Written by: John Packard June apparent steel supply came in at 8,728,000 tons which was a 3.75 percent decline compared to the previous year. As you can see by the graphic below, all of the categories came in below June 2012 data. Year to date 2013 is on pace with 2012 averaging 7,900,000 tons […]
On Monday we will begin our mid-August steel market survey. If you receive an invitation we hope you will spend a few minutes and click on the link provided in the invitation and respond to our questionnaire. As mentioned late last week our Steel 101 workshop is sold out and we have at least one […]
Our Steel 101 workshop in Blytheville, Arkansas is officially “sold out.” For those interested in our next Steel 101 workshop we are working on the 2014 schedule and expect to announce the first two for next year within a few weeks. In the meantime, you are welcome to send us an email with your name, […]
Written by: Brett Linton June ferrous scrap exports totaled 1,405,041 metric tons (1,548,791 net tons) with Turkey, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Egypt being the top five countries where scrap was sent. Exports to most of the big players in the market, with the exception of Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam, dropped dramatically from the […]
Written by Sandy Williams Caterpillar Inc. reported second quarter sales and revenues of $14.621 billion, down 15.8 percent from $17.374 billion in the second quarter of 2012. Net profit plunged 43 percent to $960 million in the second quarter of 2013, from $1.699 billion in the second quarter of 2012. In a revision of […]
Written by: Brett Linton For the week ending August 10, 2013, the American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. steel industry produced 1,862,000 net tons of raw steel, a 1.4 percent decrease over the previous week and a 1.8 decrease over the same week one year ago. The estimated capacity utilization rate […]
As I mentioned above in the first article I am getting pressure to adjust our Price Momentum from Higher to Neutral.I am not willing to do that – yet – and the main reason is we are in a supply driven pricing cycle and the supply issues have not yet been fully resolved.Does this mean […]
Each month Steel Market Update will update our Monthly customers regarding the pricing cycles and any changes which occurred during the month. The month of July saw a continuation of the “up” pricing cycle which began on May 22nd when U.S. Steel announced a $50 per ton price hike. The goal for the first price hike was […]
Flat rolled prices moved higher from the beginning of July through the end of the month. Steel Market Update recorded price increases ranging from $32.50 per ton to as much as $45.00 per ton. In the table below, SMU indices are shown with their range (from high to low) as well as the average and […]
The main issue driving steel prices during the month of July was supply and the constraints in supply related to production issues at the North American steel producers. U.S. Steel Lake Erie Works continued to be on lockout throughout July. The 2.5 million ton a year slab and hot rolled mill was first locked out […]
The domestic steel mills paid more for their scrap during the month of July than the month prior. The higher scrap inputs were one reason behind the domestic mills announcing more price increases as the month progressed. Spot iron ore (China) pricing rose during the month of July and ended the month with 62% Fe […]
Written by: Andre Marshall, CEO Crunch Risk, LLC The month of July ended with a decent week in hot rolled coil (HRC) steel futures with 1119 contracts trading or 22,380 net tons. Open interest on the CME at the end of the month was 1,271 contracts or 25,420 tons. The market saw some hedge buying […]
Based on our analysis of the recently released Metal Service Center Institute (MSCI) data the Apparent Deficit for flat rolled increased to 397,000 tons in June. This comes after a 336,000 ton deficit in May and a 157,000 ton deficit at the end of April. Our analysis of June 2012 indicated service centers at that […]
One of the key items watched by Steel Market Update is service center spot pricing. Service centers have the ability to support price increases or signal the market that spot increases will fail. According to the manufacturing companies participating in our mid-July steel market survey, service centers are pushing for higher prices in the spot […]
Twice per month Steel Market Update (SMU) surveys the flat rolled steel market in order to gage market trends, pricing and Sentiment within the steel community. Since November 2008 SMU has been measuring Steel Buyers Sentiment. The resulting index is measured on a zero to plus 100 (+100) scale for those who are optimistic about […]
