Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of monthly Key Market Indicators shows that the Present Situation markers have improved when compared to the month prior, while the Trend change saw a marginal contraction during the same period. Overall, the marketplace continues to recover from the pandemic as key metrics show further improvement. SMU’s Key Market Indicators […]
Flat Rolled = 41.8 Shipping Days of Supply Plate = 42.8 Shipping Days of Supply Flat Rolled U.S. service center flat rolled inventories remain low, though steel mills are starting to catch up on delayed orders. Service centers carried 41.8 shipping days of supply at the end of April, flat compared to March’s adjusted inventory […]
Mill shipments of steel products improved by 18.3% in March compared to the month prior, while apparent supply increased by 18.1% during the same period. The double-digit gains are even more impressive considering their low performance in February, the first decline in both apparent supply and shipments of steel since the market reached bottom back in […]
This report examines the import share of sheet and plate products. Imports’ share of total sheet product shipments was 12.7% in March, down from 14.0% in February. The decrease corresponds to a simultaneous increase in domestic shipments and a rise in imports; however, the surge in domestic shipments at 17.4% month on month outpaced the […]
2021 SMU Steel Summit Conference Revised Agenda as of May 9, 2021 The 2021 SMU Steel Summit Conference will be held at the Georgia International Convention Center on Aug. 23-25. The convention center is conveniently located next to the Atlanta International Airport (ATL). The center and the hotels surrounding it are at the first stop […]
2021 SMU Steel Summit Conference Revised Agenda as of May 9, 2021 The 2021 SMU Steel Summit Conference will be held at the Georgia International Convention Center on Aug. 23-25. The convention center is conveniently located next to the Atlanta International Airport (ATL). The center and the hotels surrounding it are at the first stop […]
Steel Market Update has revised its blast furnace status chart to reflect that two furnaces at Cleveland-Cliffs’ Indiana Harbor steelmaking complex in East Chicago, Ind., have been razed. The No. 5 and No. 6 blast furnaces have not been operated since 2010, were decommissioned in 2015 and have since been demolished, a spokeswoman for the […]
Canadian steel producer Stelco is seeing the impact of its upgraded smart blast furnace, reporting production records and higher profit in the first quarter due to higher steel prices and increased value-added shipments of cold rolled and coated products. Compared to the previous quarter, revenue increased 57%, shipments jumped 38% and operating income soared a whopping […]
Ryerson’s first-quarter profits expanded despite an “extreme commodity environment” thanks to strong demand, higher selling prices and the sale of a facility in Washington. And the Chicago-based metals service center thinks the black ink will flow into the second quarter as well. “At this point in the second quarter, demand fundamentals have continued to improve […]
Long products steelmaker Gerdau has completed the installation and cold commissioning of the rolling mill upgrade at its structural steel mill in Petersburg, Va. The $33 million project–originally slated for completion by late 2020 but delayed due to the impact of COVID-19–has also begun initial hot rolling trials, a company spokesperson confirmed. The project involved […]
By CRU Analyst George Pearson from CRU’s Steel Monitor Chinese prices have rebounded this week after three consecutive weeks of decline. However, trading in markets outside of China was lower last week as buyers waited for further developments in Chinese prices and this fed through to lower w/w gains in Europe and the U.S. U.S. […]
Klöckner & Co. SE posted its best quarterly results in more than 12 years thanks to high steel prices, short supplies and a strong showing from its digital operations. The Duisburg, Germany-based service center, which has significant operations in the U.S., expects the good times to continue to roll in the second quarter. “The overall […]
Allegheny Technologies Inc. posted a net loss of $7.9 million in the first quarter, with a slight recovery in jet engine production. First-quarter 2021 results are a vast improvement from the adjusted net loss of $41.9 million in the prior quarter, but a far cry from the pre-pandemic net income of $21.1 million in Q1 […]
Nucor posted its best quarter ever with net earnings of $942.4 million in first-quarter 2021. Net sales soared 33% to $7.02 billion in the quarter on higher steel prices and shipments. “The first quarter of 2021 was the most profitable quarter in our company’s history. We are clearly reaping the rewards from our prior investments […]
Flat Rolled = 41.4 Shipping Days of Supply Plate = 43 Shipping Days of Supply Flat Rolled U.S. service center flat rolled inventories remained very lean in March, as shipments were strong, but mills continued to run late on deliveries. At the end of March, U.S. service centers had 41.4 shipping days of supply of […]
Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of the monthly Key Market Indicators shows that our Present Situation markers have seen little change when compared to the month prior, while the Trend change saw a visible shift upward during the same period. Overall, the marketplace continues to recover from the pandemic as key metrics show further improvement. […]
Mill shipments of steel products fell 9.8% month on month in February, while apparent supply was down by 12.5% during the same period. This is the first noticeable decrease in both apparent supply and shipments of steel since the market reached bottom back in May 2020. Mill shipments were down by 13.1% year on year, […]
This report examines the import share of sheet and plate products. Imports’ share of total sheet product shipments was 14.0% in February, up from 9.7% in January. The increase corresponds to a simultaneous decrease in domestic shipments and a rise in imports. Domestics shipments in February totaled 3.84 million tons, the lowest mark since this […]
This report examines the import share of tubular and long products shipments. Imports’ share of total tubular products rose to 44.6% in February, up from 42.5% the month prior, but primarily due to a 9.7% decrease in domestic tubular shipments overall. Tubular imports decreased for the third consecutive month in February. Long products import market […]
There are specific reasons for the tightness of supply that exists in the market today. Events have been in motion for the past 25 years that have culminated in the limitations of supply. For those of you who have attended SMU Steel Summit Conferences you may recall a presentation done by Paul Lowrey, Managing Director […]
Like those in the steel industry, aluminum suppliers see opportunity in the coming wave of battery electrical vehicles (BEVs). Indeed, they claim, even more opportunity for aluminum than for steel. Automakers are hard at work designing battery-powered cars and trucks with zero emissions as efforts to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions to slow climate change […]
Producer prices continue to register solid monthly increases from the losses suffered during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The composite Producer Price Index (PPI) of all commodities from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed an increase of 2.1% in February versus the prior month, and a 6.0% increase year on year, seasonally adjusted. […]
Producer prices continue to rebound from the losses suffered during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. Since the decreases in March and April of 2020, the composite Producer Price Index (PPI) of all commodities from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has seen consistent month-on-month increases. March’s index registered a 3.7% increase versus the prior […]
Former President Donald Trump overstepped his powers when he extended Section 232 tariffs to downstream products such as steel nails, a trade court ruled. The U.S. Court of International Trade made the decision on Monday, April 5, in favor of the plaintiff in the case, PrimeSource Building Products Inc., and against the defendant, the United […]
By CRU Principal Analyst Erik Hedborg and Analyst Nikki Ni, from CRU’s Steel Sheet Products Monitor The city of Tangshan, two hours east of Beijing, plays an extremely important role in the global steel market. It is the largest steelmaking hub in the world and accounts for 14% of China’s crude steel production, equal to […]
NOTICE: NO SMU PUBLICATION ON SUNDAY, APRIL 4 DUE TO EASTER HOLIDAY Imports are coming. We are watching galvanized carefully as automotive production is being reduced due to the chip shortage, and we are seeing higher volumes of galvanized imports coming in. March 2021 license data is showing 240,000 net tons of galvanized, which is […]
Imports are coming. We are watching galvanized carefully as automotive production is being reduced due to the chip shortage, and we are seeing higher volumes of galvanized imports coming in. March 2021 license data is showing 240,000 net tons of foriegn galvanized imports, which is up 55,000-65,000 tons above the levels seen over the prior […]
In the famous words of Isaac Newton, “what goes up must come down.” While he was not referring to steel prices per se, the sentiment still holds true. Steel tags can’t stay at record highs indefinitely. Supply will eventually catch up with demand. What happens then? Will prices see a sharp correction or a gradual […]
In the famous words of Isaac Newton, “what goes up must come down.” While he was not referring to steel prices per se, the sentiment still holds true. Steel tags can’t stay at record highs indefinitely. Supply will eventually catch up with demand. What happens then? Will prices see a sharp correction or a gradual […]
Nucor plans to build a new tube mill at Nucor Steel Gallatin in Kentucky. The tube mill will have the capacity to produce approximately 250,000 tons of hollow structural section (HSS) steel tubing, mechanical steel tubing and galvanized solar torque tube. The mill will be advantageously near to growing solar markets and the largest consuming […]