Geoff Gilmore, future president and CEO of Worthington Steel, will be the featured speaker on the next SMU Community Chat on Wednesday, June 14, at 11 a.m. ET. The live webinar is free to attend. A recording will be available to SMU members. You can register here. We’ll talk about current steel market dynamics, the […]
Raw steel production by US mills slipped last week, declining for the first time in five weeks, according to data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Monday, June 12. Domestic production stood at 1,739,000 net tons in the week ended June 10, down 0.9% vs. 1,754,000 tons the previous week. Despite the […]
The latest SMU Market Survey results are now available on our website to all Premium members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the Analysis tab and look under the “Survey Results” section for “Latest Survey Results.” Historical survey results are also available in the Survey Results section under “Survey Results History.” If you need help […]
NLMK USA has published new, lower coating extras that are effective June 8. The steelmaker’s Sharon, Pa.-based galvanizing facility has reduced extras by an average of nearly 14%, according to market participants and the new coating extras sheet. NLMK’s prior extras had taken effect on Aug. 1, 2022. Our website reflects NLMK’s latest coating extras, as […]
Domestic hot band prices are rolling downhill at a rate that looks to be accelerating. As SMU managing editor Michael Cowden pointed out in Tuesday night’s Final Thoughts, present dynamics are eerily like what we saw last summer. And we all know where that led us: to a low of $615 per ton ($30.75 per […]
Hot-rolled coil (HRC) imports remain at a discount to domestic hot band, though the US premium has declined to its lowest margin in over three months, according to SMU’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis. While both offshore and US product continue to decline, domestic HRC just saw its sharpest week-on-week (WoW) fall year to date, […]
Sabel Steel Service Inc. has acquired Beaumont, Texas-based metals service center Sampson Steel Corp., effective Thursday, June 1. “Sampson Steel joins the Sabel Steel family with 107 years of history in the metals industry,” Keith Sabel, president and CEO of Sabel Steel, said in a statement via Linkedin. Stephen Eisen, previously president of Sampson Steel, […]
Editor’s note: Steel Market Update is pleased to share this Premium content with Executive members. For information on how to upgrade to a Premium-level subscription, contact Lindsey Fox at lindsey@steelmarketupdate.com. Prices of steelmaking raw materials have been largely on the decline over the last 30 days, as they were the month prior, the exception being pig […]
Raw steel production by US mills moved higher last week, increasing for the fourth consecutive week, according to data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Tuesday, June 5. Domestic production stood at 1,754,000 net tons in the week ended June 3, up 1% vs. 1,737,000 tons the previous week. Output was still […]
Steel prices continued to erode in May, following a trend that began halfway through the previous month. Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices ended May at $990 per ton ($49.50 per cwt) on average, falling by $130 per ton throughout the month. The SMU Price Momentum Indicator for sheet products remained Lower during May after shifting to […]
The US labor market added 339,000 jobs in May, up from April’s payroll gain of 253,000 and well ahead of consensus estimates of 190,000, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Last month’s result marked the 29th straight month of positive job growth. Despite the surprise jobs gain, the unemployment rate rose to […]
The US economy added 339,000 new jobs in May, according to data from the US Department of Labor. The labor market again outperformed economists’ consensus expectations with another show of resilience, and beating April’s total of 253,000. May’s job growth came despite the Federal Reserve’s aggressive efforts to cool the economy to slow the labor […]
Hot-rolled coil (HRC) imports remain at a discount to domestic hot band tags as both offshore and US product continue to decline at a similar rate, according to SMU’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis. Even as domestic tags have been on a seven-week decline, HRC imports have fallen at a comparable rate, keeping US hot […]
US plate prices have changed little over the past several weeks, and Nucor’s latest price notice – a sideways move – might mean demand is not as robust as recently as mid-April, according to market participants contacted by SMU. The most recent mill increase came from Nucor on April 19, when the steelmaker aimed to increase […]
US light-vehicle (LV) sales rose to an unadjusted 1.35 million units in April, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported. The month-on-month (MoM) boost pushed April’s total 9% higher year-on-year (YoY), and is the eighth consecutive month to see a YoY increase in sales. On an annualized basis, LV sales were up 7.2% MoM in April, […]
