The Essar Group announced new global investments in the steel industry totaling $8 billion, including an iron pellet plant under construction in Minnesota. That’s according to a report in India’s Business Standard. The plant would operate under the name Mesabi Metallics, in which the report said Essar had invested $1.5 billion of a proposed $2.5 […]
Mexico continues to have its problems with US relations. On March 3, former Attorney General William Barr penned a column in the Wall Street Journal about failures by Mexico to stem the drug cartels. Illegal drugs are flowing into the US over the apparently porous border. Barr recommends that the US take action reminiscent of […]
Despite the economic concerns that lowered consumer sentiment towards the end of 2022, aluminum products demand has held up throughout the first three months of the year. A slowdown from the frenetic post-pandemic pace is apparent. Overall, though, both rollers and extruders comment that conditions are better than expected. The new order index as released […]
Mexico has historically relied on steel sheet product imports to meet its demand as domestic suppliers, such as Ternium and AHMSA, had insufficient production capacity. But, in recent years, both Ternium and ArcelorMittal have built new capacities for hot-rolled (HR) coil in Mexico. Ternium is also in the process of building more downstream capacity and […]
Editor’s note: SMU Contributor Michael D’Angelo is a researcher and trader at Marex. In his role, Mike performs fundamental and quantitative analysis, which directly leads to actionable trading/risk management strategies across the base, precious, and ferrous metals derivative spaces. Prior to joining Marex, Mike received a BA in economics with a minor in finance from […]
Demand for services from US architecture firms declined for the fourth consecutive month in January, according to the latest report from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The January monthly AIA Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score of 49.3 reflects a small increase over December’s 47.5 but remains below 50. Recall that the ABI is […]
President Biden devoted a significant portion of his State of the Union address earlier this month on Buy American issues. As on most issues, “the devil is in the details,” but his general sentiment is clear. America, he believes, has sent jobs and wealth overseas by allowing Americans to buy imported products. This is a […]
SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects on Monday and Tuesday of this week, including current and future steel prices, inventory strategies, supply, demand, and new mill capacity. 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! […]
Nucor Corp. has increased its cost estimate for its new sheet steel mill in West Virginia by ~$400 million. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said Feb. 23 that its board approved additional capital for the project. The company now expects a net cash outlay of ~$3.1 billion for the West Virginia electric-arc furnace (EAF) sheet mill, up from $2.7 billion when […]
Nucor Corp. said its Towers & Structures unit will build a new transmission tower production plant in Decatur, Ala. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said the plant will be adjacent to the Nucor Steel Decatur sheet steel mill. It is expected to create 200 jobs. In December, the company announced plans to build two tower production plants […]
Flack Global Metals (FGM) has reached an agreement with OmniMax International to acquire Fabral, a supplier of metal building solutions. OmniMax and FGM are targeting an end-of-February closing. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Fabral will be the first manufacturer added to FGM and its fourth overall acquisition. With the buy, FGM said it is launching the third segment of its business, a direct-equity investment platform focused on steel-consuming original […]
Galvanized sheet continues to be in high demand, according to members of the Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council. Since the January HARDI meeting, prices have increased, lead times have extended, scrap is up, and zinc is down. Despite the roller coaster, HARDI members remain bullish on demand in general. […]
There is still a debate on whether the US will enter into a recession during 2023. The beginning of the year has been slower, but overall end-use demand has been holding up relatively well. The mid-part of the year, Q2-Q3, is where most forecasts peg a downturn. Therefore, perhaps the largest challenges are still looming. […]
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. saw its best financial performance in 2022 on record-breaking sales of $17.03 billion, nearly 21% above 2021. The results were achieved “across nearly every metric during a period of continued metal price volatility and broader economic uncertainty,” Reliance president and CEO Karla Lewis said in earnings commentary released on Thursday, Feb. 16. […]
Ternium plans to spend $2.2 billion to build an electric-arc furnace (EAF) and direct-reduced iron (DRI) module in North America. The Latin American steelmaker said the EAF would have capacity of 2.86 million short tons (2.6 million metric tons) per year and that the DRI unit would have capacity of 2.31 million short tons (2.1 […]
