The Keystone XL pipeline was approved by the Nebraska Public Service Commission on Monday giving TransCanada the access it needs to complete the $8 billion 1,897-mile pipeline. The commission rejected TransCanada’s preferred route, however, and in a 3-2 decision approved an alternate route that moves the pipeline further east and away from Nebraska’s ecologically fragile […]
Construction jobs were added in 41 states between October 2016 and October 2017, while 26 states added construction jobs between September and October, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. The October jobs data continues a pattern of widespread but uneven growth in industry employment, said AGC. […]
Demand for architecture design services increased in October after contracting in September. The October Architecture Billings Index jumped to 51.7 from 49.1 the previous month, indicating a return to growth. The new projects index gained more than one point to 60.2, while new design contracts posted a reading of 52.9, compared to 52.8 in September. […]
Housing starts leapt 13.7 percent from September to October, rising to a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.290 million and beating economists’ estimates. Single-family housing starts increased 5.3 percent, while housing of five units or more jumped 37.4 percent, reported the Commerce Department. Data shows the South rebuilding after the devastation of the dual hurricanes earlier […]
Mill Steel Co. has promoted commercial leader Joe Poot from Vice President of Purchasing to Senior Vice President. Poot began his career with the carbon flat roll distributor 18 years ago as an assistant controller, and served as business unit controller and purchasing manager before being elevated to shareholder and partner in 2006. Poot has […]
Georgia Ports Authority announced Monday the approval of $42.27 million in funding for a rail and gate project that will significantly expand capacity at its Garden City Terminal in Savannah. The project is part of the GPA’s $128 million Mason Mega Rail Terminal and will increase the Port of Savannah’s on-dock rail capacity by 100 […]
Chinese steelmakers in the heavily industrial “2+26” region—Beijing, Tianjin and the 26 surrounding cities—are expected to cut steel production by 34 million tons this winter under government guidelines designed to reduce air pollution during the home-heating months. Analysts at Wood Mackenzie estimate the government restrictions will reduce China’s hot metal supply by about 14.2 million […]
ArcelorMittal reported its best third-quarter shipment performance since 2008. Shipments of 21.7 million tons were 1.0 percent higher than second-quarter due to a 1.2 percent increase in Brazil shipments, a 4.3 percent increase in NAFTA shipments, and a 3.2 percent increase from the ACIS segment. Shipments from the three segments offset a decline of 3.3 […]
The Steel Market Development Institute has released “LEED v4 for Steel Products Used in Construction Applications,” a guide for the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification program. “A rapidly-evolving green building industry and increasing demand for sustainability have led to a number of updates and a more […]
Stelco Holdings, Inc., closed its initial public offering today, successfully raising $230 million to be used for select capital investments, new product development and early payments to pension trusts. The 13.5 million shares were offered at a price of $17 per share. As of midday Friday, the stock was trading around $19.50 per share. Bedrock […]
Ryerson Holding Corp. posted net income of $1.7 million in the third quarter, up from $600,000 in the second quarter, but down from $8.2 million in third-quarter 2016, as commodity challenges pressured margins. “The third quarter of 2017 can best be described by margin compression, driven primarily by nickel and chrome deflation in the second […]
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) just released a new report assessing the nation’s infrastructure needs. Entitled, “A Framework for Infrastructure Funding,” the report concludes that a federal fuel tax increase is necessary for attaining the large-scale infrastructure program envisioned by the administration. Generating enough revenue through other mechanisms, such as mileage-based user fees and […]
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) just released a new report assessing the nation’s infrastructure needs. Entitled, “A Framework for Infrastructure Funding,” the report concludes that a federal fuel tax increase is necessary for attaining the large-scale infrastructure program envisioned by the administration. Generating enough revenue through other mechanisms, such as mileage-based user fees and […]
SMU Note: This construction market analysis article is normally reserved for our Premium members only, but it is being shared with our entire readership this month. To learn more about our Premium level membership and how it can benefit you, click here. Growth of total construction spending has almost come to a halt, according to […]
After four months of decline, the Dodge Momentum Index rebounded 13.2 percentage points in October to a reading of 130.9. The Dodge Momentum Index, published by Dodge Data & Analytics, is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which has been shown to lead construction spending for […]
