By CRU Senior Analyst Helen O’Cleary and found in CRU’s Zinc Monitor US steel mills have reportedly been taking more refined zinc over the past few weeks and the outlook for Q4 is looking slightly more positive according to market contacts. There have been suggestions that the uptick in spot demand from mills could be […]
There is a lot of catching up that I have had to do over the past few days. In the process I have spoken to steel buyers and sellers, mills, service centers, and traders. Steel buyers should anticipate another flat rolled price increase between now and early October. Scrap is rumored to be going up […]
Wholesalers who sell HVAC and galvanized steel products to the construction sector have been pleasantly surprised by the resilience of demand in a market dealing with the COVID pandemic. They have been downright shocked by the spike in galvanized steel prices, which have jumped by about $7/cwt or $140 per ton in just the past […]
Wholesalers who sell HVAC and galvanized steel products to the construction sector have been pleasantly surprised by the resilience of demand in a market dealing with the COVID pandemic. They have been downright shocked by the spike in galvanized steel prices, which have jumped by about $7/cwt or $140 per ton in just the past […]
Editor’s note: SMU Contributor David Feldstein is president of Rock Trading Advisors. David has over 20 years of financial market trading experience and has been active in the ferrous futures space for eight years. David earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in economics, statistics and analytical finance. […]
On Wednesday, U.S. Steel notified customers of a revision to its galvanized and galvannealed steel coating extras. USS advised customers, “The cost to procure zinc for our Hot Dipped Galvanized products has increased significantly in recent weeks, with the average LME zinc price now above the current coating weight tables that we put in place […]
Last Friday, Nucor notified customers of a revision to its galvanized coating extras. Nucor advised customers, “Consistent with our practice to monitor the cost of zinc, we have revised our galvanized coating weight extras effective with new orders acknowledged for the week ending Oct. 10, 2020.” Nucor is the third mill to revise its galvanized […]
Among steelmaking raw materials, the prices of iron ore, pig iron and zinc have seen big gains in the past three months. Scrap prices have been challenged, but saw some improvement in August, notably in the coastal regions, and are expected to rise in September, lending support to higher finished steel prices. Table 1 summarizes […]
Following on a similar move by the plate mills earlier in the week, flat rolled mills announced price changes Wednesday and Thursday ranging from $40 to $60 per ton. Nucor’s Sheet Mill Group notified customers today, Aug. 27, that it has increased base prices on new orders of hot rolled, cold rolled and galvanized steel […]
California Steel Industries notified customers on Wednesday that it will be raising the extra charge for galvanized coatings due to an increase in the market price of zinc. CSI advised customers: “Due to changing zinc costs, our Galvanized Coating Extras have been revised. These changes will be effective beginning with orders placed for October shipment […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. has revised their galvanized coating extras due to the recent increase in zinc prices. SMU has done an analysis on the old and new extras, provided below. SDI extras increased an average of 20.3 percent. Zinc prices declined significantly during the first quarter of the year, dropping from January’s high of $1.1186 […]
Editor’s note: SMU Contributor David Feldstein is president of Rock Trading Advisors. David has over 20 years of financial market trading experience and has been active in the ferrous futures space for eight years. David earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in economics, statistics and analytical finance. […]
Commercial Metals Co. has added AZZ’s Continuous Galvanized Rebar division to its portfolio of businesses. GalvaBar, located in Tulsa, Okla., produces galvanized rebar with a zinc alloy coating that provides superior corrosion protection and post-fabrication formability. The product is used in steel reinforced concrete. “We are thrilled to welcome the GalvaBar team to CMC,” said […]
Strong demand in China and easing of coronavirus restrictions in various parts of the world are lending support to global raw materials prices. Ferrous scrap prices are the notable exception as supplies have increased at a greater rate then demand, sending prices for both prime and obsolete grades downward. Table 1 summarizes the price changes […]
Steel prices rose in the beginning of June, following May price increase announcements by the mills, but began to decline in the middle of the month and reached $480 per ton as of this week. Scrap prices were flat to down over May, while zinc and aluminum prices increased in June. SMU Buyers Sentiment Index […]
