Net job creation in August totaled 201,000 positions. Manufacturing took a small step back, but year to date the results are good, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. Table 1 breaks total employment down into service and goods-producing industries and then into private and government employees. Most […]
Manufacturing companies and service centers are in agreement, service center spot prices to their customers are negotiable and dropping. Our most recent flat rolled steel market analysis conducted this past week found a growing percentage of manufacturing companies reporting their service center suppliers as lowering spot steel prices. At the beginning of July 2018, there […]
Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum products from Canada and Mexico are back in the spotlight now that NAFTA talks are, hopefully, nearing an end. Steel associations from Canada and Mexico are calling for the tariffs to be terminated while the negotiations are under way. Mexican association Canacero has stated that a NAFTA deal […]
Gaurav Chhibbar is a partner at Metal Edge Partners, a firm engaged in Risk Management and Strategic Advisory. In this new role, he and his firm design and execute risk management strategy for clients along with providing process and analytical support. In Gaurav’s previous role, he was a Trader at Cargill spending time in Metal […]
Editor’s note: Normally a Premium offering, we are sharing this article with our Executive members. For more information about Premium-level membership, click here. Steel mill shipments are up while the shipment-to-inventory ratio is down, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of Census Bureau data. This is an alternative data source for steel product shipments […]
Global steel production in July hit an annual rate of 1.855 billion metric tons. Capacity is calculated to be 2.38 billion metric tons; therefore, capacity utilization was 78 percent, according to the latest Steel Market Update analysis of World Steel Association data. In three months through July, Chinese production grew by 10.5 percent year over […]
Economic indicators of manufacturing activity continue to look favorable for the rest of 2018. This report summarizes nine data sources that describe the state of manufacturing in the United States. We have reported on most of these separately in our Steel Market Update publications, and therefore will be brief in this summary. We don’t expect […]
Construction spending increased 0.1 percent from June to July and 5.2 percent for seven months of 2018 combined, with year-to-date growth for most major public and private categories, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said sustained growth will depend in part on contractors’ ability […]
The ISM Manufacturing Index reached a 14 year high as new orders, production and employment made strong gains in August. The Index issued by the Institute for Supply Management, jumped 3.2 points to a reading of 61.3, far exceeding the consensus for a posting of 57.6. New orders increased 4.9 points to 65.1, production 4.8 […]
Global manufacturing was subdued in August said J.P. Morgan and IHS Markit. The J.P. Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI was at a 21 month low of 52.5 in August, down 0.3 points from July. “August PMI data signaled a slight firming in global manufacturing output growth to a solid pace at near three percent annualized,” said […]
We sold out our first Steel 201 workshop which will be held next week at AK Steel in Middletown, Ohio. I am excited to conduct this workshop with the AK Steel team. It is the first time we have visited their Research and Innovation Center (RIC) and the fully integrated Middletown steel mill. Thank you […]
Those hoping for the inside scoop on Nucor’s plans to purchase Big River Steel were left to speculate following comments by Nucor Chairman and CEO John Ferriola during Steel Market Update’s steel summit this week in Atlanta. Ferriola neither confirmed nor denied Nucor’s rumored interest in BRS, but his posture suggested it’s a possibility. Nucor […]
Tariffs are harming, and sometimes causing devastating effects, for small manufacturing businesses, said speakers at the 2018 SMU Steel Summit held in Atlanta this week. An informal survey of 486 people at the summit showed almost half (49 percent versus 43 percent) of those polled felt the Section 232 tariffs were having a negative impact […]
Due to our conference, we will hold back on producing our steel indices until Thursday of this week. It’s Tuesday evening and we are deep into our 8th SMU Steel Summit Conference. The official number of attendees is 912, which exceeded our most optimistic expectations when we did our last forecast about six months back. Tomorrow […]
The United States and Mexico have agreed on changes to the rule of origin for NAFTA automobiles during bilateral discussions. The percentage of North American content for NAFTA autos will be increased from 62.5 percent to 75 percent. In addition, 70 percent of steel, aluminum and glass used in production of autos must be sourced […]
