Durable goods orders edged down 0.2 percent in January as defense orders sharply decreased from their surge in December. Defense capital goods plummeted 39.8 percent after an 87.4 percent increase the previous month, the Census Bureau reported today. Orders for transportation slid 2.2 percent in January after gaining 8.8 percent in December. Excluding the volatile […]
Key Market Indicators show that the improvement in market trends in December and January translated to a jump in the present situation in February. This report is designed to be a big picture summary of data on which we have reported in detail during the month. In it we summarize 36 data streams that describe […]
Written by: John Packard, President & CEO, Steel Market Update Steel prices in general appear to have weakened further for the fifth week, based on Steel Market Update’s canvass of the market over the past two days. Hindsight being 20/20, SMU arguably could have adjusted its Price Momentum Indicator from Neutral to Lower earlier than […]
State Steel and SPS Companies have acquired steel fabricator Kooima Co. Kooima, based in Rock Valley, Iowa, provides steel fabrication solutions to OEMs and other manufacturers, including laser cutting, bending, machining and welding. State Steel, headquartered in Sioux City, operates multiple service centers in Iowa as well as metal recycling operations in four states. Kansas-based […]
Based on the results from the flat rolled and plate steel market trends analysis Steel Market Update conducted this past week, along with new steel price discussions SMU had with steel buyers late last week, we have decided to move our flat rolled (hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized and Galvalume) price Momentum Indicators to Lower […]
Olympic Steel missed its mark during a challenging year. The company reported net income of $3.9 million for 2019, down from $33.8 million in 2018. Net sales fell 8.3 percent year-over-year to $1.6 billion. Fourth-quarter sales slid 29 percent from a year ago to $320 million. The company posted a net loss of $890,000 in […]
Earlier today I moved our Price Momentum Indicator to Lower from Neutral. I explained my reasoning in an article in tonight’s issue. What happens should one of the steel mills announce a price increase within the next couple of weeks? With scrap poised to move higher, and lead times being decent at most of the […]
Price negotiations with the mills have continued to loosen up as it’s rapidly becoming a buyer’s market. The vast majority of service center and manufacturing executives responding to Steel Market Update’s questionnaire this week said the mills are open to price negotiations on nearly all products to win the orders. In the hot rolled segment, […]
The following article discussing the global ferrous derivatives markets was written by David Feldstein. As an independent steel market analyst, advisor and trader, we believe he provides insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Note that Steel Market Update does not take any positions on HRC or scrap trading, and any recommendations or comments […]
By CRU Multi-Commodity Analyst Zanna Aleksahhina As of Feb. 19, the outbreak of coronavirus Covid-19 has killed more than 2,000 people, infected over 75,000 others, and put millions in self-isolation. Aside from the human tragedy, the virus poses a real threat to the Chinese economy. The automotive industry will be hit hard, and we expect […]
While business activity remains fairly strong in February, distributors of galvanized products to the HVAC industry are waiting and watching for some indication of which way steel prices will move. Steel Market Update is, too. SMU has moved its Price Momentum Indicator to Neutral until the market establishes a clear direction. Steel prices have softened […]
By Senior Analyst Erik Hedborg, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Material Monitor Iron ore prices rebounded in the past week as arrivals of seaborne iron ore to China were at their weakest level in over six months. Port stocks in China fell w/w and talks about further stimulus and a drop in the number of new Covid-19 […]
A surge in business activity in New York State surprised economists in February. The Empire State Manufacturing Survey’s general business index shot up eight points for a reading of 12.9, well above the forecast consensus of 4.0 and posting its highest level since May 2019. Business conditions improved across the board except for a softening […]
For-Hire Truck Tonnage rose 0.1 percent in January to 117.4. The January increase follows a 0.5 percent increase in December, reports the American Trucking Association. “Over the last two months, the tonnage index has increased 0.6 percent, which is obviously good news” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “However, after our annual revision, it is […]
Based on our analysis of 10 economic indicators, the decline in manufacturing slowed in February’s data. This report summarizes 10 data streams that describe the state of U.S. manufacturing in general and the steel industry in particular. We have reported on most of these separately in our Steel Market Update publications, and therefore will be […]
