Domestic mill raw steel production increased again last week, with the utilization rate climbing to an 18-week high and production rising to a 16-week high. US output totaled 1,789,000 net tons in the week ending May 21, with a capacity utilization rate of 82.0%, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Production rose […]
Nucor will decrease plate prices by $50-200 per ton ($2.50-10 per cwt) depending on the product. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker made the announcement with the opening of its July orderbook for plate. Prices for as-rolled and normalized plate will be cut by $50 per ton, those for cut-to-length plate less than 72 inches wide will […]
The relationship between hot rolled and galvanized steel prices has fluctuated sharply over the last eight months, with galvanized selling anywhere between a $195-545 per ton premium over hot rolled in that time. The premium reached a record high in February, but then quickly dialed back in March as prices shot up in response to the war […]
What’s up with plate? I’ve been asked again and again how plate has managed to maintain such a high premium over sheet this year. Here are a few arguments that have been made to me over the past week in support of high plate prices. And below that are a few charts I still find […]
By Greg Wittbecker, Advisor, CRU Group The London Metal Exchange announced plans on May 13th to require its members to make weekly reports of their over-the-counter (OTC) transactions to the Exchange. It also set an unusually short consultation period of two weeks for member response. This action is in direct reaction to the debacle in […]
SMU contributor Tim Stevenson is a partner at Metal Edge Partners, a firm engaged in Risk Management and Strategic Advisory. In this role, he and his firm design and execute risk management strategies for clients along with providing process and analytical support. In Tim’s previous role, he was a Director at Cargill Risk Management. Prior […]
The temptation to purchase foreign hot rolled over domestic steel remains high, according to SMU’s latest foreign versus domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) price comparison. Select foreign HRC prices range from $164-364 per ton cheaper than domestic prices, after taking freight costs, trader margins and tariffs into consideration. The price differentials between domestic HRC and foreign import […]
Sheet steel prices are moving downwards after the March/April bump, while plate prices continue to hold their ground, according to SMU’s price indices published each Tuesday. Plate prices typically carry a premium over hot rolled prices because plate is a value-added product and requires more time on the mill. Hot rolled coil averaged $1,350 per ton ($67.50 per cwt) this week and has […]
Sheet prices slipped again this week on what some sources described as a summertime market that has arrived a few weeks earlier than usual. SMU’s hot-rolled coil price was down $15 per ton week-over-week (WoW) to an average of $1,350 per ton ($67.50 per cwt). Other sheet products also fell, with cold-rolled down $30 per […]
Raw steel production by US mills increased last week, reaching the highest utilization mark in 16 weeks. Domestic output totaled 1,785,000 net tons in the week ending May 14, while mill capacity utilization was 81.8%, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported. US output was up 0.5% versus the week prior but 2.7% below […]
US apparent steel supply rebounded from February to March, rising 14% to 9.51 million tons, according to the latest US Department of Commerce and American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) data. Recall that supply reached a six-year high last September at 9.92 million tons, declining each month thereafter and reaching an 11-month low in February (8.37 million […]
By Greg Wittbecker, Advisor, CRU Group The LME cash price for high grade aluminum continues to give ground, with prices at $2,715 per metric ton versus $2,861 per ton last week. There is still a lot of gloom and doom out there. Fear factor over demand is dominating price discovery Here are a few of […]
According to the latest Steel Market Update data, the spread between hot rolled coil prices and prime scrap prices has leveled out over the past eight weeks, after reaching an 18-month low in early March. The latest spread through May 10 is down compared to this time last year, but still higher than pre-pandemic spreads. […]
AZZ Inc. completed the purchase of Precoat Metals from its parent, Sequa Corp., for approximately $1.28 billion. The deal continues the Fort Worth, Texas-based company’s buying spree in the coated metals space. “Today we welcome the 1,100 employees of Precoat to the AZZ family and begin the work of swiftly integrating Precoat into AZZ while leveraging […]
Canada is seeking public comment as it considers collecting and publishing country-specific information about where steel imports are melted and poured under the nation’s Steel Import Monitoring Program. Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development announced the public consultations. Monitoring the country where a steel import was originally melted and […]
