Contributor: Laura Miller

Economic growth was modest, at best, from April through early May in most economic districts observed by the Federal Reserve.

A strike outside the ArcelorMittal Mexico plant in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacán, is threatening to impact blast furnace operations at the mill.

The major steel-handling port in Burns Harbor, Ind., is getting substantial infrastructure upgrades.

The US OCTG Manufacturers Association (USOMA) announced that the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency made an initial affirmative determination of duty evasion practices.

Reibus International Inc. is a growing and maturing company, finding its way in the world of steel. Like any youngster, it is moving through growing pains and pushing through to reach new heights. After rapid growth in its infancy, six-year-old Reibus is now naturally transitioning from being a founder-led company to a management-led one, according to its new leader, Jared Rowe.

Let's take a collective deep breath ::in:: and ::out::... And we're back. But where exactly are we? Are steel prices going up or down? Is demand really decelerating or is it an illusion? How is the market navigating the new mill pricing mechanisms?

Raw steel production in the US inched higher for a fourth consecutive week, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported on Tuesday.

After achieving its 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets well ahead of schedule, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has set new reduction goals.

Venture Steel announced plans to expand its flat rolled processing facility in Ramos Arizpe, Coah., Mexico.

Tenaris is blaming unfairly traded OCTG imports flooding the US market for its decision to lay off approximately 170 employees.

The CRU US Midwest hot-rolled (HR) coil index is a dominant and established price benchmark in the US. Many steel-buying contracts are linked to ‘the CRU,’ as it’s commonly called. But how does it work?

Nucor upped its published consumer spot price (CSP) this week.

Non-refillable steel cylinder imports from India are subject to new antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD).

American Heavy Plates is planning an expansion of its processing operations in Ohio.

Mexican steelmaker Talleres y Aceros (TYASA) broke ground this month on the construction of a new special bar quality (SBQ) rolling mill in the state of Veracruz.

Following the announcement earlier this week that the US will hike import tariffs on Chinese goods, including steel and aluminum, Canada’s steel industry called on its government to consider similar tariffs.

SMU surveyed our market contacts this week about steel prices, demand, and the overall marketplace. Below are some of the buyers' responses in their own words to help you get a feel for current and future market conditions. Demand is a big topic of discussion currently. Is it steady, falling, or on the upswing with summer construction heating up? As you can see from the answers below, it depends on who you ask. One buyer’s response sums it up pretty well: “I still see the marketplace as soft/stable with some segments busy, while others tread water.”

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has completed its portion of an expiry review of the antidumping duty orders on welded standard pipe from Pakistan, the Philippines, Turkey, and Vietnam.

The Biden administration announced a series of actions on Tuesday targeting China’s "unfair" trade policies. These actions will, among other things, make imports of steel and aluminum from the Asian nation even more prohibitive.

Prices for hot-rolled (HR) coil in recent weeks have been declining faster than those for galvanized sheet, resulting in a growing price spread between the two steel products.

Wolfe Research Managing Director Timna Tanners cautioned clients about the darkening clouds of a brewing steel sheet storm in the company's Basic Materials Weekly Webcast on Monday. “This one we’ve been talking about for a while, and we feel like the theme is coalescing here,” she said.

Nucor chose to hold its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil steady this week after stunning the market last week with a significant price decline. The steelmaker said in a letter to customers on Monday morning that its $760-per-short-ton (st) CSP base price for HR coil is effective immediately. The price is unchanged from the CSP announced on May 6 but down $65/st from $825/st April 29.

What's the tea in the steel industry this week? Here's the latest SMU gossip column! Just kidding... kind of. Yes, some of the comments we receive in our weekly flat-rolled market steel buyers' survey are honestly too much to put into print. Some make us laugh. Some make us cringe. Some are cryptic. Most are serious. We appreciate them all. Below are some highlights from our survey results this week. Some of the comments that we can share with you are also included, in italics, in the buyers' own words, with minimal editing on our part.

A vote on Friday by the International Trade Commission (ITC) ensures that antidumping duties on certain steel sheet imports from Japan will continue for the mid-term.

Three vocal Republican senators are demanding that President Joe Biden block the sale of U.S. Steel to Japan’s Nippon Steel.

Stelco reported a positive start to 2024 in its first-quarter earnings report on Thursday. And with steady demand and a stable market, the Canadian flat-rolled steelmaker is optimistic for the remainder of the year.

Thyssenkrupp Materials Services is continuing its expansion in North America. It announced the opening of a new steel service center in Sinton, Texas, to primarily serve the automotive, HVAC, and construction markets.

Majestic Steel announced the completion of its flagship Majestic Steel Arkansas facility in Blytheville on the campus of Nucor Steel Hickman.

A surge in data center project planning pushed the Dodge Momentum Index (DMI), a leading indicator for the nonresidential construction sector, higher in April.

United Auto Workers (UAW) members at Stellantis' Warren Stamping Plant in Michigan have voted to authorize a strike at the factory.