Welcome back from the Christmas Holidays. This is the 149th Executive level issue of Steel Market Update produced during calendar year 2019. It is also anticipated to be the last Executive issue prior to the New Year. On Monday we will publish our last Premium issue of the year, our 49th for 2019. Christmas and […]
Fitch Ratings, a global leader in credit ratings and research, is forecasting a negative outlook for the global steel industry in 2020 and challenging conditions in North America. The Fitch Ratings 2020 Outlook: Global Steel notes weaker economic growth impacted by ongoing trade and geopolitical tensions. “Over the past two years companies have talked at […]
By CRU Analyst Sam Grant, from CRU’s Zinc Monitor The North American market (U.S., Canada and Mexico) accounts for approximately 9.6 percent of global refined zinc demand. This year, we have seen a sharp slowdown in both global trade and industrial production, with the North American region experiencing its slowest rate of IP growth since […]
U.S. Steel announced today that it intends to “indefinitely idle” a significant portion of its Great Lakes Works operation near Detroit. The decision was made to better align the company with its three core flat rolled operations and advance its “best of both strategy” as an integrated and EAF company. U.S. Steel expects to begin idling […]
U.S. Steel announced today that it intends to “indefinitely idle” a significant portion of its Great Lakes Works operation near Detroit. The decision was made to better align the company with its three core flat rolled operations and advance its “best of both strategy” as an integrated and EAF company. U.S. Steel expects to begin idling […]
Nucor Steel says it will add a new coil paint line at its Mississippi County sheet mill in Arkansas. The new coil paint line will have a capacity of 250,000 tons per year and is expected to start up in the first half of 2022. “The new coil paint line will diversify our product and […]
By CRU Principal Analyst Matthew Watkins, from the Steel Sheet Products Market Outlook The European Green Deal for the EU was launched on Dec. 11 by the new European Commission. This is a strategy that aims both at achieving zero net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 and at managing the transition to that state […]
U.S. Steel tonight announced their intention of focusing their company on three core assets: Gary Works, Mon Valley Works and Big River Steel. This comment was made at the same time they announced their intention to idle a large portion of their Great Lakes Works near Detroit. WARN notices have been sent to the 1,500+ […]
I have been extremely busy working on the keynote speakers for the 2020 SMU Steel Summit Conference. Based on the moves I am making right now, I believe we will have the strongest program ever – especially on the final day of the conference. I don’t want to totally tip my hand quite yet as […]
SSAB Americas plans to be the first supplier of fossil-free steel in North America. The company has targeted 2026 for its operations in Montpelier, Iowa, to be powered completely by renewable energy. The Montpelier facility is powered primarily by wind farms operated by MidAmerican Energy. The steel produced at the Iowa mill is used to […]
Steel Dynamics is expecting lower earnings in the fourth quarter due to planned outages, lower shipments and refinancing costs. Earnings are expected to be in the range of $0.49 to $0.53 per diluted share compared to $0.69 per share in the third quarter and $1.17 per diluted share in Q4 2018. Annual maintenance outages at […]
Builders are feeling confident about the market for newly built single-family homes. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index rose five points to 76 in December after an upward revision to the November reading. This is the highest reading for the HMI since June 1999. “Builders are continuing to see the housing […]
November housing starts increased 3.2 percent from October and 13.6 percent from November 2018, indicates the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Starts decreased in the Northeast and Midwest, but increased 10.3 percent in the South and 1.4 percent in the West. Single-family starts were […]
We are quickly moving toward the Christmas and Hanukkah Holidays with Hanukkah beginning Sunday evening and Christmas next Wednesday. Which reminds me, I think I have some shopping to get done (I haven’t started yet). Am I the only one? My expectation is for the markets to calm down over the next couple of weeks […]
Steel consumption in China is expected to ease back to 881 Mt next year, down from the record 886 Mt anticipated this year, according to forecasts by China’s Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute. Crude steel production is projected to mirror those figures by falling to 981 Mt in 2020 from a record 988 Mt […]
In October, demand for sheet products declined by more than the seasonal norm. Demand for long products is softening as construction expenditures decline. This analysis by Steel Market Update is based on steel mill shipment data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and import-export data from the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC). The […]
