This report is an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data and is intended to provide subscribers with a view of the competitive position of sheet steel, aluminum, plastic and wood. The analysis includes some downstream products and a comparison of truck and rail transportation. On Feb. 17, the BLS released its series of […]
In order to slow climate change, steel and aluminum producers around the world will have to go through a fundamental transformation to reduce their greenhouse gases. CRU Group has developed an Emissions Analysis Tool to help them measure and control harmful GHG emissions. More than 700 participants logged into a Feb. 17 webinar to view […]
“Extraordinary challenges on a global scale” is how Reliance Steel & Aluminum CEO Jim Hoffman characterized 2020 during the service center’s conference call this week. However, Hoffman was optimistic about the new year, “As I continue to say, America is going to need Reliance in order to rebuild.” In the fourth quarter, Reliance sales fell […]
The Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users (CAMMU) wants the Biden administration to terminate Section 232 tariffs and quotas on imported steel and aluminum “at once.” The group–which claims to represent more than 30,000 companies and one million workers in downstream metals-consuming sectors–said doing so will save jobs at home and allow the U.S. […]
Section 232 tariffs and quotas have left domestic steelmakers and steel consumers in sharply different realities. One side is investing big at home and enjoying record profits. The other is angry about sharply higher costs and is scouting for more steel abroad. That was the takeaway from a trade roundtable at Steel Market Update’s virtual Tampa […]
Section 232 tariffs on imported steel and aluminum netted the U.S. government nearly $2 billion in its 2020 fiscal year. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) collected $1.3 billion in Section 232 tariffs on imported steel in fiscal 2020 and $500 million in tariffs on imported aluminum, according to a recent report from the agency. […]
Join CRU’s webinar on Feb. 17 on lowering carbon emissions and hear CRU’s leading analysts discuss how the global spotlight on sustainability has challenged commodity industries—namely steel and aluminum supply chains. Why attend? Gain visibility of emissions along the global steel value chain Understand what makes emissions data “good” and why it is necessary, if […]
A decision from the U.S. Court of International Trade upholding Section 232 tariffs on imported steel means any repeal of the trade action will have to come from the Biden administration with the support of Congress, a top American Metals Supply Chain Institute (AMSCI) executive said. AMSCI should know because it went before the same […]
A global semiconductor shortage continues to hobble automotive production in North America with Ford and Stellantis poised to cut production at assembly plants making some of the most popular vehicles in the U.S. Ford’s Dearborn, Mich., truck plant will run one of three production shifts the week of Feb. 8. And its Kansas City, Mo., assembly […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. has been recognized by Fortune as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies in 2021, as well as ranking as the No. 1 best-regarded company in the metals industry. “We are honored by this recognition,” said Mark D. Millett, SDI president and chief executive officer. “Our recognition is testimony to the extraordinary passion […]
Among steelmaking raw materials, the prices of iron ore, pig iron and scrap saw large gains in January compared to months prior, up as much as 86 percent year over year. Coking coal prices, which rebounded compared to recent months, were still down 9 percent in January versus prices one year ago. Zinc prices have declined […]
The American Metals Supply Chain Institute (AMSCI) wants President Joe Biden to repeal Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum. The group, formerly known as the American Institute for International Steel (AIIS), said doing so was necessary for the health of the metals supply chain and the broader U.S. economy. The request: that the Biden […]
President Joe Biden has revoked a decision–made in the waning days of the Trump administration–to remove Section 232 tariffs from aluminum imported from the UAE. “In my view, the available evidence indicates that imports from the UAE may still displace domestic production, and thereby threaten to impair our national security,” Biden wrote in a presidential […]
Steel and scrap prices continued to climb throughout January, fueled by strong demand and tight supply. Hot rolled steel prices surpassed $1,000 per ton in the first week of the year, levels not seen in over a decade. Steel Market Update’s hot rolled price index reached $1,140 per ton by the end of January, up […]
Supply chain disruptions and material shortages slowed global manufacturing expansion in January. The J.P. Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI slipped to 53.5 last month from 43.8 in December and to a three-month low. Overall, however, the manufacturing sector remained robust with most nations reporting expansion in the sector. Production and new orders rose in January, but new […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. turned in a remarkable fourth quarter and 2020 results despite a year fraught with challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. SDI posted its second highest record for yearly steel shipments at 10.7 million tons. The company’s fabrication platform shipped a record 666,000 tons. Metals recycling posted operating income of $45 million in 2020 […]
