Chevy is taking on the aluminum Ford F-150 with a series of ads sure to tickle consumers and annoy Ford marketers. The new ads for the Chevy Silverado poke fun at the F-150 while lauding the benefits of steel construction. The ads which are currently running in social media, point out the disadvantages of aluminum. […]
Mexican steelmakers are feeling the pressure from unfairly traded steel. In a joint statement on last week, Altos Hornos de Mexico (AHMSA), De Acero, Tubacero and ArcelorMittal accused Russia, China and Turkey of dumping steel at prices below production costs. In a full page newspaper ad, the steel companies urged President Enrique Pena Nieto to […]
Global manufacturing in June slowed close to a two-year low according to the JP Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI. The Index posted at 51.0 from 51.3 in May, but manufacturing output remained in expansion (above the neutral 50 point) for the 31st consecutive month. Manufacturing growth, on average, continued to grow in North America and Europe […]
US light vehicle sales in June reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 17.1 million, the first time consecutive months were above 17 million since June and July of 2005. The SAAR was slightly below expectations and came in at the bottom of the consensus range (17.1 M to 17.8 M) posted by Bloomberg. Actual […]
The June Chicago Business Barometer gained back half of May’s losses but remained in contraction for the second consecutive month and the fourth so far this year. The Barometer rose 3.2 points to 49.4 from 46.2 in May. Overall, the barometer declined 1.2 points in second quarter, registering 49.3 from 50.5 in Q1, its lowest […]
General Motors wants to bring electric cars to the masses not just the “elite.” GM CEO Mary Barra, in an interview with LinkedIn’s executive editor Daniel Roth, said the all-electric Chevy Bolt (with a “B”) will be offered to the public at $30,000 compared to Tesla’s $75,000 vehicle. Electrification is for everyone, “not just the […]
The Supreme Court blocked new EPA regulation on pollutants from coal-fired power plants in a 5-4 vote on Monday. The ruling will prevent the EPA from imposing new rules designed to reduce mercury and other toxic pollutants from power plants without first undertaking a cost-benefit analysis. Industries and 20 states complained that the EPA disregarded […]
The TAA legislation passed by the Senate and House last week contained a measure short-titled “American Trade Enforcement Effectiveness Act.” The act provides for improvements to antidumping and countervailing duty laws, including how material injury is defined. The Act is comprised of amendments are made to the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 USC 1677). SMU […]
Seaborne Freight The dry bulk market may have bottomed out in May and has been steadily creeping higher during June. The Baltic Dry Index closed at 823 on Friday, June 26. The BDI peaked on November 5, 2014 when the Index was at 1484 and dropped as low as 509 on Feb. 18, 2015. The […]
Today (June 25, 2015), the House passed HR 1295 which includes extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act and other trade preference programs, as well as the renewal of Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and improved AD/CVD laws that will benefit the steel industry. The measure passed by a vote of 286-138. Today’s vote follows […]
The Department of Commerce said Wednesday that it will proceed on AD/CVD investigations of imports of corrosion-resistant steel products from China, India, Italy, Korea, and Taiwan. A petition to investigate the products was filed on June 3, 2015 by US Steel, Nucor, ArcelorMittal USA, AK Steel, Steel Dynamics, and California Steel Industries. The products covered […]
The Architecture Billings Index rose to 51.9 in May from 47.8 in April. The Index, which reflects the approximate nine to 12 month lead time between architecture billings and construction spending, showed an increase in demand for new schools, hospitals, cultural facilities and municipal buildings last month. The ABI, published monthly by the American Institute […]
Worthington Industries closed fourth quarter FY 2015 with net sales of $846 million and net earnings of $28.9 million. Quarter earnings were negatively impacted by pre-tax impairment, restructuring and other charges, totaling $6.5 million. Earnings in Q4 2014 were $33.2 million. Steel processing net sales dropped 4 percent y/y to $540 million due to lower […]
The Mexican government said it will impose import duties on cold-rolled steel from China following an antidumping investigation initiated by Altos Hornos de Mexico (AHMSA), Ternium and other Mexican steel companies. The Friday, June 19 decision will put tariffs of 65.99 percent imports on imports from Baoshan Iron & Steel Co Ltd and 82.08 percent […]
New orders for manufactured durable goods orders fell 1.8 percent or $4.1 billion or 1.8 percent to $228.9 billion in May, according the U.S. Census Bureau. Orders have decreased in three of the last four months, including a 1.5 percent decrease in April, and continue to be below the 2010-to-date trendline since late in 2014. […]
