By CRU Principal Analyst Erik Hedborg, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor Iron ore prices have continued to rise in the past week as a result of a combination of weaker seaborne supply and rising steel prices following the recent celebrations in China. On Tuesday, July 6, CRU assessed the 62% Fe fines price at $222.0 […]
By CRU Principal Analyst Erik Hedborg, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor Iron ore prices have fallen back to $200 /dmt as Chinese demand continues to weaken and the country’s ports have registered the highest level of iron ore inflow since Q1. On Tuesday, July 27, CRU assessed the 62% Fe fines price at $200.0 /dmt, […]
The Soo Locks will open 12 hours early this year due to safety and economic interests. The official opening is now scheduled for noon on March 24, instead of at midnight. A request for an earlier opening was sent to the Army Corps of Engineers by James H.I. Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers Association. […]
Reducing carbon isn’t just something that steel wants to do to be a good corporate citizen, it’s increasingly something that key customers – such as automakers – are demanding. Case in point: German automaker BMW is investing in a CO2-free steel production process developed by Boston Metal, a U.S.-based start-up. Boston Metal has found a way […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Ryan McKinley from CRU’s Steel Metallics Monitor The CRU metallics price indicator (CRUmpi) rose by 14.4% m/m in March to 354.4, bouncing back above levels seen in January. China’s return to the steel market following New Year holiday celebrations there helped lift steel and scrap prices in Asia, while seasonally constrained […]
Companhia Siderúrgica do Pecém (CSP) has delayed a scheduled shutdown of its blast furnace until the second half of 2021, a company spokeswoman said. The Brazilian steelmaker had originally planned to undertake the shutdown, necessary to implement “processes improvement,” in the second quarter of this year. “The initial date was postponed mainly due to the […]
Mark your calendars as Steel Market Update has a wide array of conferences and workshops scheduled through the month of August 2021. Here is what you can expect: March 30 & 31: Steel Hedging 101: Introduction to Managing Price Risk (virtual) At the end of this month, Spencer Johnson of StoneX, the CME Group and […]
SMU contributor Tim Stevenson is a partner at Metal Edge Partners, a firm engaged in Risk Management and Strategic Advisory. In this role, he and his firm design and execute risk management strategies for clients along with providing process and analytical support. In Tim’s previous role, he was a Director at Cargill Risk Management, and […]
SMU contributor Tim Stevenson is a partner at Metal Edge Partners, a firm engaged in Risk Management and Strategic Advisory. In this role, he and his firm design and execute risk management strategies for clients along with providing process and analytical support. In Tim’s previous role, he was a Director at Cargill Risk Management, and […]
“Life at Cleveland-Cliffs has been intense,” said CEO Lourenco Goncalves, referring to a pandemic-challenged year in 2020 and major changes to what just one year ago was an iron ore company. “Without question, 2020 was the most transformational year in our company’s 173-year history,” said Goncalves. “We completed two seminal acquisitions, AK Steel and ArcelorMittal […]
“Life at Cleveland-Cliffs has been intense,” said CEO Lourenco Goncalves, referring to a pandemic-challenged year in 2020 and major changes to what just one year ago was an iron ore company. “Without question, 2020 was the most transformational year in our company’s 173-year history,” said Goncalves. “We completed two seminal acquisitions, AK Steel and ArcelorMittal […]
The extreme cold snap that hit the southern U.S. disrupted production at Ternium Mexico, causing the loss of approximately 80,000 tons of production and an estimated $40 million. The facilities are now back to normal operations, but because the mill is operating at full capacity, lost production cannot be made up, said CEO Maximo Vedoya […]
California Steel Industries (CSI) has closed its May order booked for flat-rolled steel just a week after opening it. “We want to thank you for your continued support during these difficult times. … We will contact you when we open the Flat Rolled order book for June,” CSI said in a Feb. 23 letter to […]
Among steelmaking raw materials, the prices of iron ore, pig iron and steel scrap moderated through February following large gains seen in previous months. Prices declined as much as 16% month-over-month for those three products, but remain 34-57% higher compared to three months prior and as much as 87% higher than levels one year ago. […]
At least two major Mexican flat-rolled steel producers–Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA) and Ternium México–have cut production in response to power outages and natural gas shortages, according to mill communications. That development–along with transportation and production snarls at multiple flat-rolled mills in the southern United States–means the North American steel market might be short tens […]
