Economy

Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
December 10, 2014
I was advis ed today that Nucor had reduced their pricing on beams by $40 per ton in order to compete with foreign beam offers. The question then became what are the mills doing to blunt the impact of foreign steel offers of flat rolled products into the United States? As we reported on Tuesday, US Steel is attempting to stem the price erosion which has occurred since the beginning of November. Meanwhile, buyers seem to be back to sitting on their hands waiting to see what happens next. Lead times are relatively short and inventories appear to be higher than they have been in awhile.
A note to those planning on attending our Steel 101 workshop in South Carolina in January. The room rate guarantee of $91 per room (includes resort fee) will expire on December 20th. We still have plenty of room to take more reservations. If you have any questions please contact our office: 800-432-3475 or by email: info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
As always your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, Publisher
 
			    			
			    		John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in Economy
 
		                                June at a Glance
June ended the same way it started with our SMU Price Momentum Indicator pointing toward higher flat rolled steel prices. This is now the second month in a row where our Momentum Indicator has been pointing up. Our Future Steel Buyers Sentiment Index averaged +61.5 for the month of June. However, the last report we […]
 
		                                Review of the First Six Months 2015
We have seen many of the indices either produced by or followed by Steel Market Update (SMU) were falling during the first few months of 2015 before stabilizing and beginning to rebound by the end of the first six months 2015. Not everything is reacting in unison so we thought we would point out a […]
 
		                                Chicago Business Barometer Fails to Cross Into Growth Territory
The June Chicago Business Barometer gained back half of May’s losses but remained in contraction for the second consecutive month and the fourth so far this year. The Barometer rose 3.2 points to 49.4 from 46.2 in May. Overall, the barometer declined 1.2 points in second quarter, registering 49.3 from 50.5 in Q1, its lowest […]
 
		                                Consumer Confidence: June 2015
The consumer confidence index as reported by the Conference Board jumped by 6.8 points in June, as May was revised down slightly. The composite value combines the view of the present situation and expectations and this month’s result is a perfect example of why not to get too carried away by one month’s result in […]
 
		                                EPA Regulations Blocked by Supreme Court
The Supreme Court blocked new EPA regulation on pollutants from coal-fired power plants in a 5-4 vote on Monday. The ruling will prevent the EPA from imposing new rules designed to reduce mercury and other toxic pollutants from power plants without first undertaking a cost-benefit analysis. Industries and 20 states complained that the EPA disregarded […]