Steel Market Update sources report ferrous scrap prices fell $75-100 per gross ton in May, following record high prices in March and April due to the war in Ukraine. Heavy melt (HMS) was down nearly $100 per gross ton, whereas shredded and busheling prices were down $75 per gross ton. “Demand is okay, but there’s just too much supply […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Ryan McKinley, from CRU’s Steel Sheet Products Monitor, May 11 The CRUspi plunged month-on-month (MoM) in May by over 8.6%, which is the largest percentage point decline since late 2008 and the second-largest ever in terms of total fallen points. Supply chain readjustments for both sheet and steelmaking raw materials in the […]
Foreign steel imports continue to hold a competitive price advantage over domestic steel, albeit at a slightly lesser potential discount this week compared to last. According to SMU’s latest foreign versus domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) price comparison, select foreign HRC prices range from $92-345 per ton ($4.6-$17.25 per cwt) cheaper than domestic prices, after taking […]
Editor’s note: SMU Contributor David Feldstein is president of Rock Trading Advisors. Rock provides customers attached to the steel industry with commodity price risk management services and market intelligence. RTA is registered with the National Futures Association as a Commodity Trade Advisor. David has over 20 years of professional trading experience and has been active […]
Imports of less expensive sheet and plate products continue to arrive at US ports, and at a faster pace in March. Following lighter volumes in February, overall flat product imports accelerated in March and took a larger share of the domestic steel market, according to Commerce Department data. Imports’ share of US sheet and plate markets […]
US raw steel production increased to 7.57 million net tons in March, up 8% from February’s 12-month low, according to recently released American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) data. While up month over month, March holds the second lowest monthly production rate of the past 13 months. Recall that last August production reached a 20-month high of 8.29 million tons. […]
Sheet prices have fallen sharply following weeks of more modest declines. The big drops this week prompted SMU to shift all its sheet price momentum indicators from neutral to lower. SMU’s hot-rolled coil price plunged $75 per ton ($3.75 per cwt) week-over-week, falling well below the $1,400-per-ton threshold. Cold rolled fell $55 per ton, galvanized […]
US steel exports jumped 16% in March to 843,000 net tons, now the highest monthly level seen since June 2018, according to the latest US Department of Commerce data. On a 12-month moving average, March exports continue to hold onto a 3-year record high at 741,000 tons per month. Total March exports are 7% higher than levels seen […]
Raw steel production by US mills was largely unchanged, with just a marginal increase week-on-week (WoW). Domestic output totaled 1,777,000 net tons in the week ending May 7, while mill capacity utilization was 81.4%, the American Iron and Steel Institute reported. US output was up 0.1% versus the week prior but 3.1% below the same […]
A previously shuttered iron ore concentrate facility on the Mesabi Iron Range might be coming back to life under the newly-formed MagIron LLC. The Plant 4 concentrator near Grand Rapids, Minn., formerly owned by Magnetation and once rescued from bankruptcy by ERP Iron Ore – which subsequently filed for bankruptcy itself – has been acquired by former […]
Final US Department of Commerce data shows that steel imports in March rebounded 32% month-over-month to 3.09 million net tons, a 2+ year high. But April import licenses through May 4 are currently at 2.58 million tons, down 17% from March. (That said, April is still up 10% compared to February.) Final finished steel imports were 2.52 […]
By Greg Wittbecker, Advisor, CRU Group US equities market this past week were a microcosm of how fast sentiment can change. It reminded me of a favorite statement I use to explain commodity trading to people outside our world: “Markets move on fear and greed.” Welcome to the fear cycle. This cycle has plenty of […]
SMU contributor Tim Stevenson is a partner at Metal Edge Partners, a firm engaged in Risk Management and Strategic Advisory. In this role, he and his firm design and execute risk management strategies for clients along with providing process and analytical support. In Tim’s previous role, he was a Director at Cargill Risk Management. Prior […]
Foreign steel imports continue to hold a competitive price advantage over domestic steel, with the spread between the two widening nearly every week since mid-March. According to SMU’s latest foreign versus domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) price comparison, select foreign HRC prices range from $114-375 per ton cheaper than domestic prices, after taking freight costs, trader margins […]
Sheet prices were flat or lower again this week on expectations of lower scrap prices and concerns about increased import competition over the summer months. Hot-rolled coil prices were down $10 per ton, cold-rolled prices were unchanged, galvanized base prices down $30 per ton, and Galvalume base prices down $35 per ton. Plate prices were […]