The following article discussing the global ferrous derivatives markets was written by David Feldstein. As an independent steel market analyst, advisor and trader, we believe he provides insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Note that Steel Market Update does not take any positions on HRC or scrap trading, and any recommendations or comments […]
The following article discussing the global ferrous derivatives markets was written by David Feldstein. As an independent steel market analyst, advisor and trader, we believe he provides insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Note that Steel Market Update does not take any positions on HRC or scrap trading, and any recommendations or comments […]
Nucor announced the acquisition of another downstream company, TrueCore, a manufacturer of insulated metal panels for the cold storage market. “This acquisition fits well with our strategy to profitably grow our value-added product portfolio and provides great synergies with Nucor Buildings Group. As the market leader in metal buildings, we currently utilize a high volume […]
The popular press often gets overly excited or depressed by a single month’s employment report, but November really was an exceptional month. Net job creation in November increased to 266,000 following upwardly revised results for September and October. September was revised up by 13,000 and October by 28,000. Rising employment and wages are the main […]
Manufacturing gained 54,000 jobs in November, more than offsetting the effects of the GM strike. Construction added 1,000 jobs last month, as well. The private sector gained 254,000 jobs in November as government gained 12,000 positions. Table 1 breaks total employment down into service and goods-producing industries and then into private and government employees. Most […]
By CRU Principal Analyst James Campbell, from CRU’s Long Products Monitor Steel longs prices have changed direction this month with rises now observed in many markets. Although underlying demand has improved in some regions it is still weak elsewhere. Buyers in many regions have restocked in the last month while producers exposed to scrap and […]
By CRU Chief Economist Jumana Saleheen, from CRU’s Global Steel Trade Service This piece sets out insights gained from a visit to CRUs Beijing office. The trade war has been an unexpected headwind to China’s economy and there is a real concern about the risks of a sharper than desirable growth slowdown. In response the government […]
The Dodge Momentum Index gained 2.9 percent in November to register 155.3. The monthly index measures the first report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which has been shown to lead construction spending by a full year. November’s increase was primarily due to a 6.5 percent increase in the institutional building index. The commercial component […]
The economy added 1,000 construction jobs in November and 146,000 jobs, or an increase of 2.0 percent, in the past 12 months, says an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Slowing job gains may be a sign of labor shortage rather than weaker demand, says AGC. “Contractors report they […]
State and locally funded construction is relatively healthy, but privately funded work is in decline, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of Commerce Department data. Construction Put in Place (CPIP) expenditures data for October was released on Dec. 2. Through October, total construction had negative momentum every month since October last year. In the […]
U.S. economic activity expanded modestly from October through mid-November and outlooks generally remained positive, according to the latest Beige Book Report from the Federal Reserve. The Fed surveys the business community eight times each year to track economic conditions in its 12 districts. The Nov. 27 Beige Book Report documents stable to modestly growing economic […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Dmitry Popov, from CRU’s Iron Ore Market Outlook After two weeks of increases, iron ore prices moved marginally lower this week by $1 /t w/w as CRU has assessed the 62% Fe fines price at $89 /t, CFR China. The end of the upward momentum in iron ore prices was primarily […]
Trade disputes and uncertainty regarding U.S. economic growth are causing businesses to delay or cancel construction plans, said the Associated General Contractors of America in a new analysis of construction spending data. Construction spending declined 0.8 percent in October from September, but topped year-ago levels by 1.1 percent as decreases in private nonresidential, multifamily and […]
This report is designed to be a big picture summary of data SMU has reported in detail during the month. It summarizes 36 data streams that describe the state of the steel market and provide forward guidance for steel buyers and sellers. See the end of this piece for an explanation of the Key Indicators […]