The Dodge Momentum Index rebounded in September after contracting for three successive months. The index registered 164.9 in September, an 11% gain against the revised August reading of 148.0, according to data and analytics from the Dodge Construction Network. The improved Momentum Index in September suggests developers are looking past the current concerns over pricing, […]
U.S. steel product shipments rose for a fourth consecutive month in August, but at a slower pace, just 0.6% above July’s total. Despite the slow pace of growth, steel product shipments have been on a steady upward trend for much of the year. Although the expansion in steel product shipments and new orders continued, the […]
The U.S. manufacturing sector continued strong in September, though the PMI dropped to a five-month low due to ongoing material and labor shortages, according to the latest U.S. Manufacturing PMI data from IHS Markit. “The U.S. manufacturing sector continues to run hot, with demand once again racing well ahead of production capacity as firms report […]
The U.S. construction sector was virtually unchanged in August, as spending was largely flat for a second straight month. Increase in public sector projects was offset by weakness in the private sector, the Commerce Department reported. Supply chain disruptions, rising materials prices and labor shortages continue to keep the construction sector captive. The trend has […]
Total construction spending was flat for a second consecutive month in August, as a decrease in nonresidential projects offset continuing gains in residential construction, reported the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Spending on infrastructure year-to-date declined when compared to the same year-ago period, leading the AGC to urge the House of Representatives to promptly […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has a new three-year labor agreement with United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 3044, which represents approximately 350 workers at the steelmaker’s Rockport Works near Rockport, Ind. The new contract is retroactively effective from Oct. 1, 2021, through Sept. 30, 2024. “Our union workforce is at the core of not just what we do […]
Domestic raw steel production slipped in the week ending Oct. 2, remaining just under the pandemic-era high seen the month prior. According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), production by U.S. mills was estimated at 1,827,000 net tons while the average mill utilization rate was 84.8%. Output edged down slightly by 0.4 of […]
The paralyzing blows from the semiconductor chip scarcity haven’t just been limited to automakers. Supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and logistical constraints have been decimating the domestic manufacturing sector at a similar clip, as detailed in a recently released white paper by a coalition of four major manufacturing associations. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturing […]
Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc., expects to deliver its best fiscal fourth quarter operating performance since 2011 thanks to high prices and strong demand for both ferrous and nonferrous scrap, as well as strong demand for finished steel products. The Portland Ore.-based scrap recycler and long steel producer announced preliminary results for its fourth quarter and […]
Job losses continue to have widespread effect on the construction sector. Nearly one-third of U.S. metro areas lost construction jobs during the 12-month period ended August 2021, reports the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) in its latest analysis of government data. As the fate of a bipartisan infrastructure bill remains uncertain in the U.S. […]
U.S. steel product shipments grew for the third straight month in July, up 2.8% from the prior month. Following some irregularity to start the year after bottoming out in May 2020, steel product shipments have been on a steady upward trend. Mill outages, factory curtailments, seasonal disruptions, and COVID-related closures slowed steel products’ shipments to […]
U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) grew by a healthy 6.7% in the second quarter of 2021 on an annualized basis, slightly faster than the 6.6% previously estimated, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). This third and final review was adjusted higher thanks to upward revisions in personal consumption expenditures, exports and private inventory […]
U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) grew at a 2.0% annual rate in the third quarter, the slowest pace in more than a year, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The Delta variant is likely to blame for slowing U.S. economic growth in the third quarter. Consumer spending was stifled as the new strain of […]
Stupp Corp. said it plans to lay off 45 workers at its Baton Rouge, La., pipe manufacturing plant in November. The layoffs will begin on Nov. 6, according to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice filed with the Louisiana Workforce Commission earlier in the month. The Baton Rouge-based pipe manufacturer said in the […]
Worthington Industries Inc. reported net sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2022 totaling $1.1 billion, up 58% from $702.9 million in the year-ago quarter. The increase was driven primarily by higher average direct selling prices in Steel Processing and by higher overall volume improvements, the company said. “We again delivered record adjusted earnings per […]