Economists are fond of saying, “when the United States sneezes, the rest of the world gets a cold.” Where goes the world’s largest economy, smaller economies follow. Likewise, China, the world’s second largest economy, has come down with a particularly nasty bug that is threatening the health of global commerce. By now most are familiar […]
Steel prices finished 2019 on an upward trajectory, giving the market hope for a stronger 2020. That trend proved short-lived, however, as prices stalled in January and February, leaving both buyers and sellers wondering what to expect in the weeks and months ahead. Steel prices rose in November and December on a series of price […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: I received a question recently about the significance of Section 321 of the Tariff Act of 1930. Section 321 exempts imports from duties if they have an entered value of less than $800 per entry and meet certain […]
The office of the U.S. Trade Representative released a scathing report detailing what the U.S. believes is wrong with the dispute mechanisms of the World Trade Organization. In 174 pages, the department lays out the alleged failures of the Appellate Body to conduct business by “agreed rules.” “As detailed in this Report, the Appellate Body […]
We will begin our mid-February flat rolled and plate steel market trends analysis at 8 a.m. on Monday. Currently we are inviting approximately 560 individuals to participate in the market questionnaire, which takes about 4-8 minutes to complete. If you receive an invitation, please take a few minutes to provide your insights as they are […]
On Thursday February 13 we shared an overview of the 2020 SMU Steel Summit Conference agenda. If you did not see Thursday evening’s issue of Steel Market Update, you can find the agenda on our website. We also published some of the “keys” regarding this our 10th SMU Steel Summit Conference. Those were also published […]
Today, we are rolling out more of our agenda for the 2020 SMU Steel Summit Conference. For more information and to register, visit: www.SteelMarketUpdate.com/Events/Steel-Summit. STEEL: DEALING WITH THE VELOCITY OF CHANGE AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS Monday, August 24, 2020 10:00 – 5:30 Conference RegistrationGeorgia International Convention Center- South Lobby 10:00 – 10:50 CME Hedging Workshop 11:10 – […]
Today, we are rolling out more of our agenda for the 2020 SMU Steel Summit Conference. For more information and to register, visit: www.SteelMarketUpdate.com/Events/Steel-Summit. STEEL: DEALING WITH THE VELOCITY OF CHANGE AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS Monday, August 24, 2020 10:00 – 5:30 Conference RegistrationGeorgia International Convention Center- South Lobby 10:00 – 10:50 CME Hedging Workshop 11:10 – […]
Worthington Industries plans to close its manufacturing plant in Wooster, Ohio, this spring. The oil and gas equipment manufacturing operations will be consolidated into Worthington’s facility in Bremen, Ohio. “We believe the consolidation of our manufacturing footprint in the East will enable us to better serve our customers and accelerate transformation efforts already under way […]
Russel Metals has remained profitable despite wild swings in steel prices caused by U.S. tariffs, coupled with weak energy prices and declining rig counts. The Canadian distributor reported net income of $77 million on revenues of $3.7 billion in full-year 2019. Results were down significantly from the prior year when the company saw a profit […]
I am asking manufacturing companies if their company buys parts from China, and if so, what has the coronavirus done to shipments of their products. An ag-related company told me the workers are just returning to the plant in China after the extended holidays. I was told they were seeing at least a two-week delay […]
Steel buyers weighed in today as Steel Market Update conducted our sweep of the markets to determine where spot prices are this week, and to see what is on the minds of the buyers. Here are some of the comments made to SMU earlier today: A manufacturing company shared their perspective with these thoughts, “Where […]
Net job creation in January was an encouraging 225,000, up from 147,000 in November, but down from the exceptional result of 261,000 in October. In the January report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) made substantial historical revisions. In this SMU analysis, we revised our data back to January 2017. Rising employment and wages are […]
January’s employment report was a downer for manufacturing, but construction was particularly strong. The net increase in employed persons was 225,000 in January, of which 108,000 were in health, education and leisure activities. In January, 44,000 jobs were created in construction and 12,000 jobs lost in manufacturing. The private sector gained 206,000 jobs in January […]
By CRU Prices Analyst Estelle Tran, from CRU’s Bulk Ferro Alloys Monitor The steel market got a stronger than expected start to the year, lifting year-to-date U.S. steel mill capability utilization to 82.1 percent—the highest level since May 2019, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. The Institute for Supply Management reported that the […]