SMU’s sheet prices rose by an average of $10 per short ton (st) this week on most products, the second consecutive week of recovering prices. Aside from the marginal uptick seen last week, this is the first instance of increasing sheet prices since the first week of April.
SMU’s Monthly Review articles summarize important steel market metrics for the prior month. Our July report contains figures updated through July 31.
Buyers continue to report very short mill lead times on sheet and plate products, according to our latest market canvass of steel service center and manufacturer executives
Steel buyers of sheet products say mills are still flexible on spot pricing this week, though less so than two weeks prior, according to our most recent survey data.
What a difference a week makes! SMU has shifted its sheet momentum indicators from “lower” to “neutral”. And we’ll be on the lookout for evidence of higher prices in the weeks ahead.
SMU’s sheet price was largely flat this week, an unusual sight for the better part of the past four months. The same trend was seen for tandem products and plate as well.
Japan’s Nippon Steel announced it was withdrawing from a joint venture (JV) with China's Baoshan Iron & Steel (Baosteel) that served the Chinese automotive industry.
Nucor has raised its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil to $675 per short ton (st), up $25/st from last week.
Drilling activity rose in both the US and Canada last week, according to the latest data release from Baker Hughes. US rig activity increased to a six-week high but remains near multi-year lows. Canadian counts continue to improve, now at a 20-week high.
Cleveland-Cliffs announced on Friday that it would seek $670 per short ton (st) for hot-rolled (HR) coil. The steelmaker said the move was effectively immediately. It coincides with the opening of the company’s HR order book for September.
SMU has heard from some larger buyers who have stepped back into the market to buy at prices that, if not at a bottom, they assess to be close to one. Is it enough to stretch out lead times and send prices upward again? Or do we continue to scrape along the mid-$600s per short ton (st) as we have been doing for most of the last month?
Summer is here, and a familiar sentiment has hit the hot-rolled coil (HRC) futures market. Prices continue to decline in both the spot market and the futures market, with expectations of sub-$800 prices for the remainder of the year.
Galvanized prices have fallen precipitously from a month ago, though many market participants think a bottom is in sight.
SMU’s sheet price ranges slid again this week. But the declines were more pronounced on tandem products whereas prices for hot-rolled coil held roughly steady.
SMU’s Key Market Indicators include data on the economy, raw materials, manufacturing, construction, and steel sheet and long products. They offer a snapshot of current sentiment and the near-term expected trajectory of the economy. All told, nine key indicators point lower, 16 are neutral, and 13 point higher. One thing worth noting: The nine indicators pointing lower are all lagging indicators. Many of those pointing upward are leading indicators.
Nucor kept its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil unchanged at $650 per short ton (st) this week. HR prices for CSI, the company's sheet subsidiary in California, held steady at $720/st. Note that sheet prices on the West Coast are typically higher than those east of the Rocky Mountains.
Drilling activity in the US saw a slight uptick last week but continues to hover near multi-year lows, according to the latest data release from Baker Hughes. Meanwhile Canadian counts rose for the second-consecutive week and are now at a four-month high.
The recently announced acquisition of Stelco by Cleveland-Cliffs (Cliffs), priced at nearly three times book value, provides a great price for Stelco shareholders. And various synergies will likely leave Cliffs with tremendous runway for further growth in this deal. Cliffs expects to close this deal in 2024 Q4 upon government approval. This approval is expected but not a given.
I thought we’d have more clarity this week on Section 232, Mexico, and a potential carve-out for steel melted and poured in Brazil. As of right now, the only official comment I have is from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
Sheet steel buyers continue to report that mills are willing to talk price on new orders, according to our most recent survey data collected this week.
Steel mill lead times remain short according to our latest market canvass of steel service center and manufacturer buyers. Of the sheet and plate products SMU tracks, production times for all materials are nearing historical lows not seen in months or years.
Steel Dynamics Inc.’s (SDI’s) earnings slid in the second quarter, but the company's top executive believes steel tags are set to rise.
There are just 40 days left until the 2024 SMU Steel Summit gets underway on Aug. 26 at the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) in Atlanta. And I’m pleased to announce that it's official now: More than 1,000 people have registered to at attend! Another big development: The desktop version of the networking app for the event has officially launched!
Cleveland-Cliffs has been pursuing M&A opportunities for some time now and thinks it has found a solid partner with aligned interests in Stelco. The companies announced on Monday that Cliffs would acquire the integrated Canadian steelmaker. That same day, Cliffs held a conference call with analysts to discuss the acquisition. Lourenco Goncalves, Cliffs’ chairman, president, […]
SMU’s hot-rolled coil price fell to $640 per short ton (st) on average on Tuesday. That’s down $10/st from last week and marks the lowest point for HR prices since December 2022, according to our pricing archives. SMU’s HR price is now $5/ton below 2023’s low of $645/st, which occurred against the backdrop of a United Auto Workers (UAW) union strike.
Nucor dropped its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled coil to $650 per short ton, down $20/st from last week. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker also said base prices for HR from CSI, its subsidiary in California, would be $720/st. That’s a $30/st decrease from $750/st a week ago.
US drill rig activity resumed its downward trend last week, while Canadian counts increased to a four-month high, according to the latest data release from Baker Hughes.
We’ve taken some time to supply you with some handy-dandy production figures for 2024 presented in a unique way.
The Mexican government said on Thursday that it had negotiated a temporary carve out for Brazilian steel in recently updated Section 232 rules. Mexico said that the pact would stretch until 2027, by which point all steel exported to the US would have to me “melted and poured” within North America.
US steel imports registered a steep decline from May, with June licenses falling to the lowest monthly level so far this year.