Steel Market Update is pleased to share this new Premium content – an index comparing lead time and demand data – with Executive members. For information on upgrading to a Premium-level subscription, email Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com. Apparent demand for flat-rolled steel in the US remains on a downward trend – as it has been since late April, […]
Producer prices rose moderately in June, maintaining a sustained 27-month growth run. Last month the headline index grew by just 3.3%, seasonally adjusted, but was up 23.4% compared to the same year-ago period, the US Labor Department reported. The wholesale level was hit hard by inflation as well in June. The producer price index (PPI), […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. saw strong profit in the second quarter and double free cash flow versus the prior quarter while predicting that even better days were ahead thanks to fixed-price contracts resetting at higher numbers. That projection comes largely because automakers, which typically buy steel on contract terms, are seeing backlogs grow because of supply chain […]
We were close to peak steel prices this time a year ago. Are we now close to peak pessimism? Your answer to that question might depend on whether you’re working at a steel mill or at a service center. We’ve noticed a big split in sentiment lately. Roughly 40% of respondents to our surveys – […]
New sheet and plate capacity from Nucor will be entering the market in force by the end of this year, just in time for an anticipated increase in infrastructure demand, company executives said. Whether those facilities ramp up to their nameplate capacity will ultimately depend on demand, they added. “While we recognize there is considerable […]
The appeal to import cheaper foreign hot-rolled coil (HRC) instead of domestic steel continues to lessen, according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign versus domestic price comparison. For the past two months, domestic steel prices have generally declined at a faster rate than foreign prices, meaning the potential discount on imported products has been shrinking. After […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) posted record second quarter profits despite a modest margin squeeze stemming from lower steel prices and higher scrap costs. The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker also remains bullish about the second half of the year despite concerns about demand in some corners of the market. “Customer order entry activity continues to be […]
US plate prices have been holding steady and bucking the downtrend presently seen across sheet and coated products. Plate demand has remained largely steady, while buyers have maintained lean inventories, only taking volumes to fill gaps. The price dynamic has led to historically high premiums over hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices. Presently, plate prices are more […]
The spread between hot-rolled coil (HRC) and prime scrap prices is back on the downward trend seen prior to the Russia-Ukraine war, according to Steel Market Update data through this week. The HRC-scrap spread peaked last September, falling to an 18-month low in early March and briefly rebounding through May. The latest spread is nearly […]
SMU’s average hot-rolled coil prices dropped below $900 per ton ($45 per cwt) for the first time since December 2020. And some sources, citing short lead times and spotty demand, said they see little reason for the trend to reverse in the short term. SMU’s hot-rolled coil prices now stand at $875 per ton ($43.75 […]
SSAB Americas will hold its raw materials surcharge, or RMS, on #1 Heavy Melting Scrap (HMS) unchanged effective July 31 on all spot orders and all contractual agreements. The Mobile, Ala-based steelmaker said the sideways move was due to a declining HMS #1 price tag, which is currently valued at $351 per gross ton, and […]
Total mill shipments of steel products grew in May, after shrinking the month prior. May’s mill shipments totaled 8.38 million tons, a 3.1% increase from April’s 8.12 million tons. Apparent supply also recovered in May, up 3.9% versus the prior month. This analysis is based on steel mill shipment data from the American Iron and Steel Institute […]
Imported sheet and plate products arrived at US ports at a slower pace in May, resulting in them accounting for a lower share of the domestic market, according to Commerce Department data. Imports’ share of US sheet and plate markets peaked in December, reaching their highest levels in the past 4.5 years. The trend was […]
Hot-rolled coil prices fell again this week and now have a tenuous grip on $900 per ton ($45 per cwt). We remain at the lowest price levels since mid-December 2020 – more than 18 months ago. What’s going on? For starters, we know that the low end of our range might come as surprise to some […]