Raw steel production by US mills edged up again last week, moving higher for the third straight week, according to data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Tuesday, May 30. Domestic production stood at 1,737,000 net tons in the week ended May 27 vs. 1,728,000 tons the previous week, and the highest […]
North American auto assemblies declined by 15.5% in April, edging down for the first time year-to-date, and for the first time since last November. Last month’s assemblies, however, were still 7.8% higher year-on-year (YoY), according to LMC Automotive data. While supply levels began to rebound in the second half of last year, inventories fell modestly in […]
Nucor Corp. will keep plate prices unchanged with the opening of its July order book. The sideways move by the steelmaker comes after it increased plate prices in March and April, by $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt) and $40 per ton ($2.00 per cwt), respectively, according to SMU’s steel mill price increase calendar. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker […]
The latest SMU Market Survey results are now available on our website to all Premium members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the Analysis tab and look under the “Survey Results” section for “Latest Survey Results.” Historical survey results are also available in the Survey Results section under “Survey Results History.” If you need help […]
Less than half of US states added construction jobs in April, according to Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) figures. Despite the poor employment showing vs. month-ago totals, more than three-quarters of states added construction jobs year-on-year (YoY), the report said. The poor month-on-month (MoM) performance is likely a result of low unemployment rates and […]
Raw steel production by US mills edged up slightly last week, expanding for the second straight week, according to data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Monday, May 22. Domestic production stood at 1,728,000 net tons in the week ended May 20 vs. 1,725,000 tons the previous week. Output was off 2.4% from […]
Foreign cold-rolled coil remains much less expensive than domestic CRC even as prices in the US fall roughly in tandem with those abroad, according to SMU’s latest check of the market. Domestic CRC was, on average, $77 per ton ($3.85 per cwt) more expensive than imported steel in the four regions we track as recently as early February. […]
Hot-rolled coil (HRC) imports are lingering at a notable price discount to domestic hot band tags despite repeated price decreases in the US market, according to SMU’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis. Domestic tags are still markedly more expensive than imported product, as both offshore and US steel prices continue to ease. The price advantage domestic […]
Raw steel production by US mills recovered last week, up 0.8% from the week prior and moving to its highest output since late August 2022, according to data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Monday, May 15. Domestic production stood at 1,725,000 net tons in the week ended May 13 vs. 1,712,000 […]
The latest SMU Market Survey results are now available on our website to all Premium members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the Analysis tab and look under the “Survey Results” section for “Latest Survey Results.” Historical survey results are also available in the Survey Results section under “Survey Results History.” If you need help […]
Hot-rolled coil (HRC) imports remain a feasible alternative despite repeated price decreases in the US market, according to SMU’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis. Domestic tags are still notably more expensive than imported product, as offshore steel prices and US prices decline in tandem. The price advantage domestic HRC had enjoyed over imported material as recently […]
Steel prices peaked at the start of the month, with hot-rolled coil reaching $1,160 per ton ($58 pet cwt) on average on April 10. Tags began to decline near the month’s halfway mark and closed out the month $40 per ton lower at $1,120 per ton. The SMU Price Momentum Indicator for sheet products was […]
Hot-rolled coil (HRC) imports remain attractive to US buyers despite the current price correction in the domestic market, according to SMU’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis. Domestic tags are still significantly more expensive than imported product, namely because offshore steel prices are declining concurrently with US tags. The price advantage domestic HRC had enjoyed over imported […]
The latest SMU Market Survey results are now available on our website to all Premium members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the Analysis tab and look under the “Survey Results” section for “Latest Survey Results.” Historical survey results are also available in the Survey Results section under “Survey Results History.” If you need help […]
Has the domestic hot band pricing rally run its course? Data and market sentiment seem to suggest as much, and prices could indeed be heading down. Hot-rolled coil just slipped for the first time since late November, according to SMU’s latest check of the market. I’m certainly not willing to speculate what will happen next, […]