The LME aluminum three-month price steadied this week despite a whirlwind of upsetting news, finding its footing near $2,300 per metric ton. That’s below the $2,500-per-ton mark we saw as 2023 opened on a more optimistic tone. The recent news from across the geopolitical and macroeconomic scene has dampened demand sentiment in the near term. […]
SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects on Monday and Tuesday of this week, including current and future steel prices, inventory strategies, supply, demand, and new mill capacity. Rather than summarizing the comments we received, we are sharing some of them in each buyer’s own words. We want to hear your thoughts, too! […]
The appeal for imports of hot-rolled coil (HRC) continues to grow as US prices move higher in response to repeated mill tag hikes. The price advantage domestic HRC had enjoyed over offshore just last month has swung negative at an accelerated rate, according to SMU’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis. The most recent pricing […]
Galvanized sheet continues to experience stable demand but market sentiment is waning, according to members of the Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) speaking on the March 22 meeting of its Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council. Bullishness has subsided from sentiment in February. With lead times approaching eight weeks, HARDI members are experiencing tighter inventories and delayed […]
This week started without a price increase. Not that we needed another. Still, it felt weird after so many consecutive weeks of them. Prices continue to move up even without increases and lead times continue to extend. But the pace has moderated. Our hot-rolled coil price stands at $1,140 per ton ($57 per cwt) this […]
Flat-rolled steel prices are still trending up in the wake of recent mill tag hikes, albeit at a slower pace this week. We’ve seen a rather notable market cycle over the past 15-plus weeks with repeated price hikes. Is it starting to peter out, or just catching its breath? Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices have increased […]
Imports of cold-rolled coil (CRC) extended their pricing advantage over domestic product as US mills continued to drive prices higher, according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis of the CRC market. US mills have announced multiple rounds of price increases since the beginning of the year, widening the gap between US […]
Lead times are increasing and so are prices. Do I sound like a broken record yet? This week’s survey showed that a whopping 61% of participants think lead times will remain flat two months from now. Based on historical data, March through June is high season for the HVAC sector. Taking that into account, we […]
US Steel has restarted the No. 8 blast furnace at its Gary Works in northwest Indiana. The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker said it restarted the furnace in early March in response to improving demand and rising prices. The company had idled the No. 8 furnace in September, citing difficult market conditions and competition from imports. It hinted […]
Editor’s note: SMU Contributor David Feldstein is president of Rock Trading Advisors. Rock provides customers attached to the steel industry with commodity price risk management services and market intelligence. RTA is registered with the National Futures Association as a Commodity Trade Advisor. David has over 20 years of professional trading experience and has been active […]
Imports of hot-rolled coil (HRC) are becoming more attractive as US mills continue to drive domestic prices higher. The price advantage domestic HRC had enjoyed over offshore hot band as recently as five weeks ago swung negative, mirroring dynamics seen more than a year ago, according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign vs. domestic price […]
Flat Rolled = 52.2 Shipping Days of Supply Plate = 45 Shipping Days of Supply Flat Rolled US service center flat-rolled steel supply in February edged down slightly, while the amount of material on order surged. At the end of February, service centers carried 52.2 shipping days of supply, according to adjusted SMU data. This […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) expects lower first-quarter 2023 earnings on costs related to its Sinton, Texas, flat-roll mill and the continued work-through of higher-priced pig iron purchased in 2022. The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker expects Q1 earnings in the range of $3.47 to $3.51 per diluted share. This is down from $3.61 per diluted share […]
Flat-rolled steel prices continue to rise in response to repeated mill pricing announcements, a trend we’ve seen nearly weekly since Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices have surged by $490 per ton – a 78% jump – since Cleveland-Cliffs and US Steel kicked off the craze with $60-per-ton price hikes. On Monday, Cliffs […]
