Steel Market Update’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Index remained unchanged last week, holding steady at the third-lowest level seen in the past 13 months. Our Future Sentiment Index also remains unchanged compared to our late-May reading (which was the largest survey-to-survey decline since March 2020). SMU surveys steel buyers every other week and asks how they view their chances of success […]
With one month left in the second quarter of 2022, more steel buyers are reporting decreasing optimism and weakening demand. When asked about their optimism or pessimism for the remainder of Q2, the number of buyers reporting pessimism rose from 14% in the prior survey to 27% in last week’s Steel Market Update market survey. Still, […]
Steel Market Update’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Index fell 8 points last week, now at the third-lowest level seen in the past 13 months. Our Future Sentiment Index fell 16 points, the largest survey-to-survey decline since March 2020 (when sentiment fell in response to the Covid pandemic). SMU surveys buyers every two weeks and asks how […]
Steel Market Update’s Steel Buyer’s Sentiment Index slipped 2 points last week following three consecutive weeks of steel price declines. Our Future Sentiment Index was unchanged and remains at a new high set just two weeks prior. SMU surveys buyers every two weeks and asks how they view their chances of success in the near […]
Steel Market Update’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Index rose 2 points last week, in line with the strong levels we’ve seen over the last six weeks. Our Future Sentiment Index rose to a new high, surpassing a prior record set in November 2021. SMU surveys buyers every two weeks and asks how they view their chances of […]
Monthly Key Market Indicators improved slightly through March, though sentiment remains cautious, according to the latest analysis by Steel Market Update. Neutral and positive indicators have increased, while negative indicators have eased. Consumers and businesses continue to spend even though economic dynamics remain in flux, with supply disruptions weighing on the economy. While inflation continues […]
Steel Market Update’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Index moved 4 points lower this week, following a 3-point bump up two weeks prior and an 11 point surge in mid-March. Theses sentiment measures correlate with the sharp rebound in steel prices caused by the Ukraine-Russia war, as well as the recent slowdown seen in prices. Steel Market Update’s latest benchmark price […]
Steel Market Update’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Index moved 4 points lower this week, following a 3-point bump up two weeks prior and an 11 point surge in mid-March. Theses sentiment measures correlate with the sharp rebound in steel prices caused by the Ukraine-Russia war, as well as the recent slowdown seen in prices. Steel Market Update’s latest benchmark price […]
SMU’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Index moved 3 points higher this week, following an 11 point surge in mid-March. Theses jumps in sentiment correlate with the unexpected rebound in steel prices caused by the Ukraine-Russia war. Steel Market Update’s latest check of the market pegged the benchmark price for hot rolled coil at $1,435 per ton […]
SMU’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Index surged 11 points this week, the largest change from one survey to the next in 17 months. The surprising jump in sentiment correlates with the unexpected rebound in steel prices caused by the conflict in Ukraine. Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week pegged the benchmark price for […]
SMU’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Index continues to inch downward from its late-2021 peak, with the latest three-month moving average sliding to the lowest level seen in nearly 10 months. Although down, sentiment remains at very optimistic levels on the 100-point scale. Steel Market Update surveys buyers every two weeks and asks how they view their […]
Despite the fact that steel prices have plunged since last fall, industry sentiment has not fallen nearly as sharply and remains at a highly optimistic level – a positive sign for the first half of the year. Steel Market Update surveys buyers every two weeks and asks how they view their chances of success in […]
Monthly Key Market Indicators improved slightly through January, showing promising signs of progress, according to the latest analysis by Steel Market Update. Following a more uncertain close to 2021, both neutral and positive indicators expanded, while negative indicators continued to ease. Though economic dynamics remain in flux, with supply-chain bottlenecks and rising inflation and producer […]
Steel Buyers Sentiment, as measured by Steel Market Update, has inched downward since the beginning of the year and may finally be reflecting the market’s concerns about sharply declining steel prices. While sentiment readings in the 60s are the lowest they have been since last spring, they remain at very optimistic levels on the 100-point […]
Steel Buyers Sentiment, as measured by Steel Market Update, has inched downward since the beginning of the year and may finally be reflecting the market’s concerns about sharply declining steel prices. While sentiment readings in the 60s are the lowest they have been since last spring, they remain at very optimistic levels on the 100-point […]
