Tag: Automotive

We weren’t supposed to see hot-rolled coil prices dip below $800 per ton ($40 per cwt) anytime soon.

Nucor has completed slightly more than 50% of a $10-billion capital expenditures plan to grow its core steelmaking operations, Leon Topalian, company chair, president, and CEO, said in a second-quarter earnings conference call with investors.

We weren’t supposed to see hot-rolled coil prices dip below $800 per ton ($40 per cwt) anytime soon. Or at least that seemed to be the consensus in mid-June after mills rolled out a round of $50-per-ton price hikes, with a second round rumored to be in the works. That second round of price hikes […]

Nucor has completed slightly more than 50% of a $10-billion capital expenditures plan to grow its core steelmaking operations, Leon Topalian, company chair, president, and CEO, said in a second-quarter earnings conference call with investors. Here is an update regarding several of the Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker’s projects. Nucor Steel Gallatin (Sheet and Tube) Topalian said the […]

Cleveland-Cliffs is now charging its automotive customers a premium for its lower-carbon steel. The steelmaker has recently introduced a surcharge of $40 per net ton ($44 per metric ton or $2 per cwt) to each ton of steel made with Cliffs’ hot-briquetted iron (HBI). They are calling it the “Cliffs H” surcharge, chairman, president and […]

Cleveland-Cliffs is now charging its automotive customers a premium for its lower-carbon steel.

Cleveland-Cliffs swung to a profit in the second quarter after losing money in the first. The Cleveland-based steelmaker and iron ore miner predicted that the good times would continue to roll into the second half on what is said was continued strength in automotive demand. “While the performance of our automotive clients continues to improve, […]

I’ll dive into the latest sheet market trends in a moment. But first some big news: We’re less than a month away from the start of SMU’s Steel Summit in Atlanta! Nearly 1,100 people were registered to attend when I last checked on Friday. The pace of registrations has picked up, so we’ll probably be […]

I’ll dive into the latest sheet market trends in a moment. But first some big news: We’re less than a month away from the start of SMU’s Steel Summit in Atlanta! Nearly 1,100 people were registered to attend when I last checked on Friday. The pace of registrations has picked up, so we’ll probably be […]

Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) posted lower year-over-year second quarter profits but said demand “remains solid” across the automotive, construction, industrial, and energy sectors. The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker also predicted that steel prices might find support thanks to what it described as low customer inventories. “We remain confident that market conditions are in place for […]

Hot-rolled coil prices remain rangebound between roughly $850-900 per ton ($42.50-45 per cwt), according to our latest market check. You could say that’s not news. Our HRC index settled at $870 per ton on Tuesday afternoon. A week-over-week decline of $20 per ton from $890 last week might be little more than noise. You’d want to […]

 The US Federal Reserve said that overall economic activity has inched up since May in its latest Beige Book Report released on July 12. The Beige Book is a compilation of information on current economic conditions, gathered by each district Federal Reserve Bank, and is published eight times per year. The newest report by the Fed on the state […]

Hot-rolled coil prices remain rangebound between roughly $850-900 per ton ($42.50-45 per cwt), according to our latest market check. You could say that’s not news. Our HRC index settled at $870 per ton on Tuesday afternoon. A week-over-week decline of $20 per ton from $890 last week might be little more than noise. You’d want to […]

 The US Federal Reserve said that overall economic activity has inched up since May in its latest Beige Book Report released on July 12. The Beige Book is a compilation of information on current economic conditions, gathered by each district Federal Reserve Bank, and is published eight times per year. The newest report by the Fed on the state […]

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects, including steel prices, demand levels, import offers, and inventory. Rather than summarizing the comments we received, we are sharing some of them in each buyer’s own words. We want to hear your thoughts, too! Contact david@steelmarketupdate.com to be included in […]

The United States and Indian governments have agreed to terminate six disputes at the World Trade Organization (WTO). Benefits from the settlement include opening the US to more shipments of steel and aluminum made in India, according to New Delhi. “As a part of the agreement, the US has agreed to grant market access to […]

