Steel Markets
Auto Sales Falter in April
Written by Sandy Williams
May 2, 2017
Despite incentives, U.S. automotive sales dipped in April with almost all brands showing declines year-ove- year. Of the Big Three Detroit manufacturers, Ford had the worst results, down 7.2 percent to 214,695 for the month. FCA USA posted sales of 177,441, down 6.6 percent and GM had sales of 244,406, down 5.8 percent.
Slower sales were expected with Edmunds predicting a 1 percent decline to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 17.1 million. Automotive analysts expect 2017 to be the first year of industry sales decline since 2009.
“The industry has been holding its breath to see if the days of peak sales are over, and while Q1 sales managed to remain stable, we’re starting to see the slowdown in 2017 we’ve been anticipating,” said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds executive director of industry analysis. “Year-over-year declines in monthly sales may become more typical as the year progresses, but there’s no reason to be in panic mode. Historically, car sales are still strong.”
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Markets
Buyers say plate market rejected last round of mill hikes
Participants in the domestic steel plate market said the plate market never accepted mill-issued spot price increases.
Cliffs touts steel stamping solution to replace aluminum in automotive
Cliffs said it successfully completed a defect-free trial production of exposed steel parts using aluminum-forming equipment in collaboration with an unnamed OEM,
Hot-rolled market anticipates no change despite mill mark-ups
Domestic sheet market participants say recent spot price hikes from NLMK USA and Nucor will do little to shake-up stagnant market conditions. Price increases in the current market On Friday Oct. 24, NLMK customers learned that the producer’s hot- and cold-rolled prices increased $50 per short ton (st) and its coated products were $100/st higher. […]
Market sources say regional activity is dictating plate demand
Demand for plate on the spot market remains soft by comparison to years past. However, this week regional demand variations grew more pronounced.
AISI: Raw steel production bounces back
Domestic mill production rebounded last week, according to the latest production figures released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Production had been historically strong over the summer months before softening in early October.