Raw steel production by U.S. mills slipped for the third straight week, now down five out of the last six weeks. Domestic raw steel production was estimated at 1,841,000 net tons in the week ending Nov. 6, while the average mill utilization rate dipped to 83.4%, its lowest reading since the week of July 10, […]
North American auto assemblies recovered in October after reaching the lowest monthly total year-to-date in September. October’s production total jumped 18.1% sequentially but was still down 24.6% year on year. The impact of the chip shortage and supply-chain disruptions is still constraining the automotive sector. Semiconductor scarcity and parts delays had further worsened through the […]
October saw a major improvement for the U.S. labor market and a sign of optimism as the latest coronavirus surge eases. The latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the economy created a noteworthy 531,000 new jobs in October following disappointing monthly results in August and September. October’s results included nearly 100,000 […]
U.S. job creation roared back in October as payrolls rose by 531,000, a welcome contrast to the weak outcome the month prior. The mark was unexpected, as total jobs exceeded most estimates by nearly 100,000 and the unemployment rate fell to 4.6%, the Labor Department reported. Private payrolls were even stronger, rising 604,000 as a loss […]
Production disruptions from the semiconductor chip shortage across the U.S. automotive landscape are little changed from Steel Market Update’s mid-October analysis. The widespread stoppages and assembly cuts were piling up through October and into November, but the latest feedback from automakers suggests the shortage may be easing. Last month Toyota announced plans to cut its […]
Canadian distributor Russel Metals has expanded its U.S. footprint by agreeing to acquire Arkansas-based service center Boyd Metals. The deal, valued at $110 million, includes all five of Boyd’s facilities. Boyd’s operations in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas deliver a product mix primarily comprised of carbon steel products. The company also offers stainless steel, aluminum and other industrial […]
Steel tube producer Tenaris saw global sales jump 15% sequentially to $1.75 billion in the third quarter of 2021, with sales 73% above the same year-ago quarter. The successive increase in Q3 was driven by an 8% increase in volumes, aided by a 6% increase in selling prices. Sales surged by 28% in North America to […]
Klöckner & Co. SE posted record results in the third quarter, outperforming a previous record in the second. The company also delivered its highest quarterly operating income since its IPO in 2006. Klöckner credited the unparalleled third-quarter results to “considerably higher” selling prices. The Duisburg, Germany-based service center, which has significant operations in the U.S., […]
The U.S. construction sector slipped in September as spending faded for the second consecutive month following a downward revision in August’s results, the Commerce Department reported. The Census Bureau’s report on construction spending shows that the value of residential construction put in place in September was up 19% year on year but fell 0.4% month […]
The U.S. manufacturing sector continued to expand in October, though output growth was hampered by ongoing material shortages, according to the latest U.S. Manufacturing PMI data from IHS Markit. The report noted that overall output growth eased yet again, slowing to its weakest reading since July 2020 amid capacity constraints including material shortages. A lack […]
Ternium reported net earnings of $1.37 billion in the third quarter of 2021, up from $1.16 billion in the the prior quarter and following a loss of $21 million in the third quarter of 2020. The gains resulted from higher steel prices and strong global demand. Shipments were 3.1 million tons in the third quarter, largely unchanged […]
New orders, production and employment grew in October, while supplier deliveries slowed at faster rate and backlogs lengthened further, said the Institute for Supply Management in its latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business. The Manufacturing PMI fell for the third straight month in October, down 0.3 percentage points to 60.8% in October, but still indicating […]
Raw steel production by U.S. mills slipped for the second consecutive week following their highest tonnage output since the pandemic started just two weeks prior. Domestic raw steel production was estimated at 1,860,000 net tons in the week ending Oct. 30, while the average mill utilization rate was 84.3%, according to the American Iron and […]
Steel Market Update is pleased to share this Premium content with Executive members. For information on upgrading to a Premium-levels subscription, email Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com. World crude steel production fell further in September, contracting for the fourth straight month. Since repeated months of record-breaking output in late Q1 and early Q2, steel production has begun trending down, […]
Gibraltar Industries Inc. reported net income of $27.9 million in its third quarter, down nearly 11.0% from the same period last year due to rising labor costs and supply-chain shortages, company executives said. The Buffalo, N.Y.-based manufacturer and distributor of building products reported a 24.5% increase in revenue to $369.4 million during the period. Sales […]
