When SMU last reported on foreign hot rolled prices on Jan. 23, we questioned whether the U.S. price attraction may be slipping, as the price spread had shrunk for all three foreign indices we compare. This week we see that has not been the case as German and Italian HRC prices have risen through February, […]
Imports of steel products into the United States appear to have increased in January, based on Commerce Department license data. Precisely how much is difficult to calculate, as quotas on imports of semifinished steel pull licenses forward and skew the data. The 1.7 million tons of semifinished imports licensed in January by companies seeking to […]
Steel prices can’t seem to gain any traction, as hot rolled, cold rolled and plate saw small declines this past week, while coated steel prices saw a small uptick. Steel Market Update’s Price Momentum Indicators remain pointing higher, but with less confidence about the trend. Here is how we see prices this week: Hot Rolled […]
Both steel and scrap prices increased in the month of January, raising with them optimism levels over market conditions one month into the new year. The average price for hot rolled steel rose by about $30 per ton in January. The benchmark price for hot rolled peaked at $610 per ton in mid-January, but ended the […]
U.S active rig counts decreased this past week, while Canadian rigs increased, according to oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The active drill rigs count is important to the steel industry because it is a leading indicator of oil country tubular goods demand. The number of active U.S. rigs fell by 4 to 790, with oil […]
Finished steel imports continued to trend downwards into January, slipping over 200,000 tons from our last update and resting at 1.34 million tons. This is in line with the final November and preliminary December data, but down considerably compared to the 3-month and 12-month moving averages. Based on the latest Commerce Department import license data, […]
Except for a small decline in coated products, steel prices remained largely unchanged in the past week, according to Steel Market Update’s latest check of the market. While SMU’s Price Momentum Indicators continue to point higher, we’ll be watching closely to see if the uptrend in prices is losing steam. Here is how we see […]
The following calculation is used by Steel Market Update to identify the theoretical spread between foreign hot rolled steel prices (delivered to U.S. ports) and domestic 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 other costs […]
Steel prices, which have been trending upward for the past two months, gave a bit back this past week, according to Steel Market Update’s latest check of the market. Whether this is a change of direction or just a brief pause remains to be seen, but SMU’s Price Momentum Indicator continues to point higher. Here […]
Finished steel imports into the United States are trending down a bit in January, compared with December imports and the 12-month moving average. Based on Commerce Department import license applications in the first two weeks of January, the U.S. is on track to import around 1.47 million tons of finished steel this month. That’s roughly […]
U.S and Canadian active rig counts increased this past week, according to oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The active drill rigs count is important to the steel industry because it is a leading indicator of oil country tubular goods demand. The number of active U.S. rigs rose by 15 to 796, with oil rigs up […]
Apparent U.S. steel supply slipped to 8.4 million net tons in November, according to data from the American Iron and Steel Institute and U.S. Department of Commerce. November supply is now at a three-year low, the lowest seen since November 2016 when supply was 8.1 million tons. Apparent steel supply, a proxy for demand, is […]
The price of hot rolled steel topped the $600 per ton mark this week, cresting a psychological barrier that many saw as unreachable two months ago. Opinions are split on how much higher HR can go, and how long it can stay above the $600 level. Prices for all flat rolled products increased by another […]
U.S. raw steel production in November fell 2.2 percent to 7,812,925 net tons, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute in Washington. November production is below the 2019 average of 8,063,863 tons and down 4.2 percent compared to the same month last year. Broken down by production method, 5,646,674 tons (72.3 percent) were produced by […]
The U.S. exported 601,290 tons of steel in November, according to final Census data, a 15 percent decrease from October and down 2 percent from the same month one year ago. This is the lowest level seen since June 2019. November exports were 3.5 percent below the 2019 average of 623,059 tons, and remain significantly […]
November heating and cooling equipment shipments came in at 1.45 million units, up 0.4 percent from the same month one year ago, according to recent data from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). Residential and commercial storage water heater shipments rose 3.5 percent year over year to a combined 701,383 units; 684,329 units were […]
The following calculation is used by Steel Market Update to identify the theoretical spread between foreign hot rolled steel prices (delivered to U.S. ports) and domestic 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 other costs […]
The uptrend in steel prices has continued into the New Year with flat rolled prices increasing by another $10-20 per ton. SMU’s Price Momentum Indicators continue to point higher for all steel products. Here is how we see prices this week: Hot Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $580-$600 per ton ($29.00-$30.00/cwt) with an average […]
U.S active rig counts decreased this past week, as did Canadian rig counts, according to oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The active drill rigs count is important to the steel industry because it is a leading indicator of oil country tubular goods demand. The number of active U.S. rigs fell by 9 to 796, with […]
The industry finished 2019 with steel prices on the rebound. Steel Market Update’s Steel Pricing Momentum Indicator pointed upward in December as the mills worked to collect higher prices announced in four waves beginning in late October. The benchmark price for hot rolled steel rose to more than $570 per ton by the end of […]
Chinese steel trade data was recently released for the month of November 2019, providing updated data on iron ore imports, scrap imports, and flat rolled imports and exports. Chinese imports of iron ore in November totaled 90,652,000 metric tons, a decrease of 2.4 percent from the previous month, but an increase of 5.1 percent from […]
With the month nearly complete, finished steel imports into the United States in December are trending in line with October and November at just over 1.4 million tons, based on Steel Market Update’s projections of Commerce Department license data. Finished steel imports in the fourth quarter have been well below the 12-month average of around […]
The U.S active rig counts increased this past week, while Canadian rig counts declined, according to oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The active drill rigs count is important to the steel industry because it is a leading indicator of oil country tubular goods demand. The number of active U.S. rigs rose by 14 to 813, […]
The following calculation is used by Steel Market Update to identify the theoretical spread between foreign hot rolled steel prices (delivered to U.S. ports) and domestic 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 other costs […]
Flat rolled steel and plate prices remained range-bound this week. The latest price moves by the domestic steel mills (+$40/ton on flat rolled) did not have time to move the needle and take prices higher. As we enter the Christmas and Hanukkah Holidays, we anticipate minimal spot trades over the next couple of weeks. SMU […]
U.S. raw steel production in October rose 3.5 percent to 7,991,393 net tons, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute in Washington. October production is slightly below the 2019 average of 8,088,957 tons and down 4.1 percent compared to the same month last year. Broken down by production method, 5,657,855 tons (70.8 percent) were produced […]
October heating and cooling equipment shipments came in at 1.52 million units, down 2.3 percent from the same month one year ago, according to recent data from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). This is the second consecutive month in which total shipments have decreased on a year-over-year basis. Residential and commercial storage water […]
October apparent steel supply remained steady at 8.7 million net tons, according to data from the American Iron and Steel Institute and U.S. Department of Commerce. October supply is the second lowest level seen in the last 23 months, with the lowest occuring the month prior. Apparent steel supply, a proxy for demand, is determined […]
Flat rolled steel prices increased by $15 per ton or more in the past week, depending on the product, while plate prices rose by $10 per ton, as the mills continued trying to collect their recent price increases. Price momentum is pointing to likely higher prices in the weeks to come as the mills try […]
Total steel imports into the United States are trending toward 2.5 million tons in December, which would be up dramatically over November and higher than the 12-month average. However, imports of semifinished steels, some of which are subject to quota restrictions, are likely to come in well under the current trend of 1.1 million tons. […]