Housing costs continue to rise in the third quarter. New homes are now more expensive than they’ve been in more than a decade, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) said. The result: the housing market has tipped into a recession. The trend has been driven by rising mortgage rates, ongoing building material supply chain […]
The construction industry added just 1,000 employees in October as firms competed to hire from a small labor pool, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) reported after analysis of new government data. The dynamic has continued to drive hourly wages higher, illustrating the struggle construction firms face in their search for qualified workers, the […]
Imported sheet and plate products arrived at US ports at a slower clip in September, accounting for a lower share of the domestic market for the third straight month. That’s according to a Steel Market Update analysis of import data from the US Commerce Department and domestic shipment figures from the American Iron and Steel […]
Total US mill shipments of steel products were down in September, falling to their lowest total year-to-date (YTD). Mill shipments have been fluctuating up and down all year with little consistency. September’s shipments totaled 7.58 million tons, a 7.2% decline from August’s 8.18 million tons, and the lowest total since February 2021. Apparent supply also saw a […]
Steel prices continue to slide, and apparently so does sentiment. Based on SMU’s latest check of the market, sheet prices once again fell across the board, grinding lower and nearing levels some never expected to see again. Speculation that hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices will be at or near the $600-per-ton mark takes center stage with […]
Engineered pipe and tube producer Northwest Pipe Co. posted sharply higher profits for the third quarter ended Sept. 30. The Vancouver, Wash.-based company said the boost was driven by strong demand and increasing backlogs from its engineered pipeline systems and precast products, according to earnings data released on Tuesday, Nov. 8 All told, Northwest Pipe posted net […]
US construction spending in September totaled $1.811 trillion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), just 0.2% above August after August’s 0.6% decline. The unexpected rebound in September came amid a surge in nonresidential investment that offset declining outlays on single-family homebuilding, according to data from the US Commerce Department. The month-on-month (MoM) increase was […]
The US labor market added 261,000 jobs in October, down from an upwardly revised total of 315,000 payroll gains the month prior. Last month’s total, though better than expected, still marked the slowest pace of job gains since December 2020, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The decline in payroll gains […]
The US economy added 261,000 new jobs in October, outperforming consensus expectations but still decelerating to the slowest pace since December 2020, according to data from the US Department of Labor. In contrast, the unemployment rate moved higher last month to 3.7%, after estimates expected the October measure to remain sideways and match the five-decade […]
Raw steel production by US mills continued to slide for a third consecutive week, keeping utilization and output at their lowest levels in nearly two years, according to the latest data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Capability utilization has now remained below the 80% mark for 17 straight weeks. Domestic steel output was […]
The Dodge Momentum Index registered 199.7 in October, up 9.6% from 182.2 September, according to data and analytics from the Dodge Construction Network. Dodge is the leading index for commercial real estate, using the data of planned nonresidential building projects to track spending in the sector for the next 12 months. For October, the index’s subcomponents also […]
Nucor on Thursday confirmed its plate prices would remain unchanged with the opening of its December order book. Though the market was anxiously awaiting the Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker’s announcement, few were surprised by it. Why? It’s not clear that a price decrease at this stage in the fourth quarter would generate buying. And it would devalue […]
Service center chain Olympic Steel posted sharply lower earnings in the third quarter ended Sept. 30 driven by a significant decline in metals prices, according to the company’s Nov. 3 earnings report. The Cleveland, Ohio-based metals service center and processor reported net earnings of $12 million in Q3, down 68% sequentially and 74% year-on-year (YoY). The dip […]
Spending on nonresidential construction now outpaces residential construction projects, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) reported. Construction spending hit $1.811 trillion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate in September, a 0.2% increase versus August and up nearly 11% year-on-year (YoY). “Demand remains strong for a range of nonresidential construction segments despite supply chain challenges […]
Marubeni-Itochu Steel America Inc. (MISA) has acquired Worthington Specialty Processing (WSP), a joint venture between Worthington Industries and United States Steel Corp. The New York-based value-added steel and aluminum processor and North American subsidiary of Japan’s Marubeni-Itochu Steel Inc. acquired WSP’s only remaining facility in Jackson, Mich. in an all-cash deal for an undisclosed sum. […]
