As of this morning, there are 882 executives registered to attend the SMU Steel Summit Conference in person and 130 virtual registrations for a total of 1,012. We anticipate the final numbers to remain close to 900 in-person attendees (includes speakers) and 130-200 virtual attendees. This will end up being either our largest or the […]
On Friday, Steel Market Update sent data providers the final analysis for July of service center inventories, shipments, steel on-order, and percentage of inventories tied up for contract sales. Premium members will receive the report on Monday. As expected, after reviewing our Flash Report which is provided to data providers five days into the new […]
One Week to Go… There is now but one week to go before the doors open at the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) in Atlanta for the 2021 SMU Steel Summit Conference on August 23. This year the conference will be unique as it will be a “hybrid” event. By this I mean we will […]
Integrated steelmaker U.S. Steel is taking the No. 6 blast furnace at its Gary Works steel mill offline for 38 days beginning at the end of next month, a company spokesperson confirmed to Steel Market Update. The planned maintenance outage at its Indiana facility is scheduled for Sept. 30 and should run through Nov. 9. […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has reached agreement on a new three-year labor agreement with United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 600, which represents 1,000 workers at the