SMU’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Index moved 3 points higher this week, following an 11 point surge in mid-March. Theses jumps in sentiment correlate with the unexpected rebound in steel prices caused by the Ukraine-Russia war. Steel Market Update’s latest check of the market pegged the benchmark price for hot rolled coil at $1,435 per ton […]
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.” The historical survey results presentations also are available in the Survey Results section for “Survey Results History.” If you […]
Steel mill lead times continue to extend, but they are rising at a more moderate pace compared to early March. Steel Market Update’s latest check of the market indicates that lead times for sheet and plate increased by an average of 0.6 weeks, compared to an average jump of 1.2 weeks two weeks prior. Buyers surveyed […]
Mills are increasingly holding firm on higher prices. The result: the buyer’s market we saw at the beginning of the year is offically over. Every two weeks, Steel Market Update asks buyers: Are you finding domestic mills willing to negotiate spot pricing on new orders placed this week? The overwhelming majority of steel buyers polled this […]
Steel Market Update sources expect ferrous scrap prices to rise yet again in April, with obsolete grades potentially up $50-$100 per gross ton over March and busheling up $120-$200 per gross ton. The big anticipated gains in April follow record price increases in March due to the Ukraine-Russia war. “I have to say, this is one […]
Preliminary Census data shows that steel imports in February fell 23% month-over-month to 2.34 million net tons, falling from a two-year high to an 11-month low. March import licenses through March 28 are currently at 2.69 million tons, up 15% from February but down 12% compared to January. Total finished steel imports are preliminarily at 1.85 million tons in February, down 19% from […]
We still have spots remaining in our upcoming Introduction to Steel Hedging: Managing Price Risk course, which will run virtually on April 26-27, 2022. Steel Market Update and Spencer Johnson, StoneX Financial Inc. – FCM Division, along with the CME Group, will be conducting a workshop for those who are actively involved in the buying or selling of […]
Sheet prices continue to rise with new, higher offers from some domestic mills: as much as $1,500 per ton for hot-rolled coil and $1,900 per ton for cold-rolled and coated product. Despite those higher pricing levels, gains on the hot-rolled side have moderated. SMU’s benchmark hot-rolled coil price now stands at $1,435 per ton ($71.75 […]
Alro Steel announced Tuesday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire certain assets of Klein Steel, a metals service center with locations in Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, New York. The transaction, terms of which were not disclosed, is expected to close by the end of April. Founded in 1971, Klein Steel offers multiple metals for next-day […]
We still have spots remaining in our upcoming Introduction to Steel Hedging: Managing Price Risk course, which will run virtually on April 26-27, 2022. Steel Market Update and Spencer Johnson, StoneX Financial Inc. – FCM Division, along with the CME Group, will be conducting a workshop for those who are actively involved in the buying or selling of […]
We are less than 3 weeks away from our LIVE Steel 101: An Introduction to Steelmaking and Market Fundamentals training course, to be hoested on Memphis, Tennessee on April 19-20. The workshop will include a guided tour of the Nucor Hickman mill, just across the Mississippi River in Arkansas. Attendees will be able to see first hand […]
The number of active oil and gas drill rigs in the U.S. increased this week, while Canadian rigs declined, according to recent data released by oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The active drill rig count is important to the steel industry because it is a leading indicator of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) demand. The […]
The war in Ukraine has disrupted commodity markets across the globe. Prices for all seven of the steelmaking raw materials tracked in this SMU analysis increased over the last 30 days. Through late-March, pig iron prices surged 60% compared to one month prior, coking coal prices jumped 45%, scrap prices increased 26-32%, zinc and iron […]
Steel prices around the globe continue to surge in response to the war in Ukraine, and the brief competitive advantage domestic prices held over foreign steel in early-March has faded, according to SMU’s latest foreign versus domestic hot rolled steel price comparison. Select foreign HRC prices range anywhere from $267 per ton cheaper than domestic prices […]
Steel prices continued to shoot upward at a breakneck pace as mills raced to keep ahead of spiraling raw material costs. Supply chain shocks caused by Russian forces’ invasion of Ukraine have led to higher pig iron prices, expectations of big gains in scrap prices next month – and all that comes on top of already […]
