Housing’s share of the economy edged higher at the start of 2022 due in part to a surprise drop in GDP growth. For the first quarter of 2022, overall GDP growth declined at a 1.4% annual rate, driven by increased inventories and a jump in imports, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ analysis […]
The Chicago Business Barometer stumbled in April after exceeding expectations the month prior, according to the latest indicators from Market News International (MNI) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). The measure, also known as the Chicago PMI, has seen some extreme fluctuation in the early going of 2022. April’s decrease comes after the index […]
The US economy shrank in the first quarter of 2022 with gross domestic production declining at a 1.4% annualized pace. The drop was a sharp reversal from an annual growth rate of 6.9% from October through December, according to the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The initial estimate for Q1 was the […]
Monthly Key Market Indicators improved slightly through March, though sentiment remains cautious, according to the latest analysis by Steel Market Update. Neutral and positive indicators have increased, while negative indicators have eased. Consumers and businesses continue to spend even though economic dynamics remain in flux, with supply disruptions weighing on the economy. While inflation continues […]
Ford Motor Co. will idle some production of the Ford Mustang sports car due to the ongoing global semiconductor chip shortage, a company spokesperson told Steel Market Update (SMU). Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant located just 24 miles south of downtown Detroit, Mich., will see a production outage on Thursday, April 28 and Friday, April […]
Sales of new single-family homes fell 8.6% in March compared to the month prior because buyers were deterred by higher prices. The sticker shock results largely from supply chain disruptions and rising mortgage rates. The seasonally adjusted rate in March was 763,000, down an even steeper 12.6% compared to March 2021, the US Department of […]
Ternium plans to continue to invest heavily in and to grow its North American presence – including in the US, company CEO Máximo Vedoya said. Case in point: The Latin American steelmaker is considering a new United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) compliant greenfield electric-arc furnace facility. “An announcement could still be seen in either 2022 or 2023 – we […]
New orders for US manufactured durable goods rebounded in March after sinking for the first time in five months in February. Last month’s bookings for durable goods rose 0.8% following a revised 1.7% decline a month earlier, according to the Commerce Department. The value of core capital goods orders – a proxy for investment in […]
Ternium reported net earnings of $877.5 million in the first quarter of 2022, down from $1.14 billion in the prior quarter but up 24.2% from $706.7 million in the first quarter of 2021. The Latin American flat-rolled steelmaker posted first quarter net sales of $4.30 billion, a 32% compared to the first quarter of last […]
Distributors who sell galvanized steel products to the construction and HVAC sectors are still seeing strong demand despite record-high prices. But the flurry of buying that happened immediately following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine has slowed, members of the Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) said in their monthly conference call on Tuesday. […]
Swedish steelmaker SSAB posted a strong start to 2022 with better-than-expected first-quarter results. The solid performance across all divisions was thanks to high steel prices, offsetting disruptions in Raahe, Finland, and Americas’ operations, the company said. SSAB Americas’ revenue was $7.465 billion Swedish krona ($767 million USD) in the first quarter of 2022, more than […]
Raw steel production by US mills expanded again last week, now rising for a third straight week. Utilization rates grew further, reaching its highest mark in 13 weeks. Domestic output totaled 1,784,000 net tons in the week ending April 23, while mill capacity utilization was 81.7, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute. US output […]
Global crude steel production was estimated at 161.1 million metric tons in March as steelmakers around the world expanded output by 18.4 million metric tons, or 12.9%, from the prior month, the World Steel Association (worldsteel) reported. Since reaching an all-time high of 174.4 million metric tons last May, global steel output had waned in […]
US Steel is planning a 21-day maintenance outage on its No. 3 blast furnace at its Mon Valley Works in western Pennsylvania, a company spokeswoman confirmed to Steel Market Update (SMU). The outage, scheduled for mid-October, will be used to apply shotcrete – a sprayed concrete – and other standard upkeep. The furnace is located […]
Nucor Corp. is partnering with the University of Kentucky (UK) Research Foundation on a new carbon dioxide capture system at the steelmaker’s Gallatin sheet mill in Ghent, Ky. The innovative research partnership between Nucor and UK is one of 12 federally funded research projects by a Department of Energy (DOE) grant to advance point-source carbon […]
