Atlas Tube, part of Zekelman Industries, has partnered with Mobility Worldwide for over 10 years to provide mobility carts to those in need globally, and said it will continue to dedicate resources where needed. “When Zekelman Industries acquired the assets of EXLTUBE based in North Kansas City, Mo., in November 2022, we were well aware […]
Sheet prices slipped by $20-25 per ton as hot-rolled coil (HRC) failed to break through the $900 per ton threshold some market participants had predicted it would. SMU’s average hot-rolled coil (HRC) price stands at $870 per ton ($43.50 per cwt), down $20 per ton from a week ago. Numbers at or around that figure […]
Sheet prices slipped by $20-25 per ton as hot-rolled coil (HRC) failed to break through the $900 per ton threshold some market participants had predicted it would.
Raw steel production in the US inched up last week after dropping for two consecutive weeks, according to data released on Monday, July 17, by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Steel production in the US rose to 1,716,000 net tons for the week ended July 15, up 0.3% from 1,711,000 the previous week. Domestic production […]
By CRU senior analyst, Ryan McKinley Oversupply in most markets of the world is easing. The key trend we are following (and expecting to occur) is further output cuts in China, which should keep many markets more stable than they have been recently. In China, sheet oversupply will not ease in the coming week given […]
With demand trending lower throughout out the first half of 2023, the aluminum industry is searching for something to be optimistic about. Recent economic news is leaning positive, with inflation slowing across multiple measures including the Producer Price Index (PPI) and manufacturing final goods’ pricing. Personal consumption expenditure has slowed from its peak but sustained […]
The spread between hot-rolled coil (HRC) and prime scrap prices continued to narrow in July, according to Steel Market Update data. SMU’s average HRC price rose this week, while busheling scrap tags fell. Our HRC average price rose $10 per net ton week over week to $890 per ton ($44.50 per cwt) as of Tuesday, July 11. Busheling tags, […]
June 1 was the most recent low for CME Midwest HRC futures. At that time, the curve was approximately flat around $800 per short ton (st). Since then, the August future has rallied $188/st, settling today at $983/st, while the September future has rallied $160/st, settling today at $953/st. The chart below compares the curve […]
Domestic scrap prices fell for busheling and shredded grades in July, while tags were mostly sideways to slightly up on heavy melting scrap, sources said. “Between tight scrap supplies, slightly better-than-expected domestic demand in the South and Ohio Valley, and relatively stable export pricing, the market trended sideways for obsolete grades in those regions as well […]
The US hot-rolled coil (HRC) premium over offshore product has changed little over the past few weeks, as both prices abroad and stateside have inched up in tandem recently, according to SMU’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis. HRC tags stateside are still down $280 per ton since peaking at $1,160 per ton back in […]
A South Korean pipe and tube manufacturer is planning to build a new oil country tubular goods (OCTG) mill just north of Houston. Husteel, part of South Korea’s Shinan Group, is set to build a $122-million greenfield OCTG facility in Splendora, Texas, according to industrial equipment manufacturer Fives Group. Paris-based Fives said it has already […]
Sheet prices inched up this week on less discounting from major mills and on expectations that activity could improve in the coming weeks as OEMs return to the market following widespread summer shutdowns in early July. SMU’s hot-rolled coil price stands at $890 per ton ($44.50 per cwt), up $10 per ton from last week […]
Raw steel production in the US has dropped for the second week in a row, according to data released on Monday, July 10, by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Steel production in the US stood at 1,711,000 net tons for the week ended July 8, down 1.7% from 1,740,000 the previous week. Domestic production is […]
US steel exports spiked in May to the highest monthly level in nearly five years. Exports reached 914,018 net tons in May (Fig. 1), according to the latest figures from the US Department of Commerce. That’s 19% higher month-on-month and 15% higher year-on-year. Recall that exports in March neared a five-year high; May’s total was […]
US steel imports climbed in June to the highest monthly level over the past 12 months, based on June import license data compiled by the US Department of Commerce. Import license applications reached 2,803,597 net tons in June, according to Commerce’s license count as of July 5. This was a 20.7% spike from the month […]