Worthington Industries Inc. has agreed to buy Tempel Steel Company, a manufacturer of precision motor and transformer laminations for the electrical steel market, for roughly $255 million. The move by the Columbus-based steel processor will boost its position in the growing electric vehicle (EV) landscape, the company said. Tempel Steel, headquartered in Chicago and founded […]
U.S. consumer confidence declined for the third straight month in September, following a downward revision for the month prior, according to the latest data from The Conference Board. The September index fell by 5.9 points month on month after slipping 9.9 points in August. “Consumer confidence dropped in September as the spread of the Delta variant […]
World crude steel production contracted for the third consecutive month in August, a complete reversal from the repeated months of record-breaking output from March through May, according to World Steel Association (worldsteel) data. Global production in August, at an estimated 156.8 million metric tons, declined 3.0% from July, and was 1.4% lower than the same […]
L.B. Foster Company has completed the sale of its piling products division to JD Fields & Co. Inc. for $24 million. The business unit had $43 million in sales for the first six months of 2021 and $59 million in 2020. The deal, which concluded on Friday, Sept. 24., included inventory plus steel yards in […]
Domestic raw steel production crept up in the week ending Sept. 25, recovering from the slight dip the week prior and landing just under the pandemic-era high seen earlier in the month. According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), production by U.S. mills was estimated at 1,880,000 net tons while the average utilization […]
North American auto assemblies rebounded in August after light vehicle production hit a 14-month low the prior month. Despite the increase, the impact of the chip shortage continued to worsen, diminishing vehicle inventories and pushing regional sales down during the month, according to LMC Automotive (LMCA). Total North American vehicle production, including personal and commercial […]
(Editor’s note: This article corrects an earlier version that inaccurately reported the company is planning a new EAF. The plan is for a new paint line.) BlueScope Steel Ltd. is looking to build a new facility in the eastern U.S., the company said during its recent investor webcast. Mark Vassella, CEO of Melbourne, Australia-based steelmaker, […]
Steelmakers around the world produced an estimated 156.8 million metric tons of crude steel in August, down 3.0% or 4.9 million metric tons from the month prior, reported the World Steel Association (worldsteel). Cutbacks in China accounted for much of the decrease. Global steel production in August was also down 1.4% compared to the same […]
(Editor’s note: This article corrects an earlier version that inaccurately reported the company is planning a new EAF, rather than just a paint line.) BlueScope Steel Ltd. is looking to build a new facility in the eastern U.S., the company said during its recent investor webcast. Mark Vassella, CEO of Melbourne, Australia-based steelmaker, said the […]
North Star BlueScope intends to take a 10-day outage in November at its flat-rolled steel mill in Delta, Ohio, according to SMU sources. The scheduled outage planned for the first week of November will be the final step to tie the new electric arc furnace and caster into the existing mill. The downtime is expected […]
Monthly Key Market Indicators, as analysed by Steel Market Update, slipped again in the past month, albeit slightly. The typical summer slowdown may have been compounded by the ongoing drag of COVID-19 as well as an uneasy economic and political landscape. Markers for the Present Situation have contracted for a third straight month and Trends […]
Housing starts increased 3.9% in August, propelled by a surge in multifamily production while single-family starts edged lower. The rise brought the seasonally adjusted annual rate to 1.62 million units, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ongoing supply chain limitations and labor challenges […]
Builder confidence ended a three-month decline in September, edging up slightly following some correction in lumber prices and strong housing demand, according to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Although the housing sector continues to struggle with supply chain disruptions and labor challenges that are impacting housing affordability, builder sentiment for newly built single-family […]
Domestic raw steel production edged down marginally in the week ending Sept. 18 after climbing to a new pandemic-era high the week prior. According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), production by U.S. mills was estimated at 1,874,000 net tons while the average utilization rate was 84.9%. Mill utilization has fluctuated in recent weeks […]
U.S. domestic steel demand remains strong, but supplies have been catching up and are largely in balance. These dynamics are starting to show as steel prices have seen a slower rate of rise and may be near a peak. Lead times are also contracting, with hot rolled now below nine weeks. These changes are largely a […]