This past week three of the four flat rolled steel price indexes followed by Steel Market Update (SMU) reported only modest gains in benchmark hot rolled pricing with SMU being the most conservative holding our pricing at the same levels as we had reported the prior week. Platts was the one exception as their hot […]
Steel Market Update follows a number of price indices on a weekly basis. All of the indices saw double digit increases during the month of April. The average change on hot rolled was +$43 per ton, cold rolled +$47 per ton, galvanized +$66 per ton and Galvalume +65 per ton. Plate prices remained relatively stable […]
Shredded ferrous scrap prices are now projected to be down $15 to $20 per gross ton in the Chicago market according to SMU sources. At the same time prime grades (like #1 busheling) are expected to tread sideways (remain the same as prior month). If, once the deals are completed, all runs true to the […]
The following chart is based on price variances from the end of March until the most recent numbers produced at the end of April. All commodities saw price increases with the exception of iron ore which was down quite dramatically (China spot market).
Based on revised domestic and world export pricing on hot rolled coil (SteelBenchmarker), the price spread between the two continues to grow. As you can see by the graphic shown below, the spread has been widening ever since domestic steel production issues began impacting flat rolled steel pricing in the U.S. and Canada. The spread […]
Iron ore prices continue to boil and bubble, with the key word being bubble. At the beginning of April, 62% Fe fines were trading at $117 per dry metric ton (dmt). They peaked nine days later at $119.4/dmt and since then the air has been leaking out of the bubble. On Wednesday, iron ore prices […]
According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) domestic raw steel production totaled 8,273,082 net tons (all products). Of the total 60 percent was produced by electric arc furnaces and the balance by blast/BOF furnaces. Carbon steel products totaled 7,681,790 net tons with 4,665,056 tons being produced by EAF’s and the balance, 3,016,734 tons […]
Financial Markets We are still in the testing of the highs mode, closing in the 1877.50 zone on S+P 500, not much different from a week back. Need to take the out the old high and test 1900 again, otherwise… The Fed tapered on the easing, paring the buying program back $10 bln /month again–think […]
This article is part of a longer article first published on Thursday, May 1st and is written by Andre Marshall, CEO of Crunchrisk, LLC and our Managing Price Risk II instructor: Steel It was a fairly quiet week in futures with 400 lots or 8,000 ST trading most of yesterday on the July date. […]
Iron ore prices continue to boil and bubble, with the key word being bubble. At the beginning of April, 62% Fe fines were trading at $117 per dry metric ton (dmt). They peaked nine days later at $119.4/dmt and since then the air has been leaking out of the bubble. On Wednesday, iron ore prices […]
Today is the 3rd of April and negotiations between the steel mills and their scrap suppliers continue in earnest. We heard from one of our sources that Detroit has settled up $10 per gross ton. Our source reported #1 Heavy Melt (HMS) at $365-$370 per gross ton, shredded scrap at $395-$400 per gross ton and […]
Steel Market Update is aware that many buyers and sellers of steel have been keyed in on the variations between various flat rolled steel indexes. In the past, Steel Market Update found the spread between our steel index and those of Platts and CRU to generally be negligible ($1-$10 per ton at any one time). […]
Each week during the month Steel Market Update (SMU) checks the license data from the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding imports of foreign steel. Based on the data compiled each week we then project where we think imports will end up at the end of the month. April license data is suggesting we could see […]
Steel Market Update continuously is in conversation with flat rolled steel buyers from around the country. We have noticed a growing nervousness within the steel community as the buyers grapple with ever higher steel prices and extended lead times. In some cases the lead times on foreign material are not much more than what the […]
Prices moved sideways this week as buyers digest the $30 per ton of movement made in benchmark hot rolled pricing going back to the beginning of the month of April. Steel Market Update is aware there are a number of domestic mills who have made “internal” spot price adjustments, taking price offers from $34.25/cwt ($685 […]
