National level import reports do a good job of measuring the overall market pressure caused by the imports of individual products. The downside is that there are huge regional differences. This report examines cold rolled coil imports by region through September 2020. In September year to date, cold rolled imports were down by 13.8 percent at […]
National level import reports do a good job of measuring the overall market pressure caused by the imports of individual products. The downside is that there are huge regional differences. This report examines hot rolled coil imports by region through September 2020. In September, hot rolled imports were down by 15.3 percent at the national […]
National level import reports do a good job of measuring the overall market pressure caused by the imports of individual products. The downside is that there are huge regional differences. This report examines coiled plate imports by region through September 2020. In September year to date, coiled plate imports were down by 34.2 percent at […]
National level import reports do a good job of measuring the overall market pressure caused by the imports of individual products. The downside is that there are huge regional differences. This report examines cut-to-length plate imports by region through September 2020. In September year to date, cut-to-length (CTL) plate imports were down by 45.2 percent […]
NLMK USA has reached a settlement with the U.S. government regarding its challenge to the denial of Section 232 exclusions on steel slab imports. NLMK USA filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade in February 2020, covering 86 requests for slab exclusions submitted by the company in 2018. NLMK USA argued that […]
Editor’s note 11/17/20: The data in the “Supply Tons YTD” column on Table 3 didn’t populate correctly, and therefore, was in error. Table 3 has now been updated accordingly. Mill shipments and supply of sheet products continue to see slight yet steady growth since reaching bottom in June. This analysis is based on steel mill […]
The Perfect Storm: Long lead times, late deliveries, low service center inventories, strong demand, higher prices, lack of foreign steel imports, mill outages both planned and unplanned, maximum capacity utilization rates at a number of mills, NLMK USA strike, higher ferrous scrap prices that are expected to go much higher in the coming months, restrictions […]
Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week shows that the flat rolled mills are extremely busy and operating near full capacity. More than 80 percent of the service center and OEM executives responding to SMU’s questionnaire said they are seeing late deliveries from their mill suppliers. More than 60 percent expect a shortage […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: Exchange rates make international transactions possible. If a trading partner (let’s call them Country X) could keep its exchange rate abnormally low against the U.S. dollar, its exports to the U.S. would be more competitive and sales would […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: The steel tariffs were in the news recently with the announcement of a settlement of a lawsuit brought to challenge denials of exclusion requests. This is the third case, by my unofficial count, that has been settled in […]
U.S. apparent steel supply remained flat from August to September, up 0.4 percent to 7.19 million net tons, according to the latest U.S. Department of Commerce and American Iron and Steel Institute data. While supply levels have improved each month since May, recall that April and May were the two lowest levels seen in the […]
The SMU Steel Price Momentum Indicators on all flat rolled and plate steel products are currently pointing toward higher prices over the next 30 days. We expect hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized, Galvalume and steel plate pricing to increase during the coming weeks. The two major reasons for our position are the limitations of supply […]
Final Commerce data shows steel imports totaled 1.26 million net tons in September, surpassing last month’s low by 33,000 tons. September imports are now at the lowest levels seen in 11 years, with the previous low occuring in September 2009 at 1.21 million tons. Recall that the lowest monthly import level in the past two decades […]
Mexico has agreed to strictly monitor exports of grain-oriented electrical steel in lieu of trade restrictions under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. A Nov. 5 statement from the U.S. Trade Representative said, “In light of these measures, imports from Mexico will not be subject to any action to adjust imports of […]
The Department of Commerce has self-initiated an investigation into the circumvention of antidumping and countervailing duty orders on oil country tubular goods from China. Commerce said on Thursday that it will investigate whether hot rolled steel sheet and strip from China is exported to Brunei and the Philippines for minor processing before being exported to […]
Steel Market Update’s latest foreign vs. domestic hot rolled steel price comparison shows that steel imports have become more enticing to U.S. buyers than in previous weeks. U.S producers appear to have lost their price advantage over HRC imports from Far East Asia, according to the latest SMU and CRU price indices. The price differentials between […]
The U.S. International Trade Administration has launched a new Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) System as of Oct, 13. This new system collects and publishes data on steel mill product imports and provides valuable information on steel trade within the United States. The import monitor provides an early indication on steel imports by publishing […]
Most of the industry executives polled by Steel Market Update this week reported genuine demand, not just tight supplies, pushing steel prices upward, promising even higher prices ahead. SMU estimates the current spot market price for hot rolled at $700 per ton, up by $260 over the past three months, and likely not yet at […]
Mexican steelmaker Ternium’s operating rates are approaching full capacity after strong improvement in shipments and demand in the third quarter. Total steel shipments rose 16 percent from the second quarter to 2.8 million tons. Higher finished steel shipments partially offset lower slab shipments to third parties. Pricing recovered significantly from the trough in the second […]
Growing up I was a bit of a history nerd and my original intention was to be a political science major when I entered Hamline University where I went to college. Over time I morphed into a bit of a political nerd, so elections are exciting times for me. They may not be for many […]
By CRU Principal Analyst James Campbell, from CRU’s Long Products Monitor Most long product prices around the world increased this month as the recovery in demand continues. For some markets and products, the increase in supply has been outpaced by demand. Wire rod remains the strongest product right now as the increase in construction activity […]
By Principal Consultant Josh Spoores, from CRU’s Steel Sheet Products Monitor North American sheet prices have continued to surge after bottoming this past August. For HR coil, prices have been assessed at $712 /s.ton. Since Aug. 12, these prices have gained $237 /s.ton, or 63%. This is the fastest percent gain over three months in […]
By CRU Analyst Estelle Tran, from CRU’s Global Steel Trade Service The U.S. market is at a unique point where steel buyers could be convinced to buy imports because of extreme supply tightness. With about 7Mt of blast furnace capacity remaining idled in the U.S. and Canada, sheet mills in operation are effectively running at […]
The Department of Commerce said it plans to move forward to implement tariffs or other trade remedies on imports of electrical steel components. Commerce launched a Section 232 investigation in May 2020 following comments by Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves regarding the continued viability of AK Steel Butler, the sole producer of electrical steel in the […]
Editor’s note 11/3/20: Some of the data as originally published in Table 1 was incorrect due to a spreadsheet error (specifically the change in shipments 3M Y/Y column). The table has been updated with the correct information below. Mill shipments and supply of sheet products have turned, albeit slightly, since reaching bottom in […]
For those of us who live in the United States, today should be one where we recognize we have expressed our opinions about politics and politicians with our vote. We recognize the strength of our democracy is rooted in the belief that we are all Americans no matter our political ilk. To believe otherwise only […]
Hot rolled steel prices just keep rising. Steel Market Update puts the current benchmark price for HR at $685 per ton. How much higher can it go before correcting? Opinions vary widely. Responses to Steel Market Update’s market trends questionnaire this week indicate that a solid majority (62 percent) of industry executives believe the HR […]
In most regions in Q2 2020, gross domestic product, as reported by the states, declined by more than the nationally reported number. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reports GDP by state and region on a quarterly basis. This data is released several weeks after the national report, but the BEA has committed to getting […]
When I look at the results of our flat rolled survey, sometimes I have to scratch my head. In the survey we just completed last week, we asked at what point hot rolled prices would peak. Sixty-two percent of our respondents believe prices will peak at $700 or lower. To them I ask, what is […]
Despite some initial concern that the ferrous scrap market would dip in November, scrap dealers anticipate a “strong sideways” price trend next month. “Export sales have been voluminous over the last two weeks, and prices are now about $10 off the lowest levels they fell to over the last month or so,” said a dealer […]