Durable goods orders fell more than expected in July, dipping 1.7 percent, according to data from the Commerce Department. The decrease was primarily due to a 34 percent plunge in commercial aircraft orders. Excluding transportation, durable goods orders were up 0.2 percent. Core capital goods, orders minus defense and aircraft, gained 1.4 percent last month […]
The last few days leading up to what has become a major steel conference have been hectic to say the least. My SMU team has been playing the role of the Little Engine that Could (I think I can, I think I can…) and I am amazed when we hit the crest of the hill […]
Metalforming companies are struggling with higher steel prices and longer lead times as a result of Section 232 tariffs, but are still expecting business conditions to improve during the next three months. The Precision Metalforming Association’s August Business Conditions Report showed 29 percent of participants expect an increase in economic activity, 62 percent expect no […]
A letter last week from Tennessee manufacturers to Washington asks President Trump to consider the unintended consequences of Section 232 tariffs on steel-consuming companies. The group of six Dickinson Country manufacturers said they employ over 1,000 workers and depend on competitively priced steel to fabricate products that compete in a global marketplace. “We respectfully ask […]
Diana and I leave for Atlanta first thing on Wednesday morning. It’s an eleven-hour trip, so I will be checking emails and answering texts. The weather forecast for Atlanta on Aug. 27-29 looks very promising with high temperatures in the upper 80s and lows around 70 degrees. There is only a small possibility for rain, […]
Editor’s note: The following was contributed by analysts at the CRU Group. The Turkish-U.S. political relationship has soured sharply in the past week. U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted relations were “not so good” on Friday, Aug. 10, and doubled tariffs on U.S. imports of Turkish steel. Turkish President Erdogan responded with anger, suggesting the country […]
Productivity growth was strong in the second quarter and unit labor costs increased 1.9 percent year over year, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. Unit labor costs and productivity changes are reported quarterly by the BLS and results for Q2 2018 were released this week. This basic […]
We are now one week away from the start of the 2018 SMU Steel Summit Conference. We are continuing to accept registrations, and we expect the conference to be completely full when we kick off at 1 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 27. If you would like to register, you can do so on our website […]
The U.S. trade situation is causing some consternation, according to analysts at CRU. During a webinar on Tuesday, which was made available to SMU member companies, analysts discussed the trade measures that have been instituted by the Trump administration and the potential impact on the U.S. and global economies. Steel and aluminum tariffs were imposed […]
Manufacturers in New York State reported growing business activity in August, according to the latest Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York says the general business index of the survey climbed three points to 25.6 as new orders and shipments remained strong. The new orders index slipped about a point to […]
Steel Market Update expects to welcome nearly 900 executives to our Steel Summit Conference in Atlanta Aug. 27-29. There is still time to sign up if you would like to be one of them. To register, visit: www.SteelMarketUpdate.com/Events/Steel-Summit or by contacting our office at 772-932-7538. See the full conference program below: Making Sense Out of […]
On Friday morning I will be speaking with John Ferriola, Nucor’s CEO, going over some of the topics we will discuss during our one-on-one on stage at this year’s SMU Steel Summit Conference. I would like to offer our readers an opportunity to send me your thoughts on what you would like to learn from […]
Effective Monday, August 13, the Trump administration doubled the tariffs on steel imports from Turkey to 50 percent, stunning the market and setting off a wave of speculation on how this trade action may impact the steel and scrap markets in North America. A tweet from President Trump early Friday set the change in motion: […]
Flat rolled and plate steel distributors, as well as the manufacturers who purchase spot material from the distributors and wholesalers, are reporting a softening of spot pricing. That is the spot pricing service centers are offering their manufacturing customers. Last week, Steel Market Update conducted our early August flat rolled and plate steel market analysis. […]
What would ultimately be best for the environment: strict fuel efficiency standards that will dramatically reduce the tailpipe emissions from new vehicles or more achievable standards that will add less cost to each vehicle and allow more drivers to upgrade and get older gas guzzlers off the road? Over the strong objections of environmental groups […]