The LME aluminium three-month price eased lower again last week and was seen trading Friday at around $2,300 per tonne. Still below the high mark for 2023, recent news from the macroeconomic scene has dampened demand sentiment and prices accordingly. Market participants awaited Jerome Powell’s semi-annual congressional testimony, with Friday’s focus the nonfarm payrolls report. […]
US plate prices have steadily increased over the past two weeks, largely in response to repeated mill price hikes. The most recent increase came from Cleveland-Cliffs when the steelmaker aimed to increase base prices for steel plate by at least $60 per ton ($3 per cwt). It was Cliffs’ first official plate price notice in […]
The price advantage domestic cold-rolled coil (CRC) had recently enjoyed over imported steel was short-lived, as US mills continue to drive prices higher, according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis of the CRC market. Repeated mill price hikes through February and into March has seen the US CRC price advantage over foreign […]
What a difference a month makes in light of a difficult forecast environment for hot rolled (HR) prices. The mills have been raising HR spot prices faster than folks can track, and the futures appear to be in lockstep as lead times continue to extend. While steel capacity utilization rate seems stuck in the mid-70% […]
The price advantage domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) had enjoyed over offshore hot band has evaporated as US mills drive prices higher, according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis. Nucor and ArcelorMittal last week announced a target price $1,150 per ton ($57.50 per cwt) for HRC. Market contacts have told SMU that some […]
We’ve just seen the biggest week-over-week increase in hot-rolled coil prices since the frenzy following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. SMU’s hot-rolled coil (HRC) price is up $140 per ton ($7 per cwt) week over week. That’s our biggest such gain since prices jumped $210 per ton in mid-March of last year at the height of […]
Aggressive mill price increases are pushing flat-rolled tags up at a sharp clip, rivaling the spike seen in response to the war in Ukraine last March. On Friday, Nucor came out with yet another notice – up an extra $150 per ton ($7.50 per cwt) and setting a new base price for hot band of […]
A sheet supply squeeze is on and, according to some market participants, chances are it’s only going to get tighter. There is no one thing, a war or pandemic, that’s causing the squeeze this time. Instead, it’s a litany of comparatively smaller events that combined have created some real havoc. You know that list by […]
SMU’s Steel Demand Index indicates that the pace of growth has slowed down when it comes to apparent demand for flat-rolled steel in the US. The index is still above 50, which indicates improving demand. But it is down 6.4 points, following a similar weakening seen in the prior reading in mid-February. The back-to-back declines […]
Weekly pricing increases are giving a new reason to have the “Sunday Scaries.” But as we wind down this week, all is quiet on the western front, so far. With regular news of price hikes, hearing mixed opinions from the market is no surprise. For every optimistic view, there’s a louder pessimistic one. We have […]
Steel mill lead times are following prices as they continue to trend upward, according to SMU’s latest market survey. SMU’s hot-rolled lead time is approximately six weeks, up from 5.4 weeks in our last market check two weeks ago. The result is notable because it marks a second consecutive and significant gain. Recall that lead times had been steady just below […]
A majority of shares in Mexican steelmaker Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA) has been sold to a group of foreign investors, according to reports in the Mexican press. Shareholders of Grupo Acerero del Norte signed an agreement to transfer the majority of AHMSA shares to the group of foreign investors, an article in Milenio said on […]
Domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) continues to lose its price advantage over imported steel. The reason: US prices continued to move higher following a wave of domestic mill price hikes that began after Thanksgiving and reached a fever pitch in February with near weekly price increases. US HRC had held a price advantage over foreign hot […]
February came in with a bang and went out with one too. We saw two rounds of $50-per-ton sheet price increases early in the month. Then one of $100 per ton. And finally Cleveland-Cliffs came in near the buzzer on Monday with another $100-per-ton price hike. We think that was the last shot of the […]
Last week’s mill price increases continue to make their way into the market. Cliffs’ latest this week – up another $100 per ton ($5 per cwt) and setting a new base price for hot band of $1,100 per ton – has yet to be reflected in today’s pricing. But that hasn’t stopped it from garnering […]
US plate prices have remained mostly flat this week, a trend we’ve seen since Nucor announced a plate price cut in late November. Recall that in late November, Nucor said it would be lowering plate prices by $140 per ton ($7 per cwt) with the opening of its January order book. Plate tags have varied […]