U.S. job creation rebounded in October from the blow it suffered in September due to the hurricanes, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in its employment report released on Friday. September hiring was severely affected by the Texas and Florida hurricanes, particularly in the hospitality industries in Florida. The October rebound was weaker than […]
Growth of total construction spending has almost come to a halt, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of Department of Commerce construction put in place (CPIP) data. Last month, we reported that total construction expenditures contracted in the three months through August year over year for the first time since November 2011. Based on […]
ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor will get a $100 million upgrade over the next year. The investment is part of $276 million in capital spending the steelmaker plans for it U.S. operations next year. Work is set to begin on Indiana Harbor’s continuous anneal line, No. 2 coating line and cold mill complex, said Indiana Harbor General […]
Hurricane recovery may have boosted construction jobs slightly in October, but the Associated General Contractors of America says strong overall conditions prevail in the industry. Construction employment was at its highest level in nine years last month, adding 11,000 jobs and reducing industry unemployment to 4.5 percent, the lowest rate since 2006. “The construction industry […]
U.S. Steel is undertaking a massive asset revitalization program to reduce unplanned outages and improve profitability and competitiveness. The company plans to invest approximately $1.2 billion from 2017 through 2020 on repairs and upgrades. By 2020, slab production capability at Gary Works, Great Lakes Works and Mon Valley works will be increased by 1 million […]
Construction spending in the private sector in September outpaced public sector investment in infrastructure and other projects, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials urged members of Congress and the Trump administration to include new funding for roads, bridges, clean water and other important infrastructure as […]
Hurricane recovery, fleet sales and rental car companies contributed to a strong month for U.S. auto sales. Pickup trucks and SUVs continue to be snapped up by consumers. “We did see continued hurricane replacement at the beginning of the month,” Michelle Krebs, an analyst at car-shopping website Autotrader, told Bloomberg. “The economic factors are also […]
Steel market indicators look good in the October data, but the trends took a turn for the worse. In the data released in October, our view of the present situation is that 47.2 percent of the 36 indicators are historically positive with only 19 percent negative. The balance are within the band of historically normal. […]
Officials at the Associated General Contractors of America said that despite expansion at construction firms in August, many firms report having a hard time finding qualified workers to hire, particularly for craft positions. “Construction firms in many parts of the country continue to expand to keep up with demand for their services,” said Ken Simonson, […]
AK Steel reported a net loss of $5.8 million in the third quarter compared to net income of $50.9 million in Q3 2016. Results were impacted by $13.1 million in acquisition and debt refinancing costs and a LIFO charge of $49.0 million, compared to a LIFO credit of $24.2 million in the prior-year third quarter. […]
NLMK USA posted revenue of $424 million in the third quarter, a 3.0 percent decrease from the second quarter due to a 5.0 percent slide in the average sales price. Shipments increased 2 percent to 558,000 metric tons. EBITDA for the segment was $38 million, down 9.0 percent from the second quarter due to higher […]
Commercial Metals Co., a Texas-based long products producer and scrap recycler, reported a profitable fiscal 2017 despite imports of rebar and other products that continue to squeeze margins. CMC management is hopeful the company will get an assist from Washington in the coming year. “The need for infrastructure renewal is overwhelming, but the issue is […]
Reliance Steel & Aluminum experienced an uptick in orders for energy and nonresidential construction during the third quarter. Demand, in general, was stronger than anticipated, however tons sold are expected to decline 4.0 to 6.0 percent in the fourth quarter due to seasonal slowdowns and fewer shipping days. Reliance anticipates the average selling price in […]
New home sales in September jumped 18.9 percent from last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 667,000, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Census Bureau. September sales were 17 percent higher than a year ago. The median sales price was $319,700 and the average sales price $385,200. Inventory […]
Economic conditions are looking positive for fourth quarter and into 2018, according to the latest report from HARDI and ITR Economics. Steel Market Update is a member of an association connected to the construction industry called the Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International. HARDI and ITR Economics, an economic forecasting company, work together to gather […]