Cleveland-Cliffs said Wednesday it has reached a new, three-year labor agreement with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union at its Coshocton Works in Ohio. The deal is slated to take effect July 31. The Cleveland-based steelmaker said the agreement is tentative, pending ratification by UAW local union membership, with ~330 UAW-represented workers covered. “We are pleased to reach […]

U.S. Steel expects stronger earnings in Q2 vs. the prior quarter but lower than a year earlier. The company also said the planned startup of an electrical steel line at its Big River Steel operation in Arkansas is crucial to Q3. The Pittsburgh based steelmaker on Monday released adjusted-net-earnings-per-diluted-share guidance of $1.81 to $1.86 for Q2. This […]

North American auto assemblies saw nearly an 11% boost in May, posting the second-best monthly total year to date. The month’s assemblies were also nearly 18% higher year-on-year (YoY), according to LMC Automotive data. A modest decline was seen in supply levels in April, but that easing was in part due to seasonal factors and […]

What to make of the latest round of sheet prices hikes: Are they aimed at stopping the bleeding, getting buyers off the sidelines, or actually getting sheet prices back up again? These are serious questions now in a way that they weren’t after U. S. Steel first announced its price hike last Wednesday.  That hike […]

We are counting down the days until SMU’s Steel Summit Conference on Monday-Wednesday, Aug. 21-23, in Atlanta. It’s only a little over two months away. Approximately 755 people have already registered. Our discounted room blocks are almost gone. Register here. The event will again be held at the Georgia International Convention Center, a massive conference center in close […]

Steel Dynamics (SDI) is expecting stronger earnings for the second quarter of 2023 vs. the previous quarter, but lower than the year-earlier period. The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker released Q2 earnings guidance on June 16 in the range of $4.78 to $4.82 per diluted share. This compares with Q1’s $3.70 per diluted share and prior-year Q2 […]

The US Federal Reserve has taken some pressure out of the market by announcing a pause in interest rate hikes, leaving rates at 5% to 5.25% after more than a year of consecutive rate increases. The decision on Wednesday came a day after official figures showed US inflation was 4% – the lowest pace of […]

Worthington Industries’ plan to split into two separate companies by early 2024 is full-steam ahead, and the man getting ready to helm the ship of the new Worthington Steel is Geoff Gilmore. Gilmore joined Worthington in 1998, and has served as EVP and COO since August 2018. He will be the CEO of Worthington Steel, […]

U.S. Steel aims to increase base prices on spot orders of flat-rolled steel by at least $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt.) The move is effective immediately and applies to “all open quotations and/or negotiations where an agreement is yet to be concluded,” the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker said in a letter to it sales executives on […]

Editor’s note: Steel Market Update is pleased to share this Premium content with Executive members. For information on how to upgrade to a Premium-level subscription, contact Lindsey Fox at lindsey@steelmarketupdate.com. US light-vehicle (LV) sales rose to an unadjusted 1.36 million units in May, up 22.9% vs. year-ago levels, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) […]

The Congressional Steel Caucus held a hearing on The State of the Steel Industry in Washington on Wednesday, June 7, where prominent steel executives and the United Steelworkers (USW) union gave testimony on issues such as international trade and sustainability. In his opening remarks, US Rep. Frank Mrvan (D.-Ind.), vice-chairman of the Caucus, stressed his […]

The LME aluminum three-month price is moving higher again as the week ending June 9 closes trading at $2,230/t. Failing to dip below the critical transition price of $2,000/t, The LME steadied itself despite very lackluster demand anywhere in the world. Trading in China also kept the regional exchange there neutral, if not a bit […]

Go figure, in the last month, HR spot has continued to decline. The index tied to CME HR futures has given up $140/ST ($1,130/ST to $990/ST). A look at the fundamentals would appear to support the latest market direction. The list includes declining steelmaking component prices (zinc, coking coal, iron ore and scrap), a sharply […]

 Steel Market Update’s latest survey shows movements in lead times were varied across products this week, with hot rolled falling below the 5-week mark for the first time since early February.  The average lead times for hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized sheet all fell back slightly from our market check two weeks ago, while those for […]