President-elect Donald Trump will officially retake the White House on Jan. 20. I’ve been getting questions about how his administration’s policies might reshape the steel industry and domestic manufacturing. I covered the tumult and norm busting of Trump's first term: Section 232, Section 301, USMCA - and that's just on the trade policy side of things. It's safe to say that we'll have no shortage of news in 2025 when it comes to trade and tariffs.
Prices for sheet and plate products were mixed this week. While market participants have noted a post-election uptick in activity, most said that it was (so far) nothing to write home about.
After rising to a one-year high in August, the volume of steel that exited the country in September fell 10% month on month (m/m) to 760,000 short tons (st).
September steel imports were 10% less than August levels, marking the lowest monthly import rate seen this year
Most steel buyers polled in our market poll this week continue to report mills are open to negotiation on new order pricing. In fact, negotiation rates have been strong for the majority of 2024, trending higher since September.
Timna Tanners, managing director of equity research for Wolfe Research, will be the featured speaker on the next SMU Community Chat. The webinar will be on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 11 am ET. It’s free to attend. You can register here. Timna – who has coined Sheet Storm, Scrap Squeeze, and Galv Galore – is one of the most popular guests on our Community Chats. Her insights and forecasts are always thought-provoking.
Votes were still being counted when this column posted on Tuesday evening. And I’d be surprised if we know who the president will be by the time some of you are reading it on Wednesday morning.
SMU price indices edged lower this week for all products but one, marking the fifth consecutive week of overall declining prices.
Next week promises to be a big week for the country. Could even top the World Series (congrats to the Dodgers). As we all hold our breath to see what happens next, it’s a good time to reflect.
Cleveland-Cliffs is keeping its market price for HRC flat at $750/short ton with the opening of its December order book.
Nucor said it is seeking $740 per short ton (st) for hot-rolled (HR) coil this week, up $20/st from last week. USS, meanwhile, is shooting for up $30/st for sheet products in general. (USS did not announce a target price for HR.)
SMU price indices declined again this week for all products other than hot-rolled sheet. Our indices have trended lower across October, falling as much as $75 per short ton (st) in that time.
Nucor has raised its weekly consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil by $20 per short ton (st), now at $740/st as of Monday, Oct. 28.
U.S. Steel plans to increase sheet prices by at least $30 per short ton (st). That's something we haven't seen for a while.
More than nine out of every 10 steel buyers polled by SMU this week reported that mills are flexible on prices for new orders. Negotiation rates have been strong since April and on the rise since early September.
Mill lead times have declined on both sheet and plate products this week, according to steel buyers responding to our latest market survey,
U.S. Steel aims to increase spot prices for all new orders of flat-rolled steel by at least $30 per short ton (st), according to an internal letter dated Thursday.
SMU's hot-rolled (HR) coil price slipped this week to $685 per short ton (st) on average. We also adjusted our sheet momentum indicators to lower for the first time since July.
Nucor isn’t overly concerned with low utilization rates or an oversupplied market, as its investment strategy is for the long term, executives reminded investors on Tuesday.
Steel prices ticked lower again this week for most of the products SMU tracks. Our indices have declined as much as $40 per short ton (st) across the last four weeks.
We had an October surprise here at SMU on Wednesday. I was working from the CRU office in Pittsburgh, and the internet connection briefly went out. As luck would have it, that happened smack in the middle of a live Community Chat webinar. Fortunately, my colleague David Schollaert stepped in, Zekelman Industries CEO Barry Zekelman rolled with the punches – and the show went on. Could there be any more October surprises in store for us and for the steel market?
Steel sheet prices mostly edged lower for a second week, while plate prices slipped for the third consecutive week.
The amount of steel exiting the country in August reached the highest monthly rate recorded since August 2023.
Flat rolled = 60.8 shipping days of supply Plate = 52.7 shipping days of supply Flat rolled Flat-rolled steel supply at US service centers declined in September, though still seasonally high. September’s report reflects lower demand, stable lead times, and restocking early in the third quarter at a perceived bottom in prices. At the end […]
I’m trying to make sure this is not a TL;DR Final Thoughts. As a journalism school professor once told me, ‘No one but your mom reads more than 1,000 words.’ Also, as the old adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand as well. With that in mind, below are a couple of charts that I think go a long way toward explaining how prices and lead times have been relatively stable despite concerns about demand.
Steel mill lead times inched up this week for most sheet and plate products, according to buyers responding to our latest market survey.
Negotiation rates have consistently been in the 70-80% range for over two months, relatively strong in comparison to levels seen across the past year.
AZZ Inc. posted sharply higher second-quarter profits driven by increased sales of and better demand for its products. The Fort Worth, Texas-based hot-dipped galvanized and coil coater reported net income of $35.4 million in the second quarter of 2024, up 43.3% from $24.7 million in the same quarter last year. It posted Q2'24 sales of $409 million, up 2.6% from $398.5 million in Q2'23.
SMU’s monthly review provides a summary of important steel market metrics for the previous month. This latest report includes data updated through Sept. 30.
Steel prices ticked higher this week for most of the sheet products SMU tracks, back up to highs last recorded in June and July. Meanwhile, plate prices edged lower following three weeks of stability.