Tag: demand

If we review the price trends for the last two years, we can see this year’s pattern following a similar path.

On Monday and Tuesday, SMU polled steel buyers for their thoughts on the current market. We received an array of feedback, including prices, demand, inventories, imports, and evolving market events.

Service centers and distributors contend that weak demand is to blame for the flattening of domestic steel spot prices, as reflected in Nucor Steel’s weekly Consumer Spot Price (CSP) notice. On Monday, the Charlotte, North Carolina-headquartered steel producer left prices unchanged from the previous week. Nucor has maintained prices of plate produced in Brandenburg since March 28.

May marks the third consecutive month US manufacturing activity declined, according to supply executives contributing to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM)’s latest report.

With higher tariff rates on steel and aluminum set to go into effect on Wednesday, June 4, a new round of chaos across the supply chain is likely in store. Expect a significant impact on manufacturers and metal fabricators. But even before the latest round of Trump-tariff whiplash on Friday evening, there was a lot of interesting data coming out of SMU's steel-market survey.

Here are highlights of what’s happened and a few things to keep an eye on this upcoming week.

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics, ranging from market prices, demand, and inventories to imports and evolving market events.

While I would anticipate market sentiment to pivot and improve if all the questions around tariffs were answered, that still leaves us with a few other factors.

An analysis of the North American energy market in May.

SMU’s Mill Order Index (MOI) declined for a second straight month in April after repeated gains at the start of the year, according to our latest service center inventories data.

SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics earlier this week, including market prices and demand, tariffs and reshoring, inventories and imports, and evolving market trends.

Activity had trended up for most of Q1

A factor in the sales was customers buying ahead of tariff-related price increases.

Recent Federal Reserve data paints a positive picture of the US manufacturing sector. Manufacturing indicators remained strong through February and March figures

Earlier this week, SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics, ranging from market prices, demand, and inventories to tariffs, imports, and evolving market events.

Participants on the HARDI Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council call said underlying demand is solid but there are slower pockets in some markets.

In this Premium analysis we examine North American oil and natural gas prices, drill rig activity, and crude oil stocks. Trends in energy prices and rig counts serve as leading indicators for oil country tubular goods (OCTG) and line pipe demand.

A modest week-to-week change in HR price understates a huge swing in expectations.

SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics this week, ranging from market prices, demand, and inventories to imports and evolving market events. We are sharing some of the comments we collected.

Respondents to the SMU Survey weigh in on the steel landscape.

This week, SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics, including market prices, demand, tariff policies, inventories, imports, and emerging market events.

What are steel buyers saying this week about prices, demand, the import market, the evolving tariff situation, and more?

SMU’s Buyers’ Sentiment Indices both declined this week but remain strong. This indicates buyers are still optimistic about their companies' ability for success.

Buyers responding to our latest market survey reported longer lead times this week on all of the sheet and plate products SMU tracks.

On 4 March, new 25% blanket tariffs across all products exported to the USA from Canada and Mexico are now in effect. The only exception is Canadian energy products, which will be assessed a 10% tariff.

The Manufacturing PMI registered 50.3% in February. That’s 0.6 percentage points lower compared to the 50.9% recorded in January.

The company said 79 workers will be impacted.

US plate prices have moved up at a sharp clip over the past three weeks. The gains come on the heels of a unified mill pricing blitz, bolstered by the threat of looming tariffs and the expectation of sharply higher scrap prices. Prices hit their lowest level in more than four years in late January, […]

It won't be so easy to restart idled aluminum production in the US, AMU says.

Reliance noted that it is about 95% domestically sourced.