At least two major Mexican flat-rolled steel producers–Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA) and Ternium México–have cut production in response to power outages and natural gas shortages, according to mill communications. That development–along with transportation and production snarls at multiple flat-rolled mills in the southern United States–means the North American steel market might be short tens […]
Stelco management presented an optimistic outlook for the Canadian mill in 2021. Fourth-quarter revenue rose 79 percent from the third quarter to CAD $424 million on higher steel pricing and increased volume. Shipments rose 46 percent sequentially to 489,000 net tons. Shipments are expected to jump another 35 percent in the first quarter of 2021. Stelco […]
Stelco management presented an optimistic outlook for the Canadian mill in 2021. Fourth-quarter revenue rose 79 percent from the third quarter to CAD $424 million on higher steel pricing and increased volume. Shipments rose 46 percent sequentially to 489,000 net tons. Shipments are expected to jump another 35 percent in the first quarter of 2021. Stelco […]
Black Swan Events One of the areas I cover when I am teaching my segment of our Steel 101 workshop is Black Swan Events and how they can impact the steel market – especially steel prices. Most of the United States appear to be having a Black Swan Event in the form of unusually cold […]
Black Swan Events One of the areas I cover when I am teaching my segment of our Steel 101 workshop is Black Swan Events and how they can impact the steel market – especially steel prices. Most of the United States appear to be having a Black Swan Event in the form of unusually cold […]
Rio Tinto, Paul Wurth SA and SHS Stahl Holding Saar are exploring a potential hydrogen-based hot-briquetted iron (HBI) operation in Canada. The Anglo-Australian miner, the equipment manufacturer and the German steelmaker have already inked a memorandum of understanding. They will now conduct a feasibility study about an “industrial-scale” low-carbon iron production plant, according to a […]
NLMK USA sales in the fourth quarter of 2020 increased 1% from the third quarter to 370,000 metric tons. Sales plummeted 22% from a year ago due to low capacity utilization at NLMK Pennsylvania attributed to the ongoing strike and a shortage of slabs for duty-free import. Rolling capacity utilization at the U.S. segment was […]
After divesting most of its U.S. assets to Cleveland-Cliffs, ArcelorMittal is now focused on strategic growth, controlling costs and leading the industry on sustainability, the steelmaker claims. The company is targeting net-zero emissions by 2050 and looks forward to commissioning its Smart Carbon steelmaking technologies in Ghent in 2022. ArcelorMittal achieved its first sales for […]
Some of you may have noticed that we have adjusted our language when it comes to the SMU Price Momentum Indicator. At this moment, the momentum indicators for hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized, Galvalume and plate steels are pointing toward higher prices over the near term (next 30 to possibly as far out as 60 […]
It might be T-shirt weather before steel buyers in Canada have access to spot tons of sheet and plate, according to market participants. The three main Canadian sheet suppliers–Algoma, Stelco and ArcelorMittal Dofasco–are largely sold out through May and are in some cases out as far as June. And when it comes to plate, Canada’s […]
It might be T-shirt weather before steel buyers in Canada have access to spot tons of sheet and plate, according to market participants. The three main Canadian sheet suppliers–Algoma, Stelco and ArcelorMittal Dofasco–are largely sold out through May and are in some cases out as far as June. And when it comes to plate, Canada’s […]
Among steelmaking raw materials, the prices of iron ore, pig iron and scrap saw large gains in January compared to months prior, up as much as 86 percent year over year. Coking coal prices, which rebounded compared to recent months, were still down 9 percent in January versus prices one year ago. Zinc prices have declined […]
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has written letters to the CEOs of Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel asking for their cooperation in ensuring the future of iron ore taconite operations—Minntac and Hibbing Taconite. The facilities are critical to the Iron Range economy and employ over 1,700 workers combined. In his letters Monday to Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves […]
As lower-emission electric arc furnace (EAF) mills become the predominant steelmaking method in the United States and other parts of the world, demand for pig iron, used to dilute the inclusions in melted scrap, will only grow. This trend has fueled speculation that integrated producers in the U.S. may repurpose idled blast furnaces for commercial […]
“What a difference a quarter can make,” exclaimed U.S. Steel President and CEO David Burritt during the opening of the fourth-quarter 2020 earnings call. The company posted positive net earnings of $49 million following a net loss of $234 million in the third quarter and a net loss of $688 million in Q4 2019. Net […]