Major developments yesterday in the escalating trade war between China and the United States could have serious consequences for global commerce. Washington trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz offers the following assessment of the trade situation: The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released a list of about 1,400 tariff line items. Tariffs of 25 percent on […]
Major developments this week in the escalating trade war between China and the United States could have serious consequences for global commerce. Washington trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz offers the following assessment of the trade situation: The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released a list of about 1,400 tariff line items. Tariffs of 25 percent […]
A de facto round eight of NAFTA negotiations is about to begin in Washington, D.C., despite the U.S. Trade Representative deciding not to host an official eighth round. Instead, a “ministerial meeting” between Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo will be held along with discussions […]
Olympic Steel, Inc., has acquired Berlin Metals LLC, the Hammond, Ind., service center. Terms of the all-cash deal were not disclosed. With approximately $50 million in annual sales, Berlin Metals processes and distributes prime tin mill products and stainless-steel strip in slit coil form. The company is also a supplier of galvanized, light-gauge cold rolled sheet and strip, as well as other […]
Olympic Steel, Inc., has acquired Berlin Metals LLC, the Hammond, Ind., service center. Terms of the all-cash deal were not disclosed. With approximately $50 million in annual sales, Berlin Metals processes and distributes prime tin mill products and stainless-steel strip in slit coil form. The company is also a supplier of galvanized, light-gauge cold rolled sheet and strip, as well as other […]
The U.S. and South Korea have reached an agreement on amendments to the KORUS agreement. In return for exemption from Section 232 tariffs, Korea will reduce its steel exports to the U.S. by 30 percent to 2.68 million tons annually. In addition, Korea agreed to increase automotive imports from the U.S. to 50,000 vehicles per […]
Big River Steel sees opportunity in the convergence of two major trends in automotive: development of autonomous/electric vehicles and advanced steels. “Niche steel is a big part of what we want to do. The opportunity in electrical steel is immense,” said Big River Chief Commercial Officer Mark Bula at the S&P Global Platts Steel Markets […]
With the announcement that seven countries will be exempt from the steel tariffs that take effect tomorrow, less than one-third of U.S. steel imports will be subject to the tariffs, by some estimates. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said during a Senate Finance Committee hearing today that the President has decided “to pause the imposition […]
Steel Market Update’s 8th Steel Summit Conference will be held at the Georgia International Convention Center on Monday, Aug. 27, through Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018. We’ve been watching the markets very carefully as we put together our final agenda and have worked hard to select the best speakers possible. On Friday, we added AK Steel […]
Steel Market Update’s 8th Steel Summit Conference will be held at the Georgia International Convention Center on Monday, Aug. 27, through Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018. We’ve been watching the markets very carefully as we put together our final agenda and have worked hard to select the best speakers possible. On Friday, we added AK Steel […]
AK Steel members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 1943 have ratified a two-year labor agreement covering about 1,730 hourly employees at the company’s Middletown, Ohio, facility. The new agreement will be effective March 15, 2018, through March 15, 2020. Union officials hoped to reach an agreement for a four-year […]
Is steel demand showing signs of weakening? The year got off to a strong start, but changes in the last three Steel Market Update queries hint at a subtle change in steel buyers’ attitudes. A bit over half of the respondents to the last three SMU market trends questionnaires reported demand staying about the same […]
Mexico, Canada, Australia … (Europe, Russia, Turkey?) … which will be the next countries to negotiate directly with President Trump, who appears to be less interested in building steel jobs than getting trade concessions (or personal acknowledgement) out of many of our allies. With President Trump, you need to review his Twitter account should you […]
Economic indicators of manufacturing activity remain strong and continue pointing to good demand for steel at least through mid-year. This report summarizes seven data sources that describe the state of manufacturing in the United States. We have reported on most of these separately in our Steel Market Update publications, and therefore will be brief […]
Ryerson, a processor and distributor of metals, posted sales of $3.4 billion for 2017, a 17.7 percent increase year over year due to an 11.9 percent increase in the average selling price and a 5.1 percent gain in volume. Net income was $17.1 million for the year. Gross margins decreased to 17.3 percent in 2017 […]
