Steel buyers continue to hold the upper hand in price negotiations with mills — a position they have enjoyed for nearly six months. A very high percentage of sheet buyers continue to report that mills are willing to talk price to secure an order. Negotiations on plate products are not as common, with slightly more […]
Steel mill lead times were steady to down this week compared to our previous market check. Production times shrunk for four products tracked by SMU and slightly extended for one. Lead times retracted by an average of 0.2 weeks compared to two weeks ago and are half a week shorter than levels one month ago. […]
Domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) continues to hold the upper hand over imported steel when it comes to price, according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign versus domestic price analysis. US HRC is approximately 4–7% cheaper than foreign prices this week, after consideration of freight costs, trader margins and any applicable tariffs. Prior to this week, […]
US apparent steel supply eased further in September, down 8% from August to 8.29 million net tons, according to data from the US Department of Commerce and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). As the lowest monthly figure since February 2021, this was a 19-month low. September supply was 10% below the average monthly rate […]
Data on US industrial production, capacity utilization, orders and inventories remained strong through September, indicating a healthy manufacturing sector. The health of the manufacturing economy has a direct bearing on the health of the steel industry. The Industrial Production (IP) Index The IP index is a gauge of output from factories, mines and utilities. Figure […]
US steel export volumes shrunk 10% from August to September, according to the latest US Commerce Department data. 723,000 net tons of steel products exited the country during the month, now the fourth-lowest monthly export rate over the past year and a half. Recall that exports levels in August were at the third-highest monthly rate […]
The number of active drilling rigs was mixed this week, with counts increasing in the US and falling in Canada, according to data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. Activity in the US and Canada has held steady in recent weeks but is not quite back to pre-Covid levels. The number of oil and gas rigs […]
The spread between hot-rolled and galvanized coil base prices continues to ease, now standing at the lowest level seen in almost one year. The relationship between hot rolled and galvanized prices has been volatile since late 2021. In the last year, galvanized has sold at a premium of as little as $250 per ton ($12.50 […]
Hot-rolled coil (HRC) imports offer no cost advantage over domestic steel this week, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis. Domestic HRC prices are now approximately 1-3% cheaper than foreign steel, after consideration of freight costs, trader margins and any applicable tariffs. Although down, the relationship between foreign and domestic prices has remained within $18 […]
SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects on Monday and Tuesday of this week, including current and future steel prices, inventory strategies, supply, demand, and new mill capacity. Rather than summarizing the comments we received, we are sharing them in each buyer’s own words. We want to hear your thoughts, too! Contact Brett@SteelMarketUpdate.com […]
SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects on Monday and Tuesday of this week, including current and future steel prices, inventory strategies, supply, demand, and new mill capacity. Rather than summarizing the comments we received, we are sharing them in each buyer’s own words. We want to hear your thoughts, too! Contact Brett@SteelMarketUpdate.com […]
Steel prices declined each week in October, with all sheet products now back in line with late-2020 levels. Hot rolled prices averaged $736 per net ton ($36.80 per cwt) in October, falling from $765 in the beginning of the month to $710 as of last Tuesday. The SMU Price Momentum Indicator for sheet products was […]
After ticking downward in the middle of October, Steel Market Update’s (SMU) Steel Buyers Sentiment Indices both saw marginal increases this week. Buyers Sentiment has trended downward overall since May, with buyers concerned about high inventory costs, dismal demand, and a slowing economy. SMU’s Buyers Sentiment Index attempts to measure how steel buyers feel about […]
Prices of steelmaking raw material moved in differing directions over the last 30 days, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis. Through the latest data available as of Oct. 27, coking coal prices increased 15% over the last month, aluminum prices rose 8%, and zinc prices increased 2%. Pig iron prices remained stable. Busheling scrap […]
The latest SMU Market Survey results are now available on our website to all Premium members. After logging in at SteelMarketUpdate.com, visit the Analysis tab and look under the “Survey Results” section for “Latest Survey Results.” Historical survey results are also available in the Survey Results section under “Survey Results History.” If you need help […]