General Motors will take a week-long downtime at its Bowling Green, Ky., assembly starting Monday, April 25, a company spokesperson told Steel Market Update (SMU). “Only plant down next week is Bowling Green,” he said. “Last-minute issue popped up – a part shortage, not chip-related.” The plant specializes in assembling GM’s Y-body sports cars. The […]
Demand for design services from architecture firms in the US expanded sharply in March, following a more modest increase over the previous three months. The gain marked the 14th consecutive month of growth following the pandemic-induced downturn in 2020. March’s AIA’s Architecture Billings Index registered 58.0, according to the latest report from the American Institute […]
Imports of less expensive sheet and plate products continue to arrive at US ports, but at a slower pace. February marked only the second decrease in overall flat product imports in 10 months, according to Commerce Department data. Imports’ share of the US sheet and plate products markets peaked in December, reaching their highest levels in the […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) expects that its new electric-arc furnace sheet mill in Sinton, Texas, will reach a run rate of approximately 80% by the end of the third quarter and over 90% by year-end, company executives said during the quarterly earnings conference call on Thursday. The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker has said that it […]
Existing-home sales fell in March for the second consecutive month, according to the National Association of Realtors. Three out of the four major US regions saw sales fall month-over-month in March while holding steady in the West. Sales were down across each region year-over-year. March sales fell 2.7% from February to a seasonally adjusted annual […]
Housing starts declined in March, driven by rising mortgage interest rates and ongoing supply chain bottlenecks that continue to delay construction projects and raise home building costs. Though the single-family housing market showed signs of softening last month, strong multifamily production pushed overall housing starts up 0.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.79 […]
Business activity in the state of New York expanded markedly in April, following the first decline in the headline index since the onset of the global pandemic nearly two years ago, according to the Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The headline general business conditions index is now at 24.6 (above the neutral mark of 0), surging 36.4 points […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) posted better-than-expected results for the first quarter of 2022. Earnings surpassed the consensus estimate by 8.1% while sales exceeded expectations by 5.5% to start the year, according to data from Zacks. The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker’s strong results came thanks to record steel shipments and increased production. The company said it […]
Builder confidence fell in April as strong headwinds continue to erode housing affordability and delay projects, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Homebuilder sentiment fell for the fourth straight month, as rapidly rising interest rates combined with ongoing home price increases and higher construction costs continue to take […]
Contrary to the support echoed from domestic iron and steel organizations, the new ‘Buy America’ mandates introduced by the White House have drawn strong criticism from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). The association suggests that such measures laid out under the guidance will undermine the nation’s ability to build and improve infrastructure. “AGC […]
Construction employment exceeded pre-pandemic levels in just 32 states in March, as record-high job openings held back hiring, said the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) in its latest analysis of federal employment data. “Contractors have been adding workers as fast as they can find them,” said Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief economist. “But there just […]
Raw steel production by US mills grew last week, expanding for the second straight week. Utilization rates exceeded the 80% mark for the first time in four weeks. Domestic output totaled 1,766,000 net tons in the week ending April 16, while mill capacity utilization was 80.9%, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute. US output […]
Michael McQuade, Algoma Steel’s chief executive officer, will retire on June 1. Michael Garcia has been named to succeed him. McQuade will continue to serve on the company’s board of directors, where Garcia will also join concurrent with his appointment as CEO, the company said. “Mike McQuade has provided exemplary leadership through this transition period, […]
The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) both praised the White House guidance to federal agencies outlining obligations to procure materials domestically for infrastructure projects. “We appreciate the commitment of the Biden-Harris administration to ensure that all federally-funded infrastructure and public works projects use iron, steel and other products that […]
Toyota North America has slashed its April production by an estimated 47,000 vehicles, with more reductions in May still possible due to the prolonged global microchip and parts shortage, a company spokesperson told Steel Market Update (SMU). “Toyota’s North American plants continue to face intermittent production delays due to supply chain disruptions,” she said. “We […]