US Steel said it will supply General Motors (GM) with verdeX® sustainable steel produced at Big River Steel, its electric-arc furnace (EAF) sheet mill in Arkansas. The low-carbon steel produced at the Osceola, Ark., mill will begin shipping to GM manufacturing facilities starting this year, the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker said. “We are pleased to join GM in […]
ArcelorMittal expects that its $2.2-billion acquisition of Brazilian steelmaker Companhia Siderúrgica do Pecém (CSP) will close in late February. “The transaction closes end of this month,” chief financial officer Genuino Christino said during an earnings call with analysts last week. The Luxembourg-based steelmaker had said that the deal had received final antitrust clearance in commentary […]
The construction outlook for 2023 is shaped by the tug-of-war between private- and the public-sector spending. That’s according to Edward Sullivan, chief economist and senior vice president of market intelligence at the Portland Cement Association (PCA), a trade group representing the cement and concrete industries. The private-construction sector is retreating under the weight of interest rate hikes. But […]
SMU’s hot-rolled coil price has cracked $800 per ton ($40 per cwt), and so have prices on the futures market. The question of whether the $800-per-ton threshold would be breached has been answered. But it’s still unclear to me whether that threshold was breached by solid underlying demand or by momentum (buying ahead of the next […]
Whether it’s restarting blast furnaces in the US and abroad, or pushing full-steam ahead at its Big River Steel 2 project, US Steel Corp. is keeping abreast of current demand, with an eye toward a sustainable future. Ken Jaycox, US Steel’s chief commercial officer, sat down with SMU managing editor Michael Cowden on Feb. 7 […]
I am writing these Final Thoughts from an exhibition hall at Tampa Marriot Water Street hotel, where we just wrapped up the Tampa Steel Conference. The table I’m writing from is about to be taken down and packed up, and I have to get to the airport soon – so forgive me for what tonight […]
The construction industry added 25,000 employees in January month over month (MoM), while boosting wages for hourly workers vs. competing industries in a bid to attract more workers, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) said in a statement. The industry was benefiting from relatively strong demand for construction projects as firms still struggle to […]
The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) declined 8.4% in January to 201.5 from the revised December reading of 220.0, according to data and analytics from the Dodge Construction Network (DCN). Additionally, the commercial component of the DMI dropped 10.0% and the institutional component receded 4.7%, respectively, last month. “The Dodge Momentum Index weakened in January, after […]
The US long products market was largely stable this month, as end-use demand remained subdued, and buyers continued to work through inventories. Scrap prices rose in January, fuelling bullish sentiments, but sluggish activity limited any expansion in margins. As a result, rebar, merchant bar, and structurals were all flat month-on-month (MoM). Wire rod prices decreased […]
US Steel restarted the No. 3 blast furnace at its Mon Valley Works in western Pennsylvania because of stronger demand, company executives said. The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker intends to keep the No. 8 blast furnace at its Gary Works in northwest Indiana temporarily idled “for now,” chief financial officer Jessica Graziano said. “We’re watching the order […]
Now entering the second month of the year, prices are still a top-of-mind conversation. After its run-up to over $2,600/tonne, the London Metal Exchange calmed, and volatility dropped. This signals that, for now, it has hit resistance. The Midwest premium has followed a similar trend. After peaking just over $0.30/lb, it has started to come […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has rolled out another $50/ton ($2.50/cwt) sheet price increase just a couple of weeks after doing the same in mid-January. The Cleveland-based steelmaker has also announced a target base price of $850 per ton for hot-rolled coil, up from the $800 per ton announced in mid-January. NLMK USA almost immediately upped the ante, […]
Hanna Steel Corp. is investing $20 million to expand its steel production lines in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The new investment is expected create 14 new jobs as the company will add equipment to expand certain slitter services, according to a release from the Tuscaloosa Economic Development Authority (TCEDA). Hanna Steel is adding 9,000 square feet to its […]
The cost and scope of Steel Dynamics Inc.’s flat-rolled aluminum mill in Columbus, Miss., and related scrap processing operations, have increased. The total cost of the project is now expected to be $2.5 billion, up from an initial $2.2 billion, SDI chairman, president, and CEO Mark Millett said during the quarterly earnings call last week. […]
The big story of the new year continues to be the run-up of the regional Midwest premium (MWP). As January comes to an end, the MWP sits just over $0.30/lb, or almost 50% higher than December’s price. A return of market activity in general has pushed the premium back up closer to replacement cost levels. […]