Steel Products
Canadian Housing Starts Slip in July
Written by Sandy Williams
August 16, 2013
Canadian housing starts in July fell slightly to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 192,853 units from 193,797 units in June. The decrease was 0.5 percent from June levels and 9.5 percent below housing starts in July 2012.
Urban starts for single units decreased by 5.5 percent to 58,732 units in July while urban multi-unit housing starts declined by a scant 0.2 percent to 114,311 units.
Housing construction surged during the spring and appears to be stabilizing said the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.
“For the past few months, total housing starts have followed the stabilizing trend observed in sales of existing homes earlier this year,” said Mathieu Laberge, Deputy Chief Economist at CMHC. “As expected, the trends in the two market segments typically follow a similar pattern with the new home market lagging behind the existing home market by a few months.”

Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Products

CRU tariff webinar replay now available
CRU’s latest webinar replay on how Trump’s tariffs affect the global steel market is now available on our website to all members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the community tab and look under the “previous webinars” section of the dropdown menu. You’ll find not only this special CRU webinar but also all past Community […]

US, offshore CRC prices diverge
US cold-rolled (CR) coil prices declined this week, slipping for the first time since early February. Most offshore markets deviated, moving higher this week.

Construction growth slowed in March on tariff woes: Dodge
The decline comes after reaching a record high in January to kickstart the year.

Return of S232 zapped gap between US and EU HR prices, Asian HR remains cheaper
Domestic hot-rolled (HR) coil prices declined this week for a third straight week. Most offshore markets bucked the trend and gained ground. Uncertainty in the US market around tariffs, especially after “Liberation Day,” caused US prices to slip as buyers moved to the sidelines. It’s unclear to date whether the 90-day pause on the more […]

SMU Steel Demand Index momentum slows further
SMU’s Steel Demand Index growth eased again, according to early April indicators. The slowdown comes after the index reached a four-year high in late February.