Apparent demand for flat-rolled steel in the US edged down slightly in SMU’s latest analysis of demand and lead time dynamics. Despite the slight decline in the latter half of October, the month’s SMU Steel Demand Index closed out roughly 2.5 points above September’s reading but remained in contracting territory for the sixth straight month […]
Ryerson is expanding its value-added portfolio with the addition of a West Coast fabrication and machining company, in a move likened to its purchases of Specialty Metals Processing and Apogee Steel Fabrication over the past 12 months. The Chicago-based metals service center group has acquired Fresno, Calif.-based Excelsior Inc. for an undisclosed sum. “Excelsior has […]
US plate prices were unchanged this week — the first sideways move in nearly a month. Tags had been eroding slowly of late though buyers have remained largely on the sidelines of the spot market, focused on managing inventories. Nucor’s $120-per-ton ($6-per-cwt) price cut on plate back in mid-September now serves as the top end […]
US manufacturing activity grew at its slowest pace since May 2020, nearly falling in October to the neutral 50.0 mark — the level that typically divides expansion from contraction, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). The latest update was slightly ahead of consensus forecasts of a neutral reading amid rising borrowing costs and […]
Raw steel production by US mills slipped again last week, pushing utilization to its lowest rate since the week ended Dec. 26, 2020. Capability utilization has now remained below the 80% mark for 16 straight weeks. Domestic steel output was 1,663,000 net tons in the week ending Oct. 29, its lowest level since it totaled 1,650,000 […]
New orders for US-manufactured durable goods rose in September to a seasonally adjusted $274.7 billion — having risen now for six out of the last seven months. Orders picked up less than expected but still reversed the weaker showings of previous months. Last month’s bookings for durable goods were up roughly 0.04% or $1 billion more […]
World crude steel production edged up slightly month-on-moth (MoM) in September, though driven almost singlehandedly by Chinese output. Global production was also up 5.1% versus the same period last year, according to World Steel Association (worldsteel) data. September’s output gained marginal ground when compared to August, up just 0.7%, but expanding for the second consecutive […]
The US economy posted its first period of growth for 2022 in the third quarter. Gross domestic production (GDP) accelerated to a 2.6% annualized pace for the period, temporarily stymying recession fears, according to the advanced estimate from the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The latest GDP reading follows two consecutive negative […]
US consumer confidence slipped in October after two straight monthly increases amid rising concerns about inflation and a possible recession next year. Despite the decline, households remain keen to purchase big-ticket items like motor vehicles and appliances, The Conference Board reported. Though down, October’s results still pointed to decent consumer buying, as more consumers planned […]
US Steel Corp. recorded sharply lower profits in the third quarter of 2022 both sequentially and versus the same quarter last year, driven by lower steel prices and higher input costs. Despite the lower earnings, the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker remains on pace for its second-best financial year in the company’s history thanks to stronger margins in the […]
Global crude steel production was estimated at 151.7 million metric tons in September as steelmakers around the globe increased output by 7.3 million metric tons, or 5.1%, from the same period last year, the World Steel Association (worldsteel) reported. Last month’s estimated production was also up sequentially, edging up by just 0.7%, or 1.1 million […]
Don’t look now but sheet price erosion continues, with tags across all flat-rolled products inching lower this week, according to SMU’s latest check of the market. For some time now we’ve been trying to gauge SMU survey respondents’ sentiment and their sense of market direction by asking when they think HRC prices will bottom out […]
Demand for design services from US architecture firms continued to grow in September, though the pace of growth declined month-on-month (MoM). The September AIA Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score slipped last month after rising for the first time in five months in August. Despite the MoM decline, the development also marked the 20th consecutive month of […]
Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc. said its fourth quarter ended Aug. 31 results were negatively impacted by declining ferrous and nonferrous sales prices and demand. The trend partially offsets the benefits of strong prices for its finished steel products. Tighter supply flows and an extended outage at its Everett, Mass., recycling facility were partly to blame […]
Nearly two-thirds of US states added construction jobs month-on-month (MoM) in September. Most also boosted construction employment during the past twelve months, according to Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) figures. AGC said the job gains were welcome news even if significant labor shortages probably prevented an even bigger upswing in employment. “While it is encouraging […]