Some automakers have ramped up production and shipments after securing enough microchips, but others continue to struggle with the global semiconductor shortage. Stellantis (formerly Chrysler) will idle is assembly plants in Belvidere, Ill.; Windsor, Ontario; and Toluca, Mexico, for the rest of June “due to the unprecedented global microchip shortage,” a company spokeswoman said. The […]
The traditional correlations between finished steel and scrap prices have broken down this year, and historical spreads might remain off-kilter as more electric-arc furnace (EAF) mills come online globally, CRU Senior Analyst Ryan McKinley said. Crude steel output via EAFs in North America is expected to grow by about 16 million metric tonnes, approximately 20%, […]
Evraz North America aims to resume steelmaking operations at its mill in Pueblo, Colo., the week of June 21, a company spokesman said. Rolling operations are likely to restart shortly thereafter, he said. An explosion at the Pueblo steel mill in late May disrupted production and resulted in eight people being injured, three critically. Seven […]
General Motors continues to ramp up production thanks to an increased supply of microchips, a company spokesman said. The Detroit-based automaker, the largest in the U.S, has also decided not to take typical summer downtime at some plants as it looks to make up for production lost earlier in the year because of a global chip […]
The U.S. and the EU have agreed to “resolve tensions” stemming from Section 232 by year end–but that doesn’t mean the national security tariffs will be lifted anytime soon, the head of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) said. “I don’t see anything happening before the end of this year. This is a complicated […]
The White House has confirmed that the United States and the European Union are in discussions to resolve “existing differences” on Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum from the EU before the end of the year. “We are determined to work together to resolve tensions arising from the U.S. application of tariffs on imports […]
SMU’s Community Chat webinar with Bank of America metals and mining analyst Timna Tanners last week was our second-best attended ever. Barry Zekelman, executive chairman and CEO of Zekelman Industries, still holds the title. But Tanners gave him a run for his money. We received more questions during the webinar than we were able to […]
SMU’s steel buyers’ sentiment index has hit its highest point ever – surpassing even the euphoria ahead of the unveiling of Section 232 tariffs and quotas in the first quarter of 2018. Stratospheric price gains, the potential for Section 232 to be removed from the EU by December, and a raft of new capacity coming online in North America […]
SMU’s steel buyers’ sentiment index has hit its highest point ever – surpassing even the euphoria ahead of the unveiling of Section 232 tariffs and quotas in the first quarter of 2018. Stratospheric price gains, the potential for Section 232 to be removed from the EU by December, and a raft of new capacity coming online in North America […]
SMU caught up with Ternium CEO Máximo Vedoya about the Latin American steelmaker’s plans for its new, $1.1-billion hot strip mill in in Pesquería, just outside of Monterrey, Mexico. The new mill – also known as #4 Pesqueria – sports capacity of 4.4 million tons per year. It rolled its first coils in May and Vedoya […]
The energy tubulars market is still waiting for the boom flat-rolled steel prices – the sector’s primary input cost – to flow through to pipe selling prices, according to one industry expert. On the face of it, things look good. Oil prices are improving, the rig count is up dramatically versus a year ago, and […]
U.S. ferrous scrap prices have settled up $60 per gross ton on prime grades and up $50 per gross ton on obsoletes, according to market participants. “Regional markets were very consistent with the up $50 (per gross ton) on obsolete grades and up $60 (per gross ton) for primes,” one scrap executive said. “This resulted […]
U.S. Steel has agreed to sell its Transtar LLC railroad subsidiary to an affiliate of Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC (FTAI) for $640 million. The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker said it expects the deal to close in the third quarter of this year pending customary closing conditions and certain regulatory approvals. Money from the sale will […]
The U.S. Commerce Department has determined that coated flat-rolled steel made in Malaysia from Chinese or Taiwanese substrate circumvents U.S. anti-dumping and countervailing duties. As a result, coated product from Malaysia could be subject to duties of more than 200% if it is determined to be made from Chinese hot-rolled coil or cold-rolled coil, according […]
I want to thank the National Association of Steel Pipe Distributors for giving me a chance to open their summer conference in Denver last week. I spoke about – what else, these days – steel prices. During the Q&A afterward and on the sidelines of the event, it was clear people were worried about (a) […]