Allegheny Technologies Inc. (ATI) reported profitability for the first time since Q1 2020, three months ahead of schedule, company executives said on Thursday’s earnings call. The third-quarter net income of $48.7 million – up 35% against second-quarter results – was fueled by an improving aerospace market and a post-strike accelerated recovery. ATI said that production […]
U.S. consumer confidence saw a surprise increase in October, after declining the three months prior, as concerns over the Delta virus improved, reported The Conference Board. The October index recovered by 4.0 points month on month after slipping 5.4 points in September. “Consumer confidence improved in October, reversing a three-month downward trend as concerns about […]
Domestic raw steel production edged down slightly after matching its pandemic-era high the week prior. Production by U.S. mills was estimated at 1,870,000 net tons in the week ending Oct. 23, while the average utilization rate was 84.7%, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Output was down 0.6% compared to the week […]
The BMW Group has reported a deal to source low-carbon steel from H2 Green Steel (H2GS) beginning in 2025. The German automaker will source the green steel from the large-scale, hydrogen-based steel plant H2GS is building in Norrbotten in northern Sweden. At more than 95% lower gross CO2 emissions than conventional production methods, H2GS’s steel will […]
The impact of the pandemic on the domestic construction sector cannot be overstated, as more than two-thirds of U.S. states have struggled to add jobs since the onset of the global health crisis. Only 14 states and the District of Columbia have increased construction jobs since February 2020, reports the Associated General Contractors of America […]
NLMK USA posted record third-quarter earnings supported by strong downstream demand and historically high steel prices. The U.S. subsidiary of NLMK Group – Russia’s largest steelmaker – reported EBITDA of $354 million in the third quarter, a 66% surge from the previous high mark of $213 million in the second quarter and a big jump […]
Existing-home sales recovered in September after waning the month prior, reported the National Association of Realtors. All four of the major U.S. regions registered month-over-month gains, while the South was sideways. Annually, however, only the South held steady, while each of the remaining three regions reported declining sales versus the same year-ago period. September sales […]
The U.S. economy expanded at a modest to moderate rate from late August to early October, said the Federal Reserve in its latest Beige Book report. Overall growth was curbed, though, due to supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and uncertainty around the surging Delta variant. Consumers spent more dollars in travel and tourism activity once again, […]
Manufacturing growth in the state of New York grew at a noticeably lower rate in October compared to September, according to the Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The headline general business conditions index fell nearly 15 points to 19.8 during the month. After climbing by 16 points in September, the headline index nearly lost all the […]
General Motors Co. will extend production downtime at its Orion Assembly through the end of the month, a company spokesperson confirmed to Steel Market Update. The automaker’s Lake Orion, Mich., assembly plant, down since Aug. 23 due to the semiconductor scarcity, will extend its downtime to include the weeks of Oct. 18 and Oct. 25. […]
U.S. raw steel production has recovered after slipping for two straight weeks. Production by U.S. mills was estimated at 1,882,000 net tons in the week ending Oct. 16, while the average utilization rate equaled its highest reading all year at 85.3%, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Output rose by 1.3% compared to […]
Monthly Key Market Indicators, as analysed by Steel Market Update, softened again in the past month. A typical summer slowdown followed by a surge in COVID variant cases, compounded by a lackluster job market, reflects an uneasy economic landscape. Consumer confidence has dwindled, highlighted by decreases in key indicators across the marketplace. SMU’s Key Market Indicators […]
Producer prices posted the smallest advance year-to-date in September, according to data released by the Labor Department. Despite supply chain snarls and shortages that have driven up manufacturing and shipping costs, the negligible expansion kept the historic climb for the index and subcategories for final demand going. Since the fall in early 2020, the composite […]
Global steel demand will grow by 4.5% in 2021 and reach 1.855 billion metric tons following a 0.1% growth the year prior, according to World Steel Association’s (worldsteel) October 2021 Short-Range Outlook (SRO). An additional increase of 2.2% to 1.896 billion metric tons in 2022 is forecast for steel demand worldwide. The current forecast assumes […]
North American auto assemblies fell in September, reaching the second lowest monthly total year-to-date. The impact of the chip shortage and supply-chain disruptions pulled automotive production down nearly 13% month on month. Semiconductor scarcity and parts delays further worsened, reducing vehicle inventories and causing regional sales to tumble during the month, according to LMC Automotive […]