On Tuesday of this week, Steel Market Update published a hot rolled price range of $650-$720 per ton, with an average of $685 per ton. The lower end of our range dropped $40 per ton ($2.00/cwt) while the upper end of our range remained the same. Our Price Momentum Indicator on hot rolled remained unchanged […]
Nucor has announced that it will build a new steel plate mill in Brandenburg, Ky. The $1.35 billion mill will be capable of producing 1.2 million tons of steel plate products per year. The mill is scheduled to be operational in 2022, pending permit and regulatory approvals. The plant will have the ability to produce 97 […]
Ferrous scrap prices for June are difficult to predict, report Steel Market Update sources, who disagree on the degree to which the lower tariffs on Turkish steel will affect demand for scrap exports from the U.S. Most expect scrap prices to settle sideways next month after declines for most of the year, but a small […]
Nucor has announced that it will build a new steel plate mill in Brandenburg, Ky. The $1.35 billion mill will be capable of producing 1.2 million tons of steel plate products per year. The mill is scheduled to be operational in 2022, pending permit and regulatory approvals. The plant will have the ability to produce 97 […]
Much attention has been given to opponents of the Section 232 tariffs, but there are those who support keeping the tariffs even after a new North American trade agreement is approved. The American Line Pipe Producers Association, makers of large-diameter welded pipe, urged the administration to continue the tariffs on LDWP imports from Canada and […]
I want to make sure that all of you thinking of attending this year’s SMU Steel Summit Conference are aware of some of changes, so you can plan your schedules accordingly. First, the CME Group will be hosting a Price Risk Management Workshop in the Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway Hotel (next to GICC) from 10:30 […]
Over the next couple of years there will be approximately 20 million tons of capacity built in North America. Most of us focus on the capacity being built by Nucor, Steel Dynamics, JSW USA and others. What is overlooked is the capacity being built just south of the U.S. border in Mexico. In an effort […]
Are steel prices witnessing a dead cat bounce or the beginning of a bullish reversal? The market appears split on the feline vs. bovine analogy. In other words, there is a huge divergence of thought on what is going to happen to steel prices over the next three or four months. The benchmark price of […]
Nucor anticipates earnings will decrease in the first quarter of 2019. In guidance remarks, the company cited lower average selling prices and margins in its sheet mill group for the decline. Said Nucor, “We believe that sheet pricing reached the low point during the first quarter and are encouraged by the impact of recent price […]
Flat rolled steel service centers are beginning to support the concept of higher steel prices. Distributors are raising spot pricing to their end-user customers, and in the process, they are supporting the domestic steel mill flat rolled price increase announcements. Steel Market Update canvasses the flat rolled and plate steel markets twice a month through […]
Today, we are rolling out more of our agenda for the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference. The theme behind this year’s conference is “Steel in Transition.” It will provide an important forum for discussion of the key issues affecting all companies that supply or consume flat rolled and plate steels, including the steel mills, trading […]
Today, we are rolling out more of our agenda for the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference. The theme behind this year’s conference is “Steel in Transition.” It will provide an important forum for discussion of the key issues affecting all companies that supply or consume flat rolled and plate steels, including the steel mills, trading […]
We live in a time when nothing is as it seems and uncertainty rules the roost. This can make for a daunting task when considering when, what and how much steel you need to purchase at any point in time. It appears the second price increase announcement out of Nucor moved some of the end […]
We live in a time when nothing is as it seems and uncertainty rules the roost. This can make for a daunting task when considering when, what and how much steel you need to purchase at any point in time. It appears the second price increase announcement out of Nucor moved some of the end […]
The Steel Manufacturers Association remains a strong supporter of Section 232, even as the tariffs face increased scrutiny as a stumbling block to passage of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. SMA President Phil Bell defends the 25 percent tariffs on steel imports from critics who contend they unfairly tax downstream steel consumers. “The gloom and […]