The Institute of Supply Management Purchasing Managers Index, (PMI) registered 50.9 percent in June, a decrease of 1.9 percentage points from May’s reading of 49.0 percent, but the three month moving average (3MMA) declined for the third straight month to 50.2 percent. The JPMorgan Global Manufacturing PMI indicated a sixth consecutive month of expansion in June […]
Over the past decade more steel indices have emerged in the steel commodities markets. All serve the same objective of providing pricing benchmarks for buyers and sellers of steel – and, in recent years, for the financial settlement of derivative contracts. As the number of indices grew so did the questions surrounding the validity of […]
One of the major steel related news stories for the month of July was the OCTG dumping suits filed by 9 U.S. producers. Nine oil country tubular goods (OCTG) producers – U.S. Steel, Maverick Tube Corp., Boomerang Tube, Energex Tube (division of JMC Steel Group), Northwest Pipe Co., Tejas Tubular Products, TMK IPSCO, Vallourec Star, […]
Steel Market Update next workshop will be our Steel 101: Introduction to Steelmaking & Market Fundamentals. The workshop will be held in Blytheville, Arkansas on October 8th and 9th and will include a tour of the Nucor Hickman flat rolled mini-mill. The workshop is intended for those who are relatively new to the industry, those who would […]
From Steel Market Update perspective there are a number of keys to watch during the month of August: • Scrap prices: Shredded scrap prices are forecast to be down $10-$20 per gross ton due to oversupply. Other scrap grades such as cut grades and prime are forecast to be sideways to down $5 per […]
By Peter Wright Shipments of sheet steel products in the 2nd quarter averaged 4,114,539 tons / month, down from 4,138,875 in the 1st quarter, 0.6 percent, and down by 4.8 percent from Q2 2012. Year to date (YTD) shipments of all sheet products through the first half were 24,682,298 tons, down by 5.6 percent from […]
By John Packard Have flat rolled steel prices reached their peak? We captured mixed results in this week’s analysis of the indices followed by Steel Market Update. Platts Midwest hot rolled and cold rolled coils both shot up $12.50 per ton compared to where we had them one week ago. Steel Orbis numbers did not […]
By John Packard On Saturday, Upstate Shredding held an open house for their new Port of Albany, New York recycling and shipping facility. What makes this one special is that the scrap operation sits on water which will provide the company with access to barge shipments to customers such as Nucor as well as ocean […]
PITTSBURGH, Aug. 9, 2013 — /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The United Steelworkers (USW) have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with AK Steel covering 860 workers at the steelmaker’s Ashland, Ky., facilities. The agreement, subject to ratification from the members of USW Local 1865, would be in effect for 18 months, through March 1, 2015. […]
By Peter Wright We know that steel demand is related to GDP which is heavily influenced by consumer spending. Spending is driven by income and both the perception of current debt and willingness to take on more. The Federal Reserve reports of personal income and credit outstanding are important pieces of the jigsaw puzzle of […]
By Sandy Williams Olympic Steel reported net income of $2.5 million in the second quarter of 2013, down from $4.5 million in the same period 2012. Net income for the first half was $7.7 million compared with $10.8 million in the first half last year. Total net sales were $330.8 million, down 10 percent from […]
By Sandy Williams Russel Metals reported second quarter earnings of $20 million on sales of $758 million, as compared to $23 million on sales of $719 millions in 2012. Revenues dropped 13 percent in the metals service center segment and 29 percent in the steel distributors segment due to lower demand levels and pricing. Energy […]
Economy Moving in Right Direction but Not Firing on All Cylinders WASHINGTON, D.C. – August 8, 2013 – The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported that total U.S. rail traffic was mixed for July 2013, with intermodal setting a new July record for average weekly volume and carload volume decreasing slightly overall compared with July […]
By John Packard Steel Market Update wants to welcome our newest member to our team: Ryan Packard. Ryan is joining us after completion of his Masters at McGill and moving to Chicago. I don’t expect my son to take over the company anytime soon as his expertise is as a percussionist and Chicago is where […]
By Brett Linton According to Baker Hughes data from August 9th, 2013, the U.S rig count for this week is 1,778 rigs exploring for or developing oil or natural gas. This number represents a decrease of 4 rigs compared to last week, with oil rigs down 3 to 1,385 rigs, gas rigs down 2 to […]