Steel Buyers Sentiment, as measured by Steel Market Update, has seen little change in the past two months despite declining steel prices and concerns about the economy and COVID heading into 2022. SMU surveys buyers every two weeks and asks how they view their chances of success in the near and longer term. SMU’s Current […]
Monthly Key Market Indicators continued their shift to a neutral position throughout December, according to the latest analysis by Steel Market Update. Positive indicators held for the first time in seven months, while negative indicators eased. Ongoing economic dynamics such as an underperforming job market, supply-chain bottlenecks, rising inflation and producer prices, as well as a […]
Steel Buyers Sentiment, as measured by Steel Market Update, saw its highest readings ever in September 2021. Not coincidentally, so did steel prices. In the four months since then, steel prices have softened by some 20%. Industry sentiment has also softened, but to a lesser extent – and it remains well above year-ago levels. SMU surveys buyers […]
Steel Buyers Sentiment, as measured by Steel Market Update, has not reacted much to declining steel prices. Perhaps because prices remain well above historical averages even after big declines – more than 18% when it comes to hot-rolled coil – over the past three months. Indeed, 2021 was a record year for many companies, leaving […]
Monthly Key Market Indicators, as analyzed by Steel Market Update, continued their shift to a neutral position over the past month with positive indicators eroding further, slipping for the sixth successive month. What began as a typical summer slowdown, worsened by a surge in Delta cases and a less-than-ideal job market, has been compounded by […]
Inflation and COVID have something in common. Both are invisible to the naked eye yet will color the economic picture in 2022. And both may make their presence known next year with painful consequences. Turns out Steel Market Update readers are more fearful of the fiscal bug than the physical one. Steel Market Update’s questionnaire this […]
With 2022 just around the corner, steel buyers are looking back at one of the most profitable years in their history – thanks to all-time-high steel prices seen in 2021. That explains some of the staying power of lofty readings in Steel Market Update’s Sentiment Index. SMU surveys buyers every two weeks and asks how they view […]
Steel Buyers Sentiment saw a notable dip this week, as did steel prices. Industry sentiment tends to track with steel price tags – the stronger the prices, the more optimistic service center and OEM executives who respond to SMU’s surveys. While sentiment remains near record levels, the downtrend suggests optimism, like prices, may have peaked. SMU […]
Monthly Key Market Indicators, as analyzed by Steel Market Update, edged down over the past month as positive indicators have decreased successively since June. A typical summer slowdown started the momentum shift, however, a surge in COVID variant cases, compounded by a slow-moving job market and supply-chain bottlenecks have continued to push the market indicators […]
Steel prices are on the way down, but not steel buyers’ optimism – at least not yet. Steel Market Update’s indexes for both Current and Future Buyers Sentiment registered lofty readings of +78 this week. Could this be industry optimism at its peak? SMU surveys buyers every two weeks and asks how they view their chances […]
Despite all the uncertainty over the economy and steel prices as the year nears an end, sentiment among steel buyers remains extremely optimistic versus historical levels, as measured by Steel Market Update. But this week’s check of the market saw a small decline to the lowest sentiment reading since July. SMU surveys buyers every two […]
Monthly Key Market Indicators, as analysed by Steel Market Update, softened again in the past month. A typical summer slowdown followed by a surge in COVID variant cases, compounded by a lackluster job market, reflects an uneasy economic landscape. Consumer confidence has dwindled, highlighted by decreases in key indicators across the marketplace. SMU’s Key Market Indicators […]
When the books are written on a historic year for steel prices, we will probably look back at August and September as the months when things started falling apart. Why? Because that’s when the extraordinay gaps – between U.S. steel prices and those abroad, between steel prices and scrap prices, and between market senitment and […]
Sentiment among steel buyers tends to mirror steel prices. The higher the steel price, the higher the spirits of service center and manufacturing executives and the more optimistic they feel about their prospects. Steel Market Update data shows that the record-high steel prices of the past year have begun to moderate. But Steel Buyers Sentiment […]
By most measures, the steel market is in transition. Demand remains strong, with notable exceptions in sectors such as automotive. Supplies remain tight, but not nearly as tight as earlier in the year thanks to surging imports. Mill lead times are still highly extended versus historical averages, but are a week or two shorter than […]