United Auto Workers called for a strike at General Motors beginning at 11:59 p.m. tonight, Sunday, Sept. 15. On Saturday evening, UAW Vice President Terry DIttes announced there would be no extension of the current 2015 collective bargaining agreement. “We stood up for General Motors when they needed us most. Now we are standing together […]
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 […]
The rate of job creation in August slowed to 130,000 and was helped by the addition of 25,000 temporary Census workers, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Net job creation in August declined to 130,000 from a downwardly revised 159,000 in July. June was revised […]
Job creation in August was disappointing even after being boosted by the addition of thousands of temporary Census workers. In August, 3,000 jobs were created in manufacturing industries and 14,000 in construction activities. A reported 96,000 jobs were created in the private sector and government gained 34,000 positions. The federal government employment result was swelled […]
Do plans by U.S. mills to add millions of tons of new steelmaking capacity over the next few years make a price-killing supply glut inevitable? That’s a question very much open to debate, as shown by the spirited exchange between three leading analysts during Steel Market Update’s Steel Summit Aug. 28 in Atlanta. Despite some […]
So far, China has held its own in the prolonged trade war with the U.S., but August saw an unexpected decline in exports. China’s exports fell 1.0 percent in August after gaining 3.3 percent in July. Imports declined 5.6 percent, resulting in an overall trade surplus of $34.84 billion, said China’s General Administration of Customs. […]
Steel Market Update will produce our Service Center Inventories and Shipments “Flash Report” on flat rolled and plate steels for data providers on Monday, Sept. 9. Also on Monday, we will begin our early September flat rolled and plate steel market trends analysis. On Friday, we will provide data providers with a link to a […]
Steel Market Update is making adjustments to our Price Momentum Indicators on hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized and Galvalume steels. The pressure behind rising steel prices seems to be subsiding as lead times at most mills are reasonable (especially considering the maintenance schedules in place for September and October). Steel buyers are beginning to tell […]
Despite slight upward momentum in steel pricing in August, steel buyers’ sentiment languished in the +40s on SMU’s index. This tepid optimism likely reflects widespread concerns in the market about steel demand in the second half and the staying power of steel prices following the recent increases announced by the mills. The average price for […]
Construction spending was essentially flat in July, inching up less than 0.1 percent from June, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Spending slid 2.7 percent from a year ago to a total seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.289 trillion. Year-to-date, spending declined by 2.1 percent […]
This report is designed to be a big picture summary of data we have reported in detail during the month. It summarizes 36 data streams that describe the state of the steel market and provide forward guidance for steel buyers and sellers. See the end of this piece for an explanation of the Key Indicators […]
World steel production is down this year. Between May and July, global steel production declined by 4.1 percent. For the year, steel output is down by 0.9 percent, excluding China which continues to overproduce. Capacity is calculated to be 2.4 billion metric tons and capacity utilization in July was 79.0 percent, according to the latest […]
Construction Put in Place (CPIP) data released Sept. 3 by the Commerce Department shows the first decline in total construction in nearly eight years. Through July, total construction has had negative momentum every month since October last year, and in June and July total construction declined for the first time since November 2011, according to Steel […]
By CRU Principal Economist Lisa Morrison The last month has been interesting from a forecast standpoint given the reversal in the Fed’s monetary policy stance at the end of July, new developments in the U.S.-China trade war and a shift in currency policy in China. Through all this policy change, we continue to see a […]
The ISM Manufacturing Index fell to 49.1 percent in August from 51.2 percent in July indicating a contraction in business activity and the lowest level since the 48.0 percent reading in January 2016. “Comments from the panel reflect a notable decrease in business confidence,” said Timothy R. Fiore, chairman of the Institute for Supply Management […]
The global manufacturing sector downturn continued to worsen in August. The J.P.Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI posted a 49.5 for its fourth month of contraction. More than half of the nations surveyed by J.P.Morgan and IHS Markit had PMI readings below the neutral 50 mark last month, with Germany and the Czech Republic declining at the […]
The United Auto Workers has chosen General Motors as the lead company for labor negotiations that will set the pattern for 2019 discussions. Contracts at the Detroit Big 3 will expire at midnight on Sept. 14. “We are focused. We are prepared. And we are all ready to stand up for our members, our communities […]
As I write my “final thoughts” for Tuesday evening’s issue of Steel Market Update, I am in Stuart, Fla., and there is a hurricane located about 80 miles due east in the Bahamas. It is Monday and I expect there will be limited power or mobility come Tuesday, so I am trying to be a […]
Nucor has received more than 2,300 applicants for 250 positions at its $400 million steel plant in Sedalia, Mo. The rebar plant is expected to open in November. Jessica Craig, Sedalia-Pettis County economic development executive director, says 153 employees have already been hired, some coming from as far away as Columbia and Kansas City, more […]
Demand for long products continues to be very strong, driven by the construction industry. Demand for sheet products is declining due to the weakness in manufacturing. This analysis by Steel Market Update is based on steel mill shipment data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and import-export data from the U.S. Department of […]
I thought I was going to get a respite from the stress of putting on the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference as the conference has concluded and I have returned home. For those of you who do not know, I live in southern Florida on the Atlantic coast side close to West Palm Beach. Mother […]
Steel demand from the agricultural sector is down substantially, according to a panel of steel distributor and processing CEOs at the 2019 SMU Steel Summit. North American farming profits were hit hard in 2019 by weather, high steel prices and retaliatory Section 232 and 301 tariffs, impacting the ability of farmers to invest in equipment. […]
Steel Market Update is pleased to announce the recipient of the first SMU NexGen Leadership Award is Meredith Meade at Tempel Steel Company. Ms. Meade was presented her award by Steel Manufacturers Association CEO Philip Bell. SMA sponsored this year’s award, which attracted 21 highly qualified nominees from 18 companies. The finalists for the award were Ms. […]
Orders for durable goods increased for a second month, gaining 2.1 percent in July, according the latest data from the Commerce Department. Transportation again led the gain with a surge of 47.8 percent for aircraft and parts. Excluding the volatile transportation category, durable goods orders were down 0.4 percent. Core capital goods, non-defense minus aircraft and […]
By CRU Principal Economist Lisa Morrison and Senior Analyst Erik Hedborg In the past month, we have seen sharp declines in global commodity prices, including steelmaking raw materials. The fall was triggered by an escalation of the U.S.-China trade war, but CRU’s research shows that supply and demand fundamentals in the markets also contributed to […]
The U.S. International Trade Commission determined on Tuesday that unfair imports of steel racks from China are causing material injury to domestic producers and should be subject to duties. The final decision follows the Department of Commerce AD/CVD determination that the racks are subsidized and sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. As […]
Material Sciences Corp. was named as one of five winners of the 2019 Altair Enlightment Award given to honor the greatest achievement in vehicle weight savings. MSC was honored for its MSC Smart Steel, a new multilayer steel laminate engineered as a direct substitute for low carbon steel stamped vehicle body parts. Offering a 20 […]
The labor productivity of nonfarm businesses grew by 2.3 percent in the second quarter of 2019. The average of the last six quarters has been 0.40 percent. Unit labor costs increased 2.5 percent year over year, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. Unit labor costs and productivity […]
The official economic statistics out of China showed a decline in industrial production in July. But in June, China’s share of global steel production was 55.1 percent. Once each quarter we publish the official statistics for Chinese GDP, industrial production, consumer price inflation and fixed asset investment. We don’t know the accuracy of these numbers, […]
Our analysis of 11 manufacturing indicators suggests that growth is slowing and, if trends continue, will become negative in the fourth quarter. This report summarizes 11 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 […]