Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
March 17, 2017
We will begin a new analysis of the flat rolled steel market on Monday with our invitations set to go out at 8 AM on Monday morning. If you receive an invitation please take a moment to click on the link/button contained in the message which will take you to SurveyMonkey.com which hosts our questionnaire. If you would like to be added to our invitee list please send me your name, email address, position and phone number. Please send it to: info@SteelMarketUpdate.com
Registration is open for our next Steel 101: introduction to Steel Making & Market Fundamentals workshop which will be held in Ontario, California and will include a tour of the California Steel Industries steel mill. More details can be found online and we will have hotel information posted on the site by the middle of this week. The April 11-12th workshop in Toledo, Ohio has been sold out for almost a month and we thank those who have registered for that workshop. We also thank North Star BlueScope for their support by allowing our group to tour their mill as part of our workshop.
I will be in the office all week this week. Next week I will be traveling to Las Vegas to speak to the Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA). I am looking forward to getting out west and speaking to the SFIA members.
As always your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, Publisher
John Packard
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Final thoughts
I’ve gotten some questions lately about whether the huge gap between domestic hot-rolled coil (HR) prices and those for cold-rolled (CR) and coated is sustainable. I remember being asked similar questions about the wide spread between HR and plate that developed in early 2022. I thought at the time that there was no way that spread could hold. Turned out, I was wrong. That was humbling. And so I’m not going to make any bold predictions this time.
Final thoughts
We've used the word "unprecedented" a lot over the last four years to describe steel price volatility. Over the last two months – despite earlier predictions of a price surge - we've seen unprecedented stability.
Final thoughts
I was in Las Vegas last week for ISRI’s annual convention. I like Vegas. I’ve had some fun there over the years. (I was married there nearly 20 years ago. We're still together.) And last week was no exception. So let’s start with the big news from Sin City. When the recycled materials industry meets for the big event next year, it will be under the banner of "ReMA" – not "ISRI".
Final thoughts
To the surprise of many — myself included — flat-rolled steel prices appear to be in a holding pattern… again. This is not familiar territory for hot-rolled (HR) coil, at least not over the past few years. Its pricing volatility (as my colleague Michael Cowden has noted in past columns) may rival the elastic moves […]
Final thoughts
I’m writing these Final thoughts from the 2024 ISRI Convention and Exposition in Las Vegas. I wasn’t the only one with the good idea to attend. Approximately 6,625 others did – a new record for the event. So, a big congratulations to ISRI.