Earlier this week I received a note from one of our readers regarding the plate price index and the changes we recently made to the index (FOB Mill vs. Delivered pricing). We were asked how we are accomplishing this, and how do our members reconcile the historical data that was based on delivered pricing versus […]
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. has promoted Karla R. Lewis to the role of president and given her a seat on the company’s board of directors. Both moves were effective on Jan. 15 and were part of Reliance’s executive succession plan, the company said. “Karla has been at the center of Reliance’s extremely well executed […]
This report is an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data and is intended to provide subscribers with a view of the competitive positions of sheet steel, aluminum, plastic and wood. The analysis includes some downstream products and a comparison of truck and rail transportation. On Jan. 15, the BLS released its series of […]
By Greg Wittbecker, Advisor, CRU Analysis An administrative change in Washington, D.C., arrives this week. Some of the parties with vested interests in Section 232 are already messaging the Biden administration. On Jan. 13, the American Primary Aluminum Association (APAA), which consists of Century Aluminum and Magnitude Seven Aluminum, sent a letter to President-elect Biden […]
By Greg Wittbecker, Advisor, CRU Analysis The primary aluminum industry has operated with the same technology since the large-scale production process was developed in 1886. It is a carbon-based electrolytic process. This process generates a lot of CO2. Global aluminum producers have been focused on reducing GHG for some time, but efforts have accelerated in […]
By Greg Wittbecker, Advisor, CRU Analysis Like the steel industry, the aluminum industry has long recognized the economic value of scrap. Every time virgin aluminum prices have risen, buyers have accelerated substitution of scrap for virgin metal. Now, economic sensibility has been married to the new focus on sustainability. Consumer-facing market segments are leading the […]
By CRU Analysis Advisor Greg Wittbecker Ford announced in February that it would be all electric in Europe by 2030. This comes on the heels of General Motors stopping production of internal combustion engines (ICE) by 2035. These decisions underscore the shifting landscape in key aluminum applications and use within automotive. Die-castings have always been […]
By CRU Economist Ippolito Tarabini and Multi-Commodity Analyst Zanna Aleksahhina, from CRU’s Steel Sheet Products Monitor There is a global semiconductor shortage. It was ignited by strong demand for consumer electronics during the COVID-19 pandemic and it is now threatening auto production around the world. We expect it to reduce global vehicle output by around […]
By CRU Analysis Advisor Greg Wittbecker In January 2016, Bitcoin was trading at 450 to the U.S. dollar. Recent prices hit over 58,000 and are now trading around 48,000. There are investment advisors suggesting cryptocurrencies should be part of investors’ portfolios. It appears that Bitcoin and its imitators are going mainstream. While this fascination with […]
By CRU Advisor Greg Wittbecker Buyers of aluminum have been spoiled since the global financial crisis by persistent surpluses and relatively benign price action. That is changing. Inventories are Depleting and What Remains is in Strong Hands Global inventories expressed in days of global consumption stood at 78 days ending 2020. This compares to 114 […]
By CRU Analysis Advisor Greg Wittbecker Environmental, social and governance (ESG) is now core to most major corporations. Companies that don’t put strong emphasis on this do so at their peril. Many companies are using ESG as an opportunity to create competitive advantage. These advantages are coming through several approaches. Sustainable Production Sustainability can be […]
By Greg Wittbecker, Advisor, CRU Analysis The grounding of the MV Ever Given in the Suez Canal has multiple repercussions on the global maritime supply chain, but it is especially acute for the aluminum market. Gulf Region Production is Important The Gulf Region in terms of aluminum production comprises Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and […]
By Greg Wittbecker, Advisor, CRU Analysis China has staked out ambitious goals to decarbonize its overall economy. President Xi has said that CO2 emissions will peak before 2030 and that China will be carbon neutral by 2060. The Macro-economic Perspective China generates 28% of global CO2 emissions. Its energy-related emissions are 15% of the world’s […]
By Greg Wittbecker, Advisor, CRU Analysis U.S. Midwest primary aluminum expressed over LME cash is 26-27 cents per pound, touted at “record levels.” In October 2014, Midwest traded premiums reached 23 cents per pound, so on paper we have set a new high….or have we? 2014: the Era of the LME Warehouse Queues We don’t […]