Steel Market Update’s steel market indicators show improved trends in the November data. In our examination of data released in November, 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 is within the band of historically normal. The total of […]
Except for a few flat rolled steel mills that have not yet completely filled their December order books, most steel producers are holding firm on steel pricing in anticipation of good demand in the first quarter. The result is we are seeing two distinct pricing markets – those who have December tons and are willing […]
The broad index value of the U.S. dollar has strengthened since Sept. 8, but in the last month the dollar has weakened against 13 of the 16 steel trading nations’ currencies. From Jan. 3 through Sept. 8, 2017, the Broad Index value of the U.S. dollar depreciated by 9.3 percent. The value rebounded by 2.9 […]
Raw material markets have been tranquil since our October update, but the value of the U.S. dollar is once again in decline. In this report, we examine the latest prices for iron ore, scrap, coking coal and zinc. To put the raw materials analysis into perspective, we begin with Figure 1, which shows the spread […]
Steel Market Update (SMU) has been canvassing our ferrous scrap sources to find out where the industry sees prices once the negotiations begin with the domestic steel mills. All of our sources tell SMU they expect prices to be higher, somewhere in the $10 to $30 per gross ton range, compared to the November prices. […]
Keith Gunter, Vice President of Purchasing at McElroy Metal (and a part-time poet) shares his annual special holiday retrospective on the past year and his wishes for a prosperous 2018 for all. T’was soon to be Christmas, when all through the land, Pricing ought to be stable, wouldn’t that be so grand. During the fourth […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) futures markets was written by David Feldstein. As the Flack Global Metals Director of Risk Management, Dave is an active participant in the hot rolled futures market, and we believe he provides insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Besides writing futures articles for Steel […]
The dry bulk shipping market continues to recover from its historic lows of 2016. Carriers are reporting positive earnings and a more optimistic outlook for the next two years. Fleet growth in 2018 is expected to be at its lowest level since 1999, a mere 1 percent, according to the latest MID-SHIP Report. Spot rates […]
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 following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) futures markets was written by David Feldstein. As the Flack Global Metals Director of Risk Management, Dave is an active participant in the hot rolled futures market, and we believe he provides insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Besides writing futures articles for Steel […]
Commodities prices are a mixed bag. The price of iron ore is falling, but zinc is at a 10-year high. In this report, we examine the latest prices for iron ore, scrap, coking coal and zinc. On Oct. 25, commodities analyst Andrew Hecht wrote: “President Xi is likely to consolidate his power and take greater […]
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. […]
The value of the U.S. dollar has seen a turnaround that began on Sept. 8. From Jan. 3 through Sept. 8, the Broad Index value of the U.S. dollar depreciated by 9.3 percent. But the value rebounded by 2.9 percent from Sept. 8 through Oct. 20. (Please see the end of this report for an […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) futures markets was written by David Feldstein. As the Flack Global Metals Director of Risk Management, Dave is an active participant in the hot rolled futures market, and we believe he provides insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Besides writing futures articles for Steel […]
Cleveland Cliffs posted net income of $53 million in the third quarter that included an $89 million loss after paying down debt and a $32 million gain from discontinued operations. Debt was reduced to $1.7 billion compared to $2.2 billion in Q3 2016. “We are very pleased with our accomplishments so far this year, in […]
What goes around comes around, as they say. In the case of the ferrous scrap market, what goes around and comes around again and again are residuals such as copper that complicate the steelmaking process and threaten to erode some of the competitive cost advantage now held by minimills. Minimill steelmaking has transformed the steel […]
No one who has ever toured a steel mill will ever forget it. The sight of the molten metal, and the heat that hits you in the face even from a safe distance away, is both frightening and fascinating. Forty mostly young executives experienced steelmaking firsthand as students in Steel Market Update’s latest Steel 101 […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) futures markets was written by David Feldstein. As the Flack Global Metals Director of Risk Management, Dave is an active participant in the hot rolled futures market, and we believe he provides insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Besides writing futures articles for Steel […]
Governor Mark Dayton expressed his support of Chippewa Capital Partners to revive the Essar Steel Minnesota iron ore mining site. In an open letter to people on the Iron Range, Dayton said Chippewa has satisfied its obligations under the bankruptcy proceedings and may move forward with plans to construct a taconite pellet plant. Chippewa has […]
Cleveland Cliffs is now complete owner of Tilden Mining Company located in Ishpeming, Mich. Cliffs purchased U.S. Steel’s 15 percent equity interest in the mine for $105 million. With the closing of this transaction on Sept. 29, Cliffs added 1.2 million long tons of annual pellet production capacity and 55 million long tons of proven […]
The United States’ share of the global steel scrap trade has changed little in the two and a half years through second-quarter 2017. Steel Market Update performs this analysis quarterly to understand the gyrations of the domestic scrap market and where the U.S. stands as a global player. This data is not very current because […]
In its comments on President Trump’s “Buy America” executive order, California Steel Industries (CSI) makes a convincing case for steel companies that process slabs not “melted and poured” in the United States. In April, President Trump instructed all federal agencies to assess their compliance with Buy America/Buy American policies (which have an important distinction, as […]
Steel market indicators look good in the September data. Our view of the present situation is that 50 percent of the 36 indicators are historically positive with only 19 percent negative. The balance of them are within the band of historically normal. This was the same result as May and August. Along with September, these […]
The price of iron ore is falling but zinc is at a 10-year high. In this report, we examine the latest prices for iron ore, scrap, coking coal and zinc and their relationship to the dollar. “Right now, the dollar has a lot going against it. The administration in the U.S. continues to hope the […]
Chinese steel trade data was recently released for the month of August 2017, providing updated data on iron ore imports, scrap imports, and flat rolled imports and exports. Chinese imports of iron ore in August were 88,660,000 metric tons, an increase of 2.8 percent from the previous month and an increase of 1.1 percent from […]
Seaborne shipping is getting a much needed rise in rates. Freight rates are gaining strength following two years of historic lows, says MID-SHIP report. The Baltic Dry index, a benchmark for overall trade volume, rose to 1470 on Sept. 21 for its highest level in two years. MID-SHIP expects the BDI to approach 2000 in […]
Spot iron ore pricing dropped 7.4 percent within the past 24 hours with 62% Fe iron ore fines hitting $63 per dry metric ton (dmt). Iron ore has dropped $15.80/dmt over the past month. On Aug. 22, 62% Fe fines were trading at $78.8/dmt, according to The Steel Index. This morning, we received a note […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) futures markets was written by David Feldstein. As the Flack Global Metals Director of Risk Management, Dave is an active participant in the hot rolled futures market, and we believe he provides insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Besides writing futures articles for Steel […]
The U.S. dollar is continuing to collapse on the international foreign exchange markets. Through Sept. 8, the Broad Index value of the U.S. dollar had depreciated by 9.3 percent since Jan. 3 and the decline is accelerating. See the end of this report for an explanation of data sources. The analysis of currency trends is […]
The value of the U.S. dollar on the international exchange markets has been in freefall since Dec. 12, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of currencies. From Jan. 3 through Sept. 8, 2017, the Broad Index value of the U.S. dollar depreciated by 9.3 percent. The value rebounded by 2.97 percent from Sept. 9 […]