MID-SHIP Group expressed optimism in its first report of the fall season. The Sept. 8 MID-SHIP Report said the group is “cautiously optimistic” about better dry bulk shipping demand in the second half of 2016. Oversupply of vessels continues to be a problem but as the seasonal grain shipments begin late in September demand should […]
Essar Steel Algoma issued layoff notices to approximately 70-85 employees just before the Labor Day weekend citing low demand and pricing for steel plate. Plate demand is down in the energy, rail and agricultural markets and is coupled with prices below hot-rolled coil due to low priced and dumped imports. Said Brenda Stenta, spokesperson for […]
Iron ore mining company Magnetation announced on Friday that it may shutdown its Minnesota iron ore concentrate plant, rail loading facility and Pellet Plant located in Reynolds, Indiana on or after September 30, 2016. The company intends to continue normal operations until that time. WARN notices have been issued to local officials and the International […]
Sims Metal Management announced the sale of its metals recycling facilities in Memphis, Tenn., and Mississippi to Steel Dynamics Inc. No purchase price was disclosed and the transaction was completed August 12, 2016. Sims Metal Management CEO Galdino Claro said the sale is part of the company’s strategy to divest non-core assets and reallocate capital […]
June data for Construction Put in Place (CPIP) was released by the Department of Commerce on Monday August 1st. In June total construction slowed for the third consecutive month on a 3MMA (three month moving average) basis. All four sectors had negative momentum. These are non-residential buildings, residential buildings, infra-structure and other, which is a […]
Each month Steel Market Update looks at shipping conditions on the seas, rivers, rails and highways. July freight volumes were down somewhat in the first half of July for cargo moved by rail and truck. Barges on America’s rivers are seeing an uptick in rates due to several lock closures. Seaborne shipping is seeing a […]
CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 20, 2016 — Nucor Corporation announced today that it has agreed to acquire Joy Global’s steel plate mill in Longview, Texas, for approximately $29 million. The mill produces carbon and alloy plate products with heat-treating capabilities and has an annual capacity of 180,000 tons. “This acquisition builds on our strategy to capture […]
Each month the Commerce Department issues its Construction Put in Place (CPIP) data, usually on the first working day covering activity two months earlier. May data was released on Friday July 1st and included revisions back to January 2014. Construction Put in Place is based on spending work as it occurs, estimated for a given […]
On Wednesday this week the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its series of Producer Price Indexes (PPI) for more than 10,000 goods and materials. For an explanation of this program see the end of this piece. The latest release this week reported results through May. We run this analysis every three or four months […]
Once a year, Steel Market Update goes to New York City to rub shoulders and swap tales with about 400 of our closest steel friends. The initial attraction is the Steel Success Strategies conference hosted by World Steel Dynamics. Over the years a number of events have been formed by steel publications, futures markets and […]
ArcelorMittal is set to expand its portfolio of automotive steels by launching two new products in 2017, Usibor®2000 and Ductibor®1000. According to a spokesperson at ArcelorMittal , Usibor® 2000, which has been under development for some time, is a new Aluminum-Silicon coated high strength steel that will be even stronger than its predecessor Usibor® 1500. […]
Freight levels for dry bulk cargo are slowly recovering from the historic lows seen in first quarter of this year, according to the most recent MID-SHIP Report. The dry bulk market continues to suffer from an oversupply of vessels and slow demand growth, although rates are generally holding firm in most of the seabourne markets. […]
Each month the Commerce Department issues its Construction Put in Place (CPIP) data, usually on the first working day covering activity two months earlier. April data was released on Wednesday June 1st. Construction Put in Place is based on spending work as it occurs, estimated for a given month from a sample of projects. In […]
The May 12 MID-SHIP Report indicated the freight market took a downward turn last week. Capesize vessels hauling iron ore from West Australia to China dropped to $3.60 per tonne from a recent high of $4.50 per ton. Panamax, Handysize and Supermax also slid downward during the week. Said MID-SHIP in a tongue twisting turn […]
Each month the Commerce Department issues its Construction Put in Place (CPIP) data, usually on the first working day covering activity two months earlier. March data was released on Monday May 2nd. Construction Put in Place is based on spending work as it occurs, estimated for a given month from a sample of projects. In […]
