US Steel said it will begin closing coke-making batteries 1, 2, and 3 at its Clairton plant outside Pittsburgh later this month. First announced in early 2021, the shutdown will take an estimated six days and is expected to be completed by the end of March, the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker said Tuesday. US Steel noted that […]
Raw steel production by US mills rose 0.8% last week from the week prior, according to data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Monday, March 13. Domestic production stood at 1,677,000 net tons in the week ended March 11 vs. 1,664,000 net tons the previous week. It was off 1.9% from 1,710,000 net tons in […]
Canada will no longer accept imports of Russian aluminum and steel, Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Canada, announced on March 10. “Through regulatory amendments under the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations, the importation of all Russian aluminum products, such as unwrought aluminum, aluminum sheets, and finished products including containers and other […]
SSAB Americas has announced plans to increase plate prices by at least $80 per ton ($4 per cwt), the third of its kind in as many months. The notice follows in short order from Nucor’s $50-per-ton increase announced today. The price hike applies equally to rolled, normalized, quenched-and-tempered, and wide cut-to-length plate products. It is […]
The LME aluminium three-month price eased lower again last week and was seen trading Friday at around $2,300 per tonne. Still below the high mark for 2023, recent news from the macroeconomic scene has dampened demand sentiment and prices accordingly. Market participants awaited Jerome Powell’s semi-annual congressional testimony, with Friday’s focus the nonfarm payrolls report. […]
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 […]
US plate prices have steadily increased over the past two weeks, largely in response to repeated mill price hikes. The most recent increase came from Cleveland-Cliffs when the steelmaker aimed to increase base prices for steel plate by at least $60 per ton ($3 per cwt). It was Cliffs’ first official plate price notice in […]
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 […]
The price advantage domestic cold-rolled coil (CRC) had recently enjoyed over imported steel was short-lived, as US mills continue to drive prices higher, according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis of the CRC market. Repeated mill price hikes through February and into March has seen the US CRC price advantage over foreign […]
What a difference a month makes in light of a difficult forecast environment for hot rolled (HR) prices. The mills have been raising HR spot prices faster than folks can track, and the futures appear to be in lockstep as lead times continue to extend. While steel capacity utilization rate seems stuck in the mid-70% […]
February license data indicate that steel imports will have totaled 2.19 million net tons last month, down 16.2% from January. February levels are also down 13.8% when compared to the previous 12-month average. Recall that monthly import levels declined nearly 17% month on month (MoM) in November, before rebounding in December and January. February figures […]
The price advantage domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) had enjoyed over offshore hot band has evaporated as US mills drive prices higher, according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis. Nucor and ArcelorMittal last week announced a target price $1,150 per ton ($57.50 per cwt) for HRC. Market contacts have told SMU that some […]
Aggressive mill price increases are pushing flat-rolled tags up at a sharp clip, rivaling the spike seen in response to the war in Ukraine last March. On Friday, Nucor came out with yet another notice – up an extra $150 per ton ($7.50 per cwt) and setting a new base price for hot band of […]
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 […]
Raw steel production by US mills slipped 0.6% last week from the week prior, according to data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Monday, March 6. Domestic production stood at 1,664,000 net tons in the week ended March 4 vs. 1,674,000 net tons the previous week. It was off 3.8% from 1,729,000 net tons in […]
Despite the economic concerns that lowered consumer sentiment towards the end of 2022, aluminum products demand has held up throughout the first three months of the year. A slowdown from the frenetic post-pandemic pace is apparent. Overall, though, both rollers and extruders comment that conditions are better than expected. The new order index as released […]
Editor’s note: SMU Contributor Michael D’Angelo is a researcher and trader at Marex. In his role, Mike performs fundamental and quantitative analysis, which directly leads to actionable trading/risk management strategies across the base, precious, and ferrous metals derivative spaces. Prior to joining Marex, Mike received a BA in economics with a minor in finance from […]
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 […]
Domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) continues to lose its price advantage over imported steel. The reason: US prices continued to move higher following a wave of domestic mill price hikes that began after Thanksgiving and reached a fever pitch in February with near weekly price increases. US HRC had held a price advantage over foreign hot […]
Last week’s mill price increases continue to make their way into the market. Cliffs’ latest this week – up another $100 per ton ($5 per cwt) and setting a new base price for hot band of $1,100 per ton – has yet to be reflected in today’s pricing. But that hasn’t stopped it from garnering […]
Raw steel production by US mills recovered last week after declining slightly the week prior, according to data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Monday, Feb. 27. The increase pushed capacity utilization up to 74.9%, driven by gains in tons in all regions except for the Northeast. This is up from […]
US plate prices have remained mostly flat this week, a trend we’ve seen since Nucor announced a plate price cut in late November. Recall that in late November, Nucor said it would be lowering plate prices by $140 per ton ($7 per cwt) with the opening of its January order book. Plate tags have varied […]
On the morning of Feb. 24, the White House issued a proclamation to adjust aluminum imports and taking further action under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Following the guidance of the Secretary of Commerce, the president issued an order adding a 200% duty to Russian metal coming into the US. Imported […]
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, the company said in a letter to customers on Friday, Feb. 24. SSAB said […]
Editor’s note: SMU Contributor David Feldstein is president of Rock Trading Advisors. Rock provides customers attached to the steel industry with commodity price risk management services and market intelligence. RTA is registered with the National Futures Association as a Commodity Trade Advisor. David has over 20 years of professional trading experience and has been active […]
Domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) lost its competitive price advantage over imported steel, ending a 16-week run. The turn came as domestic mills continue to drive prices up at a faster clip than mills overseas, according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis. US HRC is approximately 3% more expensive than foreign prices […]
Canadian miner Teck Resources plans to divide into base metals-focused Teck Metals and metallurgical coal miner Elk Valley Resources (EVR). “This transformative transaction creates two strong, sustainable, world-class mining companies committed to responsibly providing essential resources the world needs,” said CEO Jonathan Price. “Both Teck Metals and EVR have high-quality operating assets and strong financial […]
Flack Global Metals (FGM) has reached an agreement with OmniMax International to acquire Fabral, a supplier of metal building solutions. OmniMax and FGM are targeting an end-of-February closing. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Fabral will be the first manufacturer added to FGM and its fourth overall acquisition. With the buy, FGM said it is launching the third segment of its business, a direct-equity investment platform focused on steel-consuming original […]
Galvanized sheet continues to be in high demand, according to members of the Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council. Since the January HARDI meeting, prices have increased, lead times have extended, scrap is up, and zinc is down. Despite the roller coaster, HARDI members remain bullish on demand in general. […]
BlueScope Steel said earnings at its North Star operations in Delta, Ohio, tumbled on lower steel prices in the six months of its fiscal year 2023. The Australian steelmaker reported underlying ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) of $173.4 million in its 1H FY2023 at North Star, down 81% from $925.3 million last year, […]