Preliminary US Census Bureau data indicates that steel imports totaled 2.24 million net tons in the month of September. This is down 11% from the prior month, and is potentially the lowest monthly rate seen since February 2021. Recall that monthly import levels also declined 6% from July to August and 6% from June to […]
As steel prices ease week after week, the power position in price negotiations between steel mills and steel purchasers continues to rest with buyers, as it has since June. According to our latest check on the market, a high percentage of buyers continue to report that mills are willing to talk price to secure an […]
Foreign hot-rolled coil (HRC) imports offer little to no cost advantage over domestic steel at this time, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis. After taking freight costs, trader margins and tariffs into consideration, HRC imported from Germany and Italy are theoretically more expensive than domestic steel, and Far East Asian HRC offers just a […]
Steel mill lead times declined across the board this week for all products tracked by SMU. Our latest lead times analysis shows that production times on sheet products decreased by 0.2–0.5 weeks compared to our previous market check two weeks ago, while plate lead times dipped 0.1 weeks. On average, lead times retracted by 0.3 weeks compared to […]
The number of active drilling rigs were mixed this week, with counts increasing in the US and falling in Canada, according to data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. Activity in both the US and Canada has leveled out over the last two weeks and is not quite back to pre-Covid levels. The number of […]
This week, foreign hot-rolled coil (HRC) offers little to no cost advantage over domestic steel, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis. Foreign prices now hold a theoretical discount of 0–1% over domestic steel, after adjusting foreign prices for estimated freight costs, trader margins, and tariffs. This relationship has teetered back and forth lately, with […]
Steel prices trended lower again this week, the second consecutive week of moderate declines, according to Steel Market Update sources. Sheet prices declined between $10–30 per net ton compared to last week, now at levels not seen since late 2020. Plate prices were broadly unchanged from last week, but are slowly easing towards levels last […]
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects including current and future steel prices, inventory strategies, supply, demand, and new mill capacity. We are sharing the comments we received in each buyer’s own words rather than summarizing them in ours. We want to hear your thoughts, too! […]
The Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) October Short-Term Energy Outlook was released earlier this month, forecasting spot prices and production for crude oil and natural gas. Crude oil prices are forecast to remain near current levels for the remainder of this year and to slightly increase in 2023. Natural gas prices are expected to rise slighly […]
The relationship between hot-rolled coil (HRC) and prime scrap prices has stabilized in the last few weeks, according to Steel Market Update data. After briefly stalling in August, hot rolled prices have began to slide downwards again since the beginning of this month. Busheling scrap prices settled at down $45 per gross ton last week, the […]
The latest SMU Market Survey results are now available on our website to all Premium members. After logging in at SteelMarketUpdate.com, visit the Analysis tab and look under the “Survey Results” section for “Latest Survey Results.” Historical survey results are also available in the Survey Results section under “Survey Results History.” If you need help […]
US heating and cooling equipment shipments rebounded 12% in August to 1.99 million units, according to data from the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). Total shipments in August were down 3% from levels one year earlier. The average monthly shipments level for the first eight months of 2022 is now 2.02 million units. […]
Steel Market Update’s (SMU) Steel Buyers Sentiment Indices both saw slight declines this week, following modest gains two weeks prior. Sentiment has trended downward overall since May, with buyers attributing their dismal outlooks to weakening demand, high inventory costs, and recession concerns. SMU’s Buyers Sentiment Index measures how steel buyers and sellers feel about their […]
Steel mill lead times were relatively unchanged this week for four of the five products tracked by Steel Market Update. Our latest lead times analysis shows that production times on hot-rolled steel held steady compared to our previous market check. Galvanized, Galvalume, and plate lead times all extended just 0.1 weeks, while cold rolled lead […]
With steel prices continuing to ease, buyers clearly hold the upper hand in price negotiations with mills. Market dynamics have turned 180 degrees in the past six months, from a seller’s market in March and April to a strong buyer’s market today. According to our latest steel market survey, a high percentage of buyers continue to report […]