Scrap prices settled higher by $20 to $30 per gross ton delivered to the domestic steel mills, according to Steel Market Update (SMU) scrap sources. The rise in ferrous scrap prices has been one of the driving factors behind the flat rolled price increases announced by the domestic steel industry over the past few months. […]
On April 29, 2016, the Department of Commerce initiated an antidumping duty (AD) investigation of imports of certain carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate (CTL plate) from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, South Africa, Taiwan, and Turkey, and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of imports of CTL plate from Brazil, China, and […]
The ocean bound freight market had a bit of good news last week—the Baltic Dry Index rose to 517 on April 7 and closed the week out on April 9 at 539, nearly an 86 percent increase from mid-February’s historic low of 290. MID-SHIP Report says a celebration is not yet warranted since the BDI […]
Business conditions are still terrible in the ocean freight market as vessel operators cope with oversupply of ships and weak demand. Wrote MID-SHIP in the March 24 MID-SHIP Report, “The freight markets are at levels not seen or experienced for 30-35 years and there is no silver bullet in sight, even though there is a […]
Each month the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) puts out its series of producer price indexes, for thousands of goods and materials. For an explanation of this program see the end of this piece. The latest release last week reported results through February. We run this analysis every three or four months to give readers […]
Recently, Steel Market Update produced an article regarding a discussion between Dan DiMicco, former CEO of Nucor and another one of our LinkedIn members who, in a past life, was responsible for buying foreign slabs for a domestic steel mill. Here is a small clip of that conversation: LinkedIn member: Of course I don’t imagine […]
Recently, Steel Market Update produced an article regarding a discussion between Dan DiMicco, former CEO of Nucor and another one of our LinkedIn members who, in a past life, was responsible for buying foreign slabs for a domestic steel mill. Here is a small clip of that conversation: LinkedIn member: Of course I don’t imagine […]
Ryerson CEO Eddie Lehner called 2015 “one of the harshest and most difficult metal environments we have seen in terms of magnitude and duration.” Ryerson Holding, a service center company, announced fourth quarter and full year results on Thursday. The company posted a net loss of $20.5 million for the quarter. Revenue was down 23 […]
As negotiations between the domestic steel mills and their ferrous scrap suppliers conclude we are seeing scrap prices rise with the Chicago markets “catching up” with some of the other regions. Dealers are reporting robust sales, especially to sheet mills as they are picking up spot market share from the integrated mills. Chicago area prices […]
FORT WAYNE, Ind., Feb. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Steel Dynamics, Inc. (NASDAQ/GS: STLD) today announced the creation of three new leadership positions which will coincide with the retirement of Richard P. Teets, Jr., a co-founder of the company and its Executive Vice President of Steelmaking, and President and Chief Operating Officer of Steel Operations. Effective […]
Seaborne shipping market rates continue to plummet with the Baltic Dry Index reaching another new low this past week. The Index stood at 290 on Wednesday, Feb. 10; a year ago on that date the BDI stood at 556. To get a better perspective on how bad things are, the highest level ever reached was […]
EVRAZ North America announced it will idle indefinitely the Portland Spiral pipe mill in Oregon, effective April 9, 2016. The idling will result in the termination of 130 employees. The closure was “a result of economic challenges from three primary factors: delays in regulatory approvals for pipelines in the U.S. and Canada; the influx of […]
Mill Steel Co., one of the nation’s largest distributors of flat-rolled carbon steel, has acquired certain assets of S&S Steel Services, Inc. (S&S), an Indianapolis/Anderson based supplier of carbon flat-rolled steel service. Terms of the deal, which closed on January 11, 2016, were not disclosed. S&S Steel services manufacturing customers in the Midwest, Mid-South and […]
On Tuesday, January 19, the Baltic Dry Index hit its lowest point ever, dropping to 363 points. The BDI tracks shipping rates for dry bulk cargos like iron ore, coal and grain and is considered a barometer for global steel trade. To put things in perspective, six months ago, on August 8, 2015, the Index […]
Media reports indicate that ArcelorMittal Steelton, a producer of rail in Pennsylvania, may be up for sale. Local government officials and the president of USW Local 1688 say they have been informed by the company that the facility is for sale. A spokesperson for ArcelorMittal said the company “does not comment on rumors or market […]