I want to thank the National Association of Steel Pipe Distributors for giving me a chance to open their summer conference in Denver last week. I spoke about – what else, these days – steel prices. During the Q&A afterward and on the sidelines of the event, it was clear people were worried about (a) […]
ArcelorMittal Mexico plans to start up its new hot strip mill in Lázaro Cárdenas in Mexico’s Michoacán state in the fourth quarter of this year, a company spokeswoman said. The hot strip mill cost $1 billion and is expected to have annual capacity of 2.75 million tons per year (tpy), according to an ArcelorMittal press […]
Several automakers are resuming normal production – or levels closer to normal – even as others continue to grapple with the global microchip shortage. Case in point: Toyota has restarted production at its North American assembly plants. “We’ve resumed normal operations at all plants, but we are still experiencing periodic challenges,” a company spokeswoman told […]
Steel Market Update is pleased to announce that Timna Tanners, metals and mining analyst at Bank of America, will be the featured speaker for our next Community Chat webinar on Wednesday, June 9, at 11 a.m. ET. Tanners will speak about the steel industry of the future. That future is likely to include an increased […]
Steel Market Update is pleased to announce that Timna Tanners, metals and mining analyst at Bank of America, will be the featured speaker for our next Community Chat webinar on Wednesday, June 9, at 11 a.m. ET. Tanners will speak about the steel industry of the future. That future is likely to include an increased […]
Steel Market Update is pleased to announce that Timna Tanners, metals and mining analyst at Bank of America, will be the featured speaker for our next Community Chat webinar on Wednesday, June 9, at 11 a.m. ET. Tanners will speak about the steel industry of the future. That future is likely to include an increased […]
Steel Market Update is pleased to announce that Timna Tanners, metals and mining analyst at Bank of America, will be the featured speaker for our next Community Chat webinar on Wednesday, June 9, at 11 a.m. ET. Tanners will speak about the steel industry of the future. That future is likely to include an increased […]
An explosion over the weekend at Evraz North America’s steel mill in Pueblo, Colo., injured eight people, three of them critically, a union official told Steel Market Update. The resulting damage will disrupt production at the mill given that its electric arc furnace (EAF) feeds three downstream operations, some of which do not have an […]
General Motors (GM) is restarting production at assembly plants that had been idled – some since early February – because of the global semiconductor shortage. The restarts include not only plants in North America but also facilities in South Korea, a spokesman for the Detroit-based automaker said. U.S. steelmakers have said that auto companies would […]
Cleveland-Cliffs is ramping up the No. 5 blast furnace at its steel mill in Cleveland, Ohio, after a minor incident earlier in the week, according to market participants. A blowout on a tuyere resulted in limited damage, including melted wiring, and led to the furnace being down for several days, a source familiar with the […]
The U.S. steel industry stands to benefit in a big way should the government put a price on carbon emissions, according to a study by CRU, Steel Market Update’s parent company. CRU examined the potential impact of a standard fee on carbon emissions and an equivalent border carbon adjustment (BCA) and found that such policies could […]
Steel buyers’ sentiment remains firmly in bullish territory even as carbon steel prices are nearing levels more commonly associated with stainless steel or even aluminum. While some sources continue to fret about the steep downside risk of current high prices, most have gotten over their initial sticker shock and are busy trying to secure enough […]
U.S. Steel has completed a 25-day maintenance outage on the No. 1 blast furnace at its Mon Valley Works in western Pennsylvania, a company spokeswoman said. The outage was part of the steelmaker’s normal maintenance program. The downtime was used to apply shotcrete–a sprayed concrete–and other standard upkeep, sources have said. The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker said on its first-quarter earnings […]
Privately held Canadian steelmaker Algoma Steel has agreed to be taken over and taken public in a deal valued at as much as $1.7 billion, the company said. Proceeds from the initial public offering (IPO) might result in the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario-based company becoming the latest producer to switch from integrated to electric arc […]
Much attention has been paid to how much new electric-arc furnace (EAF) flat-rolled steel capacity is being added to the North American market. Less has been written about how many tons of integrated steelmaking capacity have been taken out. An analysis by Steel Market Update indicates that the latter figure is perhaps equally significant. It […]