The London Metal Exchange (LME) has launched a discussion paper on whether to delist Russian primary aluminum from its contract. A discussion paper is like what we do in the US when we ask for public comment on an issue. This decision to ask for market commentary is a 180-degree change of direction from what […]
Shipments of iron and steel, coke, and scrap metal on the St. Lawrence Seaway System were robust in the first eight months of this year, according to the latest figures released by the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership. Steel shipments on the Seaway were up 3.92% from the same period of 2021, reaching 1.282 million metric […]
Aluminum May Be Approaching the End of Its Long Destocking Cycle Last week, I described our premise about demand versus real consumption. We talked about the market’s natural tendency to destock when prices take a beating as they have during most of 2022. The latest Index of Orders from the Aluminum Association offers some early […]
Prices for each of the steelmaking raw materials tracked in this SMU analysis decreased over the last 30 days, further declining from the record-high levels seen in March and April. Through the latest data available as of Sept. 21, zinc prices decreased 12% in the last month, busheling scrap and aluminum prices fell 7%, pig […]
ThyssenKrupp Material Services is investing $37 million to build a new aluminum and steel service center in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, to serve the automotive supply markets. Operations at the new location are scheduled to begin mid-2023. A Schuler blanking line to cut aluminum and high-strength steel blanks will be a focal point of the […]
Long liquidation as opposed to short selling? I spoke this week at two diverse industry groups: the Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI). While differing in their sector concentration, the audiences had the same questions: • What’s going on with the London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminum price? • Why […]
General Motors is sprucing things up. The Detroit-based automaker announced on Sept. 15 that it will invest $491 million into its Marion, Ind., metal stamping facility to prepare for the production of various steel and aluminum parts to be used in electric vehicles (EVs). The expenditure will go towards two new press lines, complete press […]
The prices contractors pay for construction materials and services—chiefly for new nonresidential construction—declined 1.1% month-on-month (MoM) in August, as a steep drop in fuel prices masked increases in the cost of other construction inputs, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) reported in its latest analysis of government data. AGC cautioned that limited price declines […]
It looks like domestic mills are trying to establish a floor at around $800 per ton ($40 per cwt). They’ve arrived there by different means. And whether they’ll be successful remains to be seen. Suffice it to say that some mills that were very, very aggressive in July and August in the spot market aren’t […]
Natural gas inspired staggering energy prices crush primary aluminum economics The suspension of gas deliveries through the Nord Stream pipeline has further aggravated an already grim energy situation for European aluminum producers. Prices for day-ahead power in Western Europe are stunning in their magnitude: 404 euros/megawatt hour were published on Friday for Germany, France, the […]
Ryerson has announced its acquisition of Howard Precision Metals, one of the largest distributors of aluminum in the Midwest. “Howard has cultivated a strong brand and a reputation for creating excellent customer experiences,” said Mike Burbach, Ryerson’s COO. “Its processing capabilities complement Ryerson’s existing non-ferrous franchise, and we are excited to recognize these synergies as […]
Steel prices eased overall throughout August, following declines seen in the three previous months. Hot rolled prices were $805 per ton ($40.25 per cwt) the first week of August, falling to a low of $770 per ton in the middle of the month, and rising to $785 per ton as of last Tuesday. The SMU […]
Prices for five of the seven steelmaking raw materials tracked in this SMU analysis decreased over the last 30 days, further declining from the record levels seen in March and April. Through the latest data available as of August 31, pig iron prices decreased 38% in the last month, busheling scrap prices fell 14%, aluminum […]
The post-Cold War history of trade has certainly been turbulent. Readers may remember – if they are old enough – the euphoric days after the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union fell apart. A key marker of the philosophical development explaining these cataclysmic events was an essay (1989) and book (1992) by Francis Fukuyama, […]
Economic conditions are still iffy at best. Housing data continues to suffer with new home sales plunging and inventory reaching the highest it has been since 2009. The Richmond and Kansas City Fed manufacturing indexes both plunged in July as well. The Richmond Fed’s manufacturing skill availability index, which indicates the demand for skilled labor […]
The final program of last week’s Steel Summit Conference was a panel of three experts discussing the evolving automotive market and its shift towards electric vehicles (EV). Panelists discussed how the automotive industry is transitioning to electric-vehicle offerings, covering an array of topics such as steel and aluminum needs for EVs, investments by automakers, light-weighting […]
The second fireside chat of the 2022 SMU Steel Summit conference featured Mark Millett, president and CEO of Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker Steel Dynamics Inc. SMU founder John Packard chatted with Millett about everything from aluminum and the status of SDI’s new mill in Texas, to decarbonization, steel prices, scrap, and electrical steel. Here’s a […]
We’ve concluded the second day of our Steel Summit conference in Atlanta, and I thought I’d leave you with five things I learned today. So here they are in no particular order: Say Hello to ADI, Say Goodbye to Section 232 (as we know it) It’s not official yet. But Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) president […]
Here’s the Steel Summit program for Wednesday, Aug. 24, at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta: 7:30 a.m. – Doors open at GICC. All-day beverages sponsored by Felux and pastries sponsored by Ratner Steel 8:30-8:45 a.m. – Opening Remarks by SMU President and CEO John Packard and Senior Editor Michael Cowden 8:30-9:30 a.m. – […]
A technological revolution and the change to electric vehicles are coming faster than you think, Thomas Hosea, executive director of global purchasing and supply chain (GPSC) central operations at General Motors told attendees of Steel Market Update’s 2022 Steel Summit Tuesday morning in Atlanta. “This moment in time is historic for our company,” the GM […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.’s chairman, president and CEO Lourenco Goncalves joined Steel Market Update senior editor Michael Cowden in the first fireside chat of this year’s SMU Steel Summit conference Monday afternoon in Atlanta. The Cliffs executive educated and entertained conference attendees with the unreserved honesty and candidness he has become well-known for in his long-term career […]
The House of Representatives on Friday approved the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on a party-line vote. This legislation, with only Democratic support, passed the Senate 51-50 last weekend. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden, who will sign it into law. This is by any measure a major piece of legislation. On the surface, […]
End use market demand is mixed as mid-year shipment data is reported The recession, inflation, and interest rates remain hot topics for aluminum producers and consumers. As new economic data is announced, both bright spots and points of concern emerge. First, this month’s report on inflation showed a drop month-on-month (MoM) and may signal that […]
Producer prices fell in July, stunning a 27-month growth run. Last month the headline index declined by 3.1%, seasonally adjusted, driven by a plunge in energy prices that slowed the pace of inflation, the US Labor Department reported. July’s producer price index (PPI), a measure of the prices received for final-demand products, fell 0.5% from […]
North Star BlueScope is “substantially complete” with a $700 million expansion that will provide the Delta, Ohio, EAF sheet mill with additional annual capacity of nearly 950,000 short tons (850,000 metric tonnes). The mill produced the first coil from its expansion in June and has begun the 18-month process of ramping up the facility to […]
We had a big development this week with London-listed Russian steelmaker Evraz Plc announcing plans to sell its North American operations. A move like this has been rumored for some time. We’ve heard versions of it going back to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February. Still, it was something of a shock to […]
Underlying price function stops sliding and may have found basis for strengthening The London Metal Exchange (LME) may have found a floor to stop the slide it has experienced since April. Topping out near $3,400 metric tons earlier this year, the price of aluminum drifted lower steadily in the second quarter and into the third […]
We are now 11 days away from the start of the 2022 SMU Steel Summit Conference at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta. As of Wednesday, we had 1,174 registered attendees from all over the world. This year’s conference will be the largest one ever conducted by Steel Market Update, and it will be […]
While steel service centers remain cautiously optimistic on their demand outlooks for the remainder of the year, most agree that the environment for mergers and acquisitions remains quite strong. This is according to executives from Reliance Steel & Aluminum, Ryerson, and Olympic Steel—some of the industry’s top players—speaking on their recent and respective second quarter […]
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) recently conducted hearings on the future of the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as on the Section 301 tariffs on imports from China. Congress mandated the ITC investigation in response to calls for the tariffs to be reduced or eliminated to fight inflation. Unlike the […]