The Bureau of Industry and Security, a division of the Department of Commerce, announced today that is has denied the requests from California Steel Industries and Evraz Steel for exclusion of semi-finished steel slabs from the Section 232 tariffs. The BIS agreed with an analysis by the International Trade Administration that there is sufficient production, […]
The Bureau of Industry and Security, a division of the Department of Commerce, announced today that is has denied the requests from California Steel Industries and Evraz Steel for exclusion of semi-finished steel slabs from the Section 232 tariffs. The BIS agreed with an analysis by the International Trade Administration that there is sufficient production, […]
NLMK USA was not among the mills to learn earlier today that the Commerce Department had denied their requests for relief from the Section 232 tariffs on imported slabs. California Steel Industries and Evraz got the bad news. But NLMK USA President and CEO Robert Miller is still angry about it. “The administration, Commerce, BIS […]
Flat rolled steel service centers are beginning to believe a change in spot pricing is necessary. We saw a precipitous decline in the percentage of distributors who were lowering their spot pricing to their customers compared to a couple of weeks ago. One of the proprietary indices created by Steel Market Update is our Service […]
Flat rolled steel service centers are beginning to believe a change in spot pricing is necessary. New data collected by Steel Market Update saw a precipitous decline in the percentage of distributors who were lowering their spot pricing to their flat rolled steel customers compared to a couple of weeks ago. One of the proprietary […]
We are pleased to unveil the first look at the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference program. It has taken six months to get the agenda for this year’s conference to this point. It will be six more months of finetuning before we unleash the speakers, the videos, and the music on those who will be […]
We are pleased to unveil the first look at the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference program. It has taken six months to get the agenda for this year’s conference to this point. It will be six more months of finetuning before we unleash the speakers, the videos, and the music on those who will be […]
It’s Oscar night. I will try to keep my final thoughts brief. President Trump has delayed the increase in the Section 301 tariffs against China. The deadline was March 2, 2019. No new deadline has been set. However, President Xi of China will meet with President Trump in Florida in the later part of March. […]
On Wednesday morning, Nucor announced a $40 per ton ($2.00/cwt) “minimum” price increase on flat rolled steel products. The mill advised their customers the increase was to be “effective immediately.” This is the second price increase announcement out of Nucor in less than 30 days. On Jan. 28, 2019, Nucor announced a $40 per ton […]
This morning, Steel Market Update adjusted our Price Momentum Indicator on flat rolled from Neutral to Higher. Our Price Momentum Indicator was last adjusted on Jan. 28, 2019, when we moved from Lower to Neutral as the domestic steel mills, led by Nucor, began announcing price increases. It is normal for SMU to adjust our […]
As the domestic steel mills started raising flat rolled prices on Wednesday, Steel Market Update reached out to a number of steel buyers in order to get their reaction to the news. We discussed the $40 per ton increases announced by Nucor, NLMK USA, U.S. Steel, California Steel and USS/POSCO along with ArcelorMittal USA’s new […]
This morning, Steel Market Update adjusted our Price Momentum Indicator on flat rolled from Neutral to Higher. Our Price Momentum Indicator was last adjusted on Jan. 28, 2019, when we moved from Lower to Neutral as the domestic steel mills, led by Nucor, began announcing price increases. It is normal for SMU to adjust our […]
California Steel Industries (CSI) raised the price of its hot rolled, P&O, cold rolled and galvanized sheet products by $40 per ton ($2/cwt) today. CSI has opened its flat rolled order book for April shipments. CSI’s change follows on a similar $40 increase it announced on Jan. 21, just one month ago. All pricing is […]
ArcelorMittal announced minimum prices for its flat rolled products today in response to improved demand. “Over the past couple of weeks, we have experienced a significant increase in order entry for sheet products,” the mill said in a letter to customers. Effective immediately, the minimum price for new orders of hot rolled sheet from ArcelorMittal […]
This morning Nucor announced another $40 per ton ($2.00/cwt) “minimum” price increase on flat rolled steel products. The mill advised their customers the increase was to be “effective immediately.” This is the second price increase announcement out of Nucor in less than 30 days. On Jan. 28, 2019, Nucor announced a $40 per ton ($2.00/cwt) […]