We are delighted to announce that Steel Market Update’s Steel 101: An Introduction to Steelmaking and Market Fundamentals training course will be hosted LIVE on April 19-20 in Memphis, Tenn. The workshop will include a guided tour of the Nucor Hickman, just across the Mississippi River in Arkansas. Attendees will be able to see first hand all stages of […]
SMU’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Index surged 11 points this week, the largest change from one survey to the next in 17 months. The surprising jump in sentiment correlates with the unexpected rebound in steel prices caused by the conflict in Ukraine. Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week pegged the benchmark price for […]
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.” The historical survey results presentations also are available in the Survey Results section for “Survey Results History.” If you […]
U.S. heating and cooling equipment shipments in January slipped 1.7% from December to 1.82 million units, according to recent data from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). Total shipment levels were down 1.3% from those seen one year prior. The highest level was seen last June when 2.32 million units were shipped in a single month. Recall that […]
Steel mill lead times appear to be extending again. Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week shows lead times for orders of flat rolled and plate products increasing by an average of 1.2 weeks. Buyers polled this week by SMU reported mill lead times ranging from 4-8 weeks for hot rolled, 5-8 weeks […]
Sheet prices saw their biggest week-over-week gains – and by a wide margin – since Steel Market Update’s foundation in 2008. Case in point: SMU’s average hot-rolled coil price jumped to $1,260 per ton this week ($63 per cwt), up $210 per ton (20%) from $1,050 per ton last week. That is more than double […]
Sheet prices saw their biggest week-over-week gains – and by a wide margin – since Steel Market Update’s foundation in 2008. Case in point: SMU’s average hot-rolled coil price jumped to $1,260 per ton this week ($63 per cwt), up $210 per ton (20%) from $1,050 per ton last week. That is more than double […]
The Energy Information Administration’s March Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) is subject to an even higher level of uncertainty than usual due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As EIA’s latest report explains, “supply uncertainty results from the conflict in Ukraine, the production decisions of OPEC+, and the rate at which U.S. oil and natural gas producers […]
U.S. apparent steel supply levels slipped 1% from December to January, down 120,000 net tons to 9.36 million tons, according to the latest U.S. Department of Commerce and American Iron and Steel Institute data. Recall that just last September, the market saw the highest monthly supply level in over six years (9.92 million tons). Apparent […]
U.S. steel exports rose 6% in January to 691,000 net tons, a partial recovery following December’s 10% drop, according to the latest U.S. Department of Commerce data. While the last few months have seen declining export levels, the 12-month moving average through January has reached a 34-month high. January exports are 3% higher than levels […]
Hot-rolled coil prices are up an average up $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt) this week, breaking a six-month trend of flat or falling prices. And that gain might prove modest compared to what’s in store in the weeks ahead. Why? Because the war in Ukraine has the potential to shock the steel market at […]
We are delighted to announce that Steel Market Update’s Steel 101: An Introduction to Steelmaking and Market Fundamentals training course will be running LIVE on April 19-20 in Memphis, Tenn. The workshop will include a guided tour of the Nucor Steel Arkansas, situated in Blytheville, Arkansas. Attendees will be able to see first-hand all stages of production at this facility, which makes […]
U.S. Steel and Steel Dynamics notified customers of an upward revision to their galvanized steel coating extras on Monday, March 7. New USS extras go into effect on May 1, 2022, while SDI extras go into effect on April 1. “The cost to procure zinc and aluminum for our Hot Dipped Galvanized and Galvalume products […]
SMU’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Index continues to inch downward from its late-2021 peak, with the latest three-month moving average sliding to the lowest level seen in nearly 10 months. Although down, sentiment remains at very optimistic levels on the 100-point scale. Steel Market Update surveys buyers every two weeks and asks how they view their […]
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.” The historical survey results presentations also are available in the Survey Results section for “Survey Results History.” If you […]