Sheet prices continued to slide this week and plate prices to defy gravity. If there is an upside, it’s that the pace of sheet declines has moderated slightly. SMU’s hot-rolled coil price now stands at $910 per ton ($45.50 per cwt), down $45 per ton from $955 per ton a week ago and down $190 […]
A second local United Steelworkers (USW) chapter at Algoma Steel has voted to authorize a strike. Local 2274 held a vote on the matter late last week, and 95.1% voted in favor of a strike mandate, according to an update to union members. Algoma, a Canadian sheet and plate mill, is represented by two unions: […]
The following article on the hot-rolled coil (HRC), scrap and financial futures markets was written by Jack Marshall of Crunch Risk LLC. Here is how Jack saw trading over the past week: Hot Rolled After a brisk bout of futures activity in HR to close out the first half of 2022, we are experiencing much […]
More respondents to SMU’s latest survey now think hot-rolled coil prices will bottom in the fourth quarter of this year, with a majority anticipating prices to fall into the range of $800-899 per ton ($40-44.95 per cwt) by early September. As of last week, SMU’s average HRC price was $995 per ton. Just a month […]
Nucor is keeping plate prices flat with the opening of its August 2022 order book. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said it would maintain plate prices, effective with new orders. All published adders and extras will be applied, the company said in a letter to customers dated June 30. In its previous letter to customers dated June 13, Nucor […]
Is this a case of the summer doldrums or something more serious? That might be a more important question to answer than where the bottom is and when we might hit it. But first let’s start with a recap of where prices landed this week. SMU’s hot-rolled coil price is now at $955 per ton ($47.75 […]
Domestic sheet prices continue to slide back to levels not seen since late 2020 or early 2021. Even plate prices, which had been stable to date, are starting to show signs of cracking. SMU’s average hot-rolled coil price now stands at $955 per ton ($47.75 per cwt), down $300 per ton (24%) from early June […]
Steel prices continued to ease each week throughout June, following declines in May as well. Hot rolled prices were $1,190 per ton ($59.50 per cwt) the first week of June. Prices then slipped between $45 and $90 each of the following weeks, with the SMU index averaging $995 per ton as of last Tuesday. (This […]
It’s going to be a long, hot summer. I was thinking we might start to see the “summer doldrums” ahead of the long Independence Day weekend. Instead we’ve gotten a barrage of news on prices, US Steel and labor contract talks. Let’s start with prices. Our average hot-rolled coil price fell below $1,000 per ton […]
Steel Market Update’s average hot-rolled coil price has fallen below $1,000 per ton ($50 per cwt) for the first time since December 2020 – or 18 months ago. The move comes as some market participants said that a floor might be near while others said such talk was mostly wishful thinking. Our benchmark hot-rolled coil […]
Most respondents to SMU’s latest survey think that hot-rolled coil prices will be below $1,000 per ton ($50 per cwt) two months from now. That’s a big change from earlier this month, when we did our last full survey and when those who thoughts tags would dip below the $1,000-per-ton threshold this summer were in […]
Canadian flat-rolled steelmakers Stelco and Algoma face looming summer contract expirations with the United Steelworkers (USW) union. That’s well ahead of US mills, whose contracts with the USW don’t expire until Sept. 1. Here is where things stand now: Stelco The most pressing deadline is at Hamilton, Ontario-based Stelco, whose five-year agreement with the USW […]
The word ‘risk’ often has a negative connotation and gets a bad rap. But there are two sides to risk – the dark side and the light side, the bad and the good, the downside and the upside. When it comes to price risk in the steel market, you can either just accept it or […]
Sheet prices continued to fall this week on lower raw material costs, a buyers’ strike and concerns in some corners about a potential recession. But that gloomy sentiment was not universally shared, with some sources pointing to strong or at least steady demand despite the lower prices. SMU’s average hot-rolled coil price now stands at […]
The spread between hot-rolled coil (HRC) and prime scrap prices is resuming the downward trend seen prior to the Russia-Ukraine war, according to the latest Steel Market Update data. The HRC-scrap spread reached an 18-month low in early March. The latest spread, calculated through June 14, is less than half what it was this time last year […]
The following article on the hot-rolled coil (HRC), scrap and financial futures markets was written by Jack Marshall of Crunch Risk LLC. Here is how Jack saw trading over the past week: Hot Rolled HR futures are coming back to life after a quiet spell in May. Month to date in June more than 225,000 […]