The LME aluminum 3-month price is moving down again after the 4th of July holiday and was last trading near $2,130 per metric ton (as of the writing of this article on July 7). The fact that the price resumed sharp declines and is not challenging the next resistance at $2,200 per metric ton shows […]
A short week with the July 4th Holiday kind of sums up recent HR futures activity. Subdued spot activity and not much change from the previous weeks’ indexes leaves the market time to roll exposures. The recent price increases appear to have given spot prices a pause. Heading into the cyclical summer soft spot, mills are […]
Raw steel production by US mills dropped last week after two consecutive weekly increases, according to data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Wednesday, July 5. Domestic production stood at 1,740,000 net tons during the week ended July 1, down 1% from 1,758,000 tons the previous week. Production is up 0.3% from the same […]
Sheet prices were little changed this week amid typically slower activity around the Fourth of July. Market participants said that another round of sheet price hikes might come later this week or early next to shore up an initial round of price increases announced in mid-June. In the meantime, some of the heavy discounting that […]
Join us for SMU’s next Community Chat webinar with Wolfe Research managing director Timna Tanners. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, July 12, at 11 am ET. It’s free for all to attend. A recording will be available to SMU members. You can register here. We’ll talk about what Tanners describes as “the myth […]
The US rig count fell yet again for the week ended June 30. This marks the ninth consecutive week rig counts have declined in the US. Canada also saw a decline after an increase the week prior, according to the latest data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The total US rig count stood at 674 active […]
Friedman Industries has reported the most profitable fiscal year in its history as the steel processor and manufacturer posted strong fiscal fourth-quarter results. The Longview, Texas-based company swung to a profit of $6.3 million in its fiscal Q4 2023 ended March 31 vs. a net loss of $7.5 million a year earlier on net sales that […]
As sheet prices continued to decline throughout June, the spread between hot-rolled coil (HRC) and galvanized coil base prices also shrank further. Recall that at the end of May, the galvanized premium over hot-rolled coil (HRC) averaged $175 per ton. As of this week, that premium had fallen to $150 per ton. Let’s look at […]
US-EU talks on a global arrangement on carbon emissions are back in the news, and the latest is that Europe might have sunk a potential deal with the States, according to reporting from The Financial Times. If no deal is reached, Section 232 tariffs of 25% on steel from the EU could be reinstated. That […]
After failing to reach a new collective labor agreement, port workers on Canada’s West Coast are set to strike as of July 1. Bargaining talks between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU Canada) and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), ongoing since February, have now stalled. ILWU Canada workers have continued to […]
China’s recent reopening, coupled with increased government spending on infrastructure, has led Fitch Ratings to upgrade the outlook for the global steel sector from deteriorating to neutral. The New York-based ratings agency revised China’s steel sector outlook to neutral as well, according to a research note sent to SMU. China’s “stronger-than-expected infrastructure growth and a […]
Our HRC price is flat this week, and there is a roughly 50/50 split between those who think the $50-per-ton sheet price hikes announced earlier this month will stick and those who think they won’t. I’m not going to weigh in on which side could be right. But it doesn’t appear to have fazed domestic mills, […]
New orders for manufactured durable goods increased for the third consecutive month in May, increasing 1.7% from the previous month to $288.2 billion, according to the US Census Bureau. This follows a 1.2% month-over-month (MoM) gain in April, according to Census data. Transportation equipment is also up three consecutive months, up 3.9% to $102.6 billion. The bureau said that […]
Next month is expected to bring some stability after months of falling scrap prices, with sources seeing the market as sideways. “The July market expectations are soft sideways,” one scrap source told SMU. “A stable export market combined with reduced inbound scrap flows should halt the recent run of large price drops.” He said that […]
Companies should keep a watchful eye on pricing and lead times, according to members of the Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) speaking on the June 27 meeting of its Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council. During May’s meeting, most HARDI participants thought that prices would continue to drop. Over half of the individuals thought it […]