New home sales were at a seven year high in May, climbing 2.2 percent from April to an a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 546,000, according to estimates released jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Sales outpaced the Bloomberg forecast of 523,000 and were 19.5 percent above […]
Steel Dynamics reported adjusted second quarter earnings guidance in the range of $0.20 to $0.24 per share, an improvement over $0.17 per share in first quarter. Not included in the earnings guidance is $29 million of expenses associated with the idling of the Minnesota operations and $9 million in reduced earnings due to a planned […]
Union workers at Hamilton and Lake Erie works have asked the Superior Court to order US Steel Canada to release the identity of potential bidders for the CCAA protected assets. The information on the 39 companies that have shown interest in buying all or part of USSC is crucial to the interests of workers said […]
In its second quarter 2015 earnings guidance, AK Steel said it expects to report a net loss of $0.37 to $0.42 per diluted share of common stock. The company attributed negative results to low steel prices caused in part by high levels of unfairly traded imports. Shipments of 1.8 million were up 3 percent from […]
Can Greece remain in the EU without a new bailout? The question has been hotly debated with many EU policymakers willing to kick financially struggling Greece out while others fear that it would set a precedent that might weaken the European Union. At issue is a €1.54 billion ($1.73 billion) bailout that Greece owes the […]
There has been some confusion over the customs bill that was passed by the House last week. The bill, HR 644 – Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, was not part of the TAA/TPA package (HR 1314). Passage of the House bill will send it to committee where it will be reconciled with […]
Nucor’s second quarter guidance indicates earnings in the range of $0.20 to $0.25 per diluted share, below analyst consensus of $0.30 per share for the quarter. Earnings decreased from Q2 2014 at $0.46 per share and are comparable to $0.21 in Q1 2015. Overall operating performance is down from Q1. Prices are beginning to stabilize, […]
Manufacturing conditions in the Philadelphia area improved in June, according to the June Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The survey’s indicators for general activity, new orders, and shipments all improved from their readings in May. The headline diffusion index for current activity increased to 15.2 in June from […]
The USW negotiating committee for workers at ArcelorMittal USA met in Pittsburgh this week to begin working on new contracts. The current three year contracts will expire at 11:59 pm. EST, September 1, 2015. The master Basic Labor Contract covers employees at 12 ArcelorMittal USA facilities; three additional sites have contracts that will expire concurrent […]
Metalico, Inc., a U.S. scrap metal processor, has been sold to Chinese investment firm Total Merchant Limited for approximately $105 million. In an announcement on Tuesday, Metalico said it will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Total Merchant and expects to close the transaction by August 31, 2015, subject to shareholder approval and customary closing […]
Metalforming companies are expecting little change in business conditions in the next three months according to the June 2015 Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Conditions Report. Just 23 percent of members surveyed (down from 24 percent in May) think economic activity will improve in the next three months; 60 percent expect no change. New orders […]
A joint statement by eight steel trade associations calls for immediate action in addressing steel overcapacity and the increase in subsidized exports from China. The statement below has been issued by the following organizations: AISI, SMA, CSPA, SSINA, CPTI, Canacero, Alacero, Eurofer and the Turkish Steel Producers Assn and Brazilian Steel Institute. “There is a […]
The Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) “fast track” was passed by the House in a 219-211 vote on Friday. The Trade Adjustment Act (TAA), however, suffered a crushing defeat in a 126 to 302 vote. TAA would extend a program providing assistance to workers who lose their jobs as a consequence of trade deals and add […]
The Empire State Manufacturing Survey headline index surprised economists by falling five points to -1.98 points in June. The consensus was for an increase of 6 points in the general business index, according to Bloomberg, and is the second negative reading in three months. The new orders index for New York manufacturers fell six points […]
The $1.3 billion Big River Steel mill, in Osceola, Ark., is beginning to take shape. The site excavation, totaling 1,178,000 cubic yard, is nearly 100 percent complete, said Mark Bula, Chief Commercial Office in a progress report to Steel Market Update. About 26 percent of the 235,000 cubic yards of concrete that will be needed […]