California Steel Industries notified customers on Monday that it will be lowering the extra charge for galvanized coatings due to declines in the market price of zinc. CSI advised customers: “Due to changing zinc costs, our Galvanized Coating Extras have been revised. These changes will be effective beginning with orders placed for August shipment and […]
Heidtman Steel, one of the country’s leading coil service centers, has expanded into tube manufacturing through a joint venture known as TNT Pipe and Tube. The new tube mill, located at Heidtman’s Erie, Mich., flat rolled processing plant, began initial production last month and will be fully operational by the end of August, said Heidtman […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Helen O’Cleary, from CRU’s Zinc Monitor U.S. industrial production increased by only 1.4 percent in May, well short of expectations, but market sentiment is generally positive as the Fed has confirmed it will do “whatever it takes for as long as it takes” to help get the economy back on track […]
Raw materials prices have seen varying trends in the past month or two as the coronavirus has had varying effects on different commodities in different parts of the world. Iron ore prices have stayed relatively high due to strong demand in China, where COVID-19 restrictions have been eased. Virus-related disruptions to Brazilian mining operations have […]
By CRU Prices Analyst George Pearson, from CRU’s Steel Monitor In the U.S. Midwest market this week, sheet prices were somewhat mixed with HR coil near steady w/w while HDG coil fell by $19 /s.ton to $650 /s.ton and CR coil inched up by $4 /s.ton to $697 /s.ton. Our full HDG coil price, reflecting […]
Both Nucor and Steel Dynamics have revised their galvanized coating extras due to the decline in zinc prices. SMU has done an analysis on the old and new Nucor galvanized extras, provided below. Nucor extras declined by an average of 16 percent. The comparison below shows old and new Steel Dynamics galvanized extras, which declined […]
Steel prices inched upwards during the month of May following price increase announcements by the mills, with the SMU hot rolled index reaching $500 per ton last week. Scrap prices increased over April, as did zinc and aluminum prices. SMU Buyers Sentiment Index readings increased over April, with Current Sentiment coming back into positive territory […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in weaker global demand for steelmaking raw materials. However, the cost of producing and delivering many of these commodities has also fallen. Strong demand in China is helping to buoy prices for iron ore and other materials. Table 1 summarizes the price changes through May 21 of the five materials […]
Wholesalers of HVAC products have weathered the pandemic surprisingly well so far and are more concerned about construction demand months from now than they are about their near-term prospects. Consider what has happened since April as a result of the market’s response to the virus: Steel mills are operating at just above 50 percent of […]
Prices of steelmaking raw materials all declined in April, reflecting the initial impact of coronavirus shutdowns and the idling of steelmaking facilities all over the world. Generally speaking, rising supplies and lower demand are likely to keep downward pressure on iron ore, coking coal, pig iron, scrap and zinc in the months to come. Table […]
By CRU Principal Analyst Josh Spoores and CME Group Commodities Research Analyst Gregor Spilker The CME Group recently launched a new steel futures contract which follows the U.S. hot-dipped galvanized (HDG) coil market. The U.S. Midwest Domestic Steel Premium (CRU) Futures is financially settled against the difference between U.S. Midwest hot-dipped galvanized coil (base) steel […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Helen O’Cleary, from CRU’s Zinc Monitor As the Chinese market gradually emerges from its Covid-19 lockdown and businesses and individuals start to return to normal, acute outbreaks of the virus across the world mean that many countries are still operating under severe restrictions. Even as China attempts to reinvigorate domestic demand, […]
By CRU Senior Cost Analyst Ross Cunningham, from CRU’s Steel Monitor Covid-19 has spread across the world at alarming rates. As of March 28, the pandemic has reached 177 countries and shows little sign of letting up. When fighting a global health and economic crisis unlike anything ever seen before, there will be no winners—only […]
The month of March saw government actions to stop the spread of the coronavirus begin to take a toll on steel demand and prices. In reaction, Steel Market Update’s Buyers Sentiment Index plunged by more than 20 points. Flat rolled steel prices declined from February, with the benchmark price of hot rolled down to a […]
Raw materials prices are poised for a rapid decline as the dollar strengthens and the global economy slumps. Table 1 summarizes the price changes through March 18 of the five materials considered in this analysis. It reports the month/month, 3 months/3 months and 12 months/12 months changes on a percentage basis. This is likely our […]