Each week during the month Steel Market Update (SMU) checks the license data from the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding imports of foreign steel. Based on the data compiled each week we then project where we think imports will end up at the end of the month. April license data is suggesting we could see […]
According to a note recently received from one of our active trading sources in Asia, iron ore traders are under pressure as port stocks hit 112.63 million metric tons and new orders for steel exports become more difficult due to anti-dumping sentiment against Chinese steel around the world. Our source told SMU late last week, […]
For the week ending April 26, 2014, the American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. steel industry produced 1,835,000 net tons (NT) of raw steel, a 1.5 percent increase over the previous week but a 0.1 percent decrease over the same week one year ago. The estimated capacity utilization rate is 76.3 […]
According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) domestic raw steel production totaled 8,273,082 net tons (all products). Of the total 60 percent was produced by electric arc furnaces and the balance by blast/BOF furnaces. Carbon steel products totaled 7,681,790 net tons with 4,665,056 tons being produced by EAF’s and the balance, 3,016,734 tons […]
According to a note recently received from one of our active trading sources in Asia, iron ore traders are under pressure as port stocks hit 112.63 million metric tons and new orders for steel exports become more difficult due to anti-dumping sentiment against Chinese steel around the world. Our source told SMU late last week, […]
Flat rolled steel prices continued to rise for the 6th week (according to SMU HRC average) with the benchmark hot rolled coil price average just below $680 per ton and just a few dollars away from the $685 announced by Nucor and a number of other mills at the beginning of April. For the first […]
The following is an analysis of trading over the past week in the financial markets, especially in the hot rolled coil derivatives (futures) and busheling scrap futures markets. This article was written by Andre Marshall, CEO of Crunchrisk, LLC and the instructor for the Steel Market Update Managing Price Risk series including our newest addition: […]
The U.S. Department of Commerce released preliminary steel import census data for March and reported total steel imports at 3,218,914 net tons (NT). Compared to February, March imports are down by 2.0 percent or 66,960 NT. Compared to the same month one year ago, total March 2014 imports are up 25.2 percent or 648,510 NT. […]
Flat rolled steel prices continue to be firm as supply issues haunt the northern steel mills and lead times remain extended at most mills throughout the eastern United States and Canada. US Steel has issues with receiving raw materials into their Gary Works facility which has slowed steelmaking operations to approximately 50 to 75 percent […]
Foreign steel imports, for the month of April 2014 are projected by Steel Market Update to exceed 3.5 million net tons. Based on preliminary license data collected by the U.S. Department of Commerce through April 22, 2014 imports could reach as high as 3.7 million net tons. However, as our regular readers already know, license […]
For the week ending April 19, 2014, the American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. steel industry produced 1,808,000 net tons (NT) of raw steel, a 1.3 percent increase over the previous week but a 1.6 percent decrease over the same week one year ago. The estimated capacity utilization rate is 75.2 […]
Production in March was at an all-time high of 141.3 million tonnes and increase of 15.4 million tonnes from February. This jump has become normal for the month of March which for the last three years was the highest month of the year. The three month moving average (3MMA) of production was at an annual […]
All of the steel indices followed by Steel Market Update saw flat rolled steel prices increase this past week. Benchmark hot rolled coil saw the spread between the indices shrink while the average HR price increased by $17 per ton. Cold rolled was one item where the price spread increased across the various steel indexes […]
The spread between the world hot rolled export price and the SMU USA HR price has widened since our last update by $39 per net ton (NT). The current spread is at the highest level since our data history began at the start of 2012. Based on the latest SteelBenchmarker price report, the world HR […]
Northwest Pipe was selected to provide 108-inch diameter pipe for a Texas water project. The 81,958 feet of pipe translates into 23,000 tons of hot rolled substrate with production slated to begin as early as May 2014 according to SMU sources. VANCOUVER, WA – Northwest Pipe Company, an industry leader of engineered welded steel pipe […]