good case for his position […]
The following table is for the month of August 2017. Most of the data speaks for itself. We produce this information at the end of every month. There are a number of data points or reference points that are proprietary to Steel Market Update. These include our SMU Price Momentum Indicator which, at the end […]
The MNI Chicago Business Barometer was unchanged in August at 58.9 after a July plunge that ended five months of increases. Slight gains in production and orders were offset by declines in backlogs, employment and supplier deliveries. The inventory loss was significant, dropping the index 6.4 points to end in contraction and the lowest reading […]
“Hurricane Harvey was an incredibly expensive, economy-changing event. The impact will be staggering,” said economist Chris Kuehl of Armada Corporate Intelligence, speaking at Steel Market Update’s Steel Summit Conference this week in Atlanta. Perhaps 10 percent of Houston’s population could be permanently displaced, creating a future labor shortage. “Companies may not get those workers back,” […]