Automotive sales declined for all three Detroit automakers in February. Ford and General Motors reported that year-over-year sales declined 6.9 percent and FCA U.S. was down 1.0 percent. In contrast, Toyota sales jumped 4.5 percent year-over-year, and Mazda and Volkswagen made gains of 12.7 and 6.0 percent, respectively. BMW-Mini also saw sales increase in February […]
The SMU Steel Summit Conference is THE fastest growing steel conference in North America and THE one conference manufacturing, distribution, suppliers to the industry and steel mills want to attend. Details about the agenda, speakers, location and costs, as well as how to register, can be found on our website: www.SteelMarketUpdate.com/Events/Steel-Summit or you can contact […]
Canadian steel mill Stelco held its first earnings call since becoming a publically held company and reported stellar results for the fourth quarter. The company, formerly owned by U.S. Steel, presented a strong balance sheet, no debt and no legacy liabilities. Revenue for the quarter increased 45 percent from a year ago to $452 million. […]
International trading companies are reacting to the report released by Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross recommending three options to protect the U.S. steel industry based on national security concerns. As we speak with trading companies here at the Port of Tampa Steel Conference, as well as traders located around the country, we are finding […]
The American Institute for International Steel, which represents foreign steelmakers, called the Commerce Department’s recommendations in the Section 232 report on steel imports “excessive and unnecessary” and warned of global retaliation that would push the U.S. and world toward a recession. AIIS Board Chairman John Foster issued the following statement on Monday: “The recommendations in […]
Flack Global Metals has partnered with First American Resources in a joint venture that will offer prepainted products to the market later this year. The deal is a bit of a departure for FGM, which is now the minority investor in an enterprise that is installing high-end coil coating equipment. FGM has achieved $350 million […]
Flack Global Metals has partnered with First American Resources in a joint venture that will offer prepainted products to the market later this year. The deal is a bit of a departure for FGM, which is now the minority investor in an enterprise that is installing high-end coil coating equipment. FGM has achieved $350 million […]
In a press conference on Friday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said his Section 232 investigation has concluded that steel imports do pose a significant threat to U.S. national security and he is recommending three possible remedies to President Trump that call for tariffs or quotas on foreign steel. Those alternatives include: A global tariff of […]
The Commerce Department has found that unfair imports of steel products do indeed pose a threat to U.S. national security, and in a press conference on Friday revealed the remedies it has recommended to President Trump. The announcement of possible tariffs and quotas drew strong reactions from the marketplace. The Commerce recommendations include three options […]
Union Partners announced plans today to build a new steel processing facility on the Osceola, Ark., campus of Big River Steel. The operations will be located directly adjacent to Big River’s Flex Mill and will include both slitting and multi-blanking lines in a new build-to-suit facility expandable to 258,000 square feet. Construction will be on […]
ArcelorMittal’s NAFTA segment saw crude steel production decrease 5.2 percent to 5.6 million metric tons in the fourth quarter due to operational issues in Mexico, planned maintenance at Dofasco, and a slower U.S. market. Steel shipments declined 8.9 percent to 4.2 million metric tons, primarily driven by lower volumes in flat and long products. Sales […]
U.S. automotive sales were a mixed bag in January. General Motors’ sales climbed mildly by 1.3 percent. Ford and FCA saw sales drop, while Toyota gained 16.8 percent year over year. Asian manufacturers, in general, did well in January. Mazda had its best January since 1994, reporting double-digit growth along with Kia and Nissan. Honda […]
The automotive industry downturn is slight, especially considering the past two years have been record years, said Bernard Swiecki, Senior Automotive Analyst at the Center for Automotive Research, during a presentation Jan. 25 at the regional meeting of the Association of Steel Distributors. Total light vehicle sales slipped 1.8 percent in 2017, but the […]
Economic indicators are strong overall and portend well for the first half of 2018. This report summarizes seven data sources that describe the state of manufacturing, construction, steel activity and the overall market in the United States. We have reported on most of these separately in our Steel Market Update publications, and therefore will […]
Planned maintenance outages at AK Steel contributed to a net loss of $107.9 million in the fourth quarter. Net sales during the quarter increased 5 percent to $1.5 billion, however, driven by incremental sales from recently acquired Precision Partners. Flat rolled shipments declined to 1,337,100 tons in the quarter from 1,385,500 tons in Q4 2016 […]