SMU’s hot-rolled coil price slipped a little below $800 per ton ($40 per cwt) this week for the first time in more than six months. You’d think that might have caused more of a fuss than it appears to have. Instead, many of the conversations I’ve had with folks in the market today have been […]
A strike at the Big Three Detroit automakers continues to loom on the horizon, and that potential is increasing as the United Autoworkers (UAW) union is pushing for big changes to labor contracts in the wake of soaring profits from the automakers.
This is a tough time to be in the forecasting business, especially when it comes to steel. You might have a battle-tested model based on the latest macroeconomic data, prices, inventories, and lead times. The catch: Whatever a forecast might showing now could be overshadowed by events next month. Namely, labor negotiations between the United Auto Workers (UAW) union and automakers General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis.
US Midwest premium has continued to trend lower. Slack end-use demand is the main driver as the CME backwardation holds for dates further out in 2023. Lower freight and weak LME prices lower the replacement costs of aluminum and thus lower the floor for the premium.
SMU's Current and Future Steel Buyers Sentiment Indices have both fallen this week from the last market check, according to our most recent survey data.
It feels like the market is in a bit of a holding pattern. Lead times are roughly sideways, according to our latest check of the market. Will they begin to extend now that most mills are into September not only for cold-rolled and coated products but also for hot band?
Latin American steelmaker Ternium remains optimistic that positive trends in the Mexican market will help it to continue increasing its market share.
While Ternium is expecting an increase in shipments in the current quarter, a decrease in earnings is also anticipated due to lower international steel prices and higher unit costs.
Kloeckner Metals Corp. has completed the acquisition of National Material of Mexico.
Nucor has received its final federal permit to begin construction on its sheet mill in Mason County, W.Va.
Nucor has received its final federal permit to begin construction on its sheet mill in Mason County, W.Va. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said it received the permit on Friday from the US Army Corps of Engineers to start work on the ~$3.1-billion project. Construction is set to begin immediately and expected to last approximately two years, Nucor […]
There is a lot going on at SMU right now. We’re going to be rolling out a new website over the next few days. We’ve also got more than 1,200 people registered to attend Steel Summit this year, putting us on pace to potentially break last year’s attendance record of nearly 1,300. The event is […]
China recently became the world’s largest exporter of cars. Experience from the steel industry suggests this is not a trend that will reverse.
Steel prices and shipment volumes will probably be lower in the third quarter than they were in the second, U.S. Steel executives said.
There is a lot going on at SMU right now. We’re going to be rolling out a new website over the next few days. We’ve also got more than 1,200 people registered to attend Steel Summit this year, putting us on pace to potentially break last year’s attendance record of nearly 1,300.
For starters, thanks to Barry Zekelman, chairman and CEO of Zekelman Industries, for taking time for a Community Chat on Wednesday. Zekelman was, as always, sharp on steel. He also caught my attention and some of yours when he said he was interested in buying a steel mill.
For starters, thanks to Barry Zekelman, chairman and CEO of Zekelman Industries, for taking time for a Community Chat on Wednesday. Zekelman was, as always, sharp on steel. He also caught my attention and some of yours when he said he was interested in buying a steel mill. “I’ve dreamed of owning a steel mill […]
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects, including steel prices, demand levels, import offers, and inventory. Rather than summarizing the comments we received, we are sharing some of them in each buyer’s own words. We want to hear your thoughts, too! Contact david@steelmarketupdate.com to be included in […]
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects, including steel prices, demand levels, import offers, and inventory. Rather than summarizing the comments we received, we are sharing some of them in each buyer’s own words. We want to hear your thoughts, too! Contact david@steelmarketupdate.com to be included in […]
Barry Zekelman took over his father’s steel company at a young age, and subsequently turned it into an empire. Ahead of SMU’s Steel Summit 2023, Zekelman joined our Community Chat series to talk about goals for his business, what’s happening in the market, and the uniqueness of the steel industry. The owner of the largest […]
General Motors (GM) has raised its full-year earnings guidance, but this depends on the outcome of its labor negotiations with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union in the US and Unifor in Canada.
Cleveland-Cliffs swung to a profit in the second quarter after losing money in the first.
We weren’t supposed to see hot-rolled coil prices dip below $800 per ton ($40 per cwt) anytime soon.
Nucor has completed slightly more than 50% of a $10-billion capital expenditures plan to grow its core steelmaking operations, Leon Topalian, company chair, president, and CEO, said in a second-quarter earnings conference call with investors.
We weren’t supposed to see hot-rolled coil prices dip below $800 per ton ($40 per cwt) anytime soon. Or at least that seemed to be the consensus in mid-June after mills rolled out a round of $50-per-ton price hikes, with a second round rumored to be in the works. That second round of price hikes […]
Nucor has completed slightly more than 50% of a $10-billion capital expenditures plan to grow its core steelmaking operations, Leon Topalian, company chair, president, and CEO, said in a second-quarter earnings conference call with investors. Here is an update regarding several of the Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker’s projects. Nucor Steel Gallatin (Sheet and Tube) Topalian said the […]
Cleveland-Cliffs is now charging its automotive customers a premium for its lower-carbon steel. The steelmaker has recently introduced a surcharge of $40 per net ton ($44 per metric ton or $2 per cwt) to each ton of steel made with Cliffs’ hot-briquetted iron (HBI). They are calling it the “Cliffs H” surcharge, chairman, president and […]
Cleveland-Cliffs is now charging its automotive customers a premium for its lower-carbon steel.
Cleveland-Cliffs swung to a profit in the second quarter after losing money in the first. The Cleveland-based steelmaker and iron ore miner predicted that the good times would continue to roll into the second half on what is said was continued strength in automotive demand. “While the performance of our automotive clients continues to improve, […]
I’ll dive into the latest sheet market trends in a moment. But first some big news: We’re less than a month away from the start of SMU’s Steel Summit in Atlanta! Nearly 1,100 people were registered to attend when I last checked on Friday. The pace of registrations has picked up, so we’ll probably be […]