The value of the U.S. dollar has strengthened in the last six weeks, though it remains down for the year. So far in 2018, the dollar has weakened by 8.1 percent, after a turnaround of 2.9 percent from Feb. 2 to March 16. Please see the end of this report for an explanation of data […]
The dollar has been trading in a range for eight weeks and on April 13 had the same value as it did on Feb. 14. Since its recent peak on Jan. 3, 2017, the dollar has weakened by 8.9 percent and in 2018 is down by 1.0 percent through April 13. Please see the end […]
Steel supply and pricing were the main topics discussed during the March 20 Heating, Air-conditioning, and Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) conference call. The Section 232 tariff on steel will go into effect on Friday, March 23, but HARDI members are already seeing an impact in the market. Steel prices are up $6/cwt since the last […]
Last week, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) announced that in the last two months of 2017, the U.S. pumped more crude oil than at any time in history. The spot price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) broke through the $60 level on Dec. 29 for the first time since Dec. 18, 2014. It reached $64.22 […]
Steel Market Update’s 8th Steel Summit Conference will be held at the Georgia International Convention Center on Monday, Aug. 27, through Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018. We’ve been watching the markets very carefully as we put together our final agenda and have worked hard to select the best speakers possible. On Friday, we added AK Steel […]
Steel Market Update’s 8th Steel Summit Conference will be held at the Georgia International Convention Center on Monday, Aug. 27, through Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018. We’ve been watching the markets very carefully as we put together our final agenda and have worked hard to select the best speakers possible. On Friday, we added AK Steel […]
The competitive position of steel and steel products has improved in the last few months, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. In the past, we have reported the producer price indexes of steel and some competing products on a quarterly basis. This month, we have revamped and expanded our report to provide subscribers […]
Anticipating the U.S. Commerce Department will soon begin considering applications for exemptions from the Trump administration tariffs on steel and aluminum, South Korea’s Dongkuk Steel has reportedly suspended its April exports to the United States. Reuters quoted a company spokesman who said the steelmaker has put its exports to the U.S. temporarily on hold while […]
Flat rolled sheet prices, as well as plate prices, surged this week as steel mills moved to allocation or totally withdraw from the market pending further examination of the Section 232 ruling and how it will impact each mill’s ability to produce sheet and plate products. SMU is hearing of offers on hot rolled as […]
U.S. Steel provided full-year 2018 earnings guidance on Monday in light of the recent Section 232 tariffs. As a result of the imposition of a 25 percent tariff on steel imports, the company decided to resume steelmaking operations at Granite City Works with the restart of its “B” blast furnace. U.S. Steel anticipates incremental shipments […]
We received a question from one of our readers today asking for clarification on import market share as presented in different articles. We look at imports from both a macro view (total imports = percentage of apparent supply) as well as a more focused view (such as how large is the share of pipe and […]
Imports’ shares of the major steel product markets are all on the decline, reveals a new report on imports from Steel Market Update. The report examines the import share of sheet, plate, long and tubular products and 18 subcategories of these product groups. We think the introduction of this analysis is timely as a way […]
Total rolled steel imports declined by 14.8 percent, and sheet products by 13.6 percent, in the three months through February compared to the prior three-month period, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of federal Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data. This is the second edition of our new and expanded import report that now […]
NLMK USA told Steel Market Update this afternoon that if the 25 percent tariff on steel, and specifically on steel slabs, goes into effect, the future of their company and the people who work for it is in jeopardy long term. Steel Market Update spoke with Bob Miller, President of NLMK USA and Executive Vice […]
NLMK USA told Steel Market Update this afternoon that if the 25 percent tariff on steel, and specifically on steel slabs, goes into effect, the future of their company and the people who work for it is in jeopardy long term. Steel Market Update spoke with Bob Miller, President of NLMK USA and Executive Vice […]
California Steel Industries (CSI) is calling for President Trump to exclude semi-finished steel from the 25 percent tariff he is expected to impose on steel imports under Section 232. CSI is a “slab converter” mill, relying almost entirely on imported slab as feedstock to produce coil steel sheet and electrical resistance welded (ERW) pipe. Because steel […]
Steel Market Update forecast that flat rolled steel shipments from U.S. service centers would rise from 87,805 tons per day in December to 109,083 tons per day in January. The Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI) reported last week that sheet distributors shipped 105,109 tons per day. Our shipment forecast accuracy continues to be high, off […]
Key market indicators, and the trends they reveal, are the best they have ever been in Steel Market Update’s analysis. Data released in February shows that 18 of the 36 indicators are historically positive with only six negative. The balance is within the band of historically normal. Trends improved with 32 of the indicators heading […]
The decline in value of the U.S. dollar on the international exchange markets has slowed in the last 30 days, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of currencies. Please see the end of this report for an explanation of data sources. The analysis of currency trends is a highly technical undertaking. Therefore, in this […]
The SMU Steel Summit Conference is THE fastest growing steel conference in North America and THE one conference manufacturing, distribution, suppliers to the industry and steel mills want to attend. Details about the agenda, speakers, location and costs, as well as how to register, can be found on our website: www.SteelMarketUpdate.com/Events/Steel-Summit or you can contact […]
In 2017, the domestic steel market contracted by 0.5 percent, but domestic shipments were up while imports were down. Table 1 shows 11 years of history of total steel supply to the U.S. market broken down into shipments from domestic mills and imports, excluding semi-finished. The hot rolled steel market totaled 106.4 million tons in […]
USS-POSCO Industries is raising base prices on all sheet products. Effective immediately, UPI’s hot rolled pickled and oiled (HRPO) price increases by a minimum of $70 per net ton, while cold rolled and galvanized increase by $60 per ton. The increase is due to changing market conditions, the mill said. “At this time, we have […]
Canadian steel mill Stelco held its first earnings call since becoming a publically held company and reported stellar results for the fourth quarter. The company, formerly owned by U.S. Steel, presented a strong balance sheet, no debt and no legacy liabilities. Revenue for the quarter increased 45 percent from a year ago to $452 million. […]
USS-POSCO Industries is raising base prices on all sheet products. Effective immediately, UPI’s hot rolled pickled and oiled (HRPO) price increases by a minimum of $70 per net ton, while cold rolled and galvanized increase by $60 per ton. The increase is due to changing market conditions, the mill said. “At this time, we have […]
Total rolled steel imports declined by 15.0 percent, and sheet products by 17.3 percent, in the three months through January compared to the prior three-month period, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of federal Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data. This month’s SMU report was delayed as we performed a major revamp of […]
January service center intake rose 12 percent month over month but was flat compared to the seasonal norms and was down 2.7 percent compared to January 2017 intake. Daily shipments in January were 31.1 percent higher than in December and were 4.3 percent higher than January 2017. According to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of […]
Premium subscribers to Steel Market Update receive reports on imports with macro data broken down by product on the national level. SMU also provides reports that detail the import tonnage received by district of entry and source nation. This new report from SMU takes the analysis even further. Using U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) data, […]
When the pressure begins, and the cooking surface gets “hot,” that is when you have to be at your best, most nimble and anticipate problems. USS/POSCO announced new prices late yesterday. We have not heard from California Steel Industries (CSI) on what they are going to do regarding pricing. We have heard from their customers […]
Last week ended with a bang. Steel Market Update received an invitation to participate in a press conference as Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told the world that the DOC had found that imports of foreign steel negatively impact the steel and aluminum industries, which are necessary in the United States for national security […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) steel and financial futures markets was written by Jack Marshall of Crunch Risk LLC. Here is how Jack saw trading over the past week: Steel The HR futures prices continue to grind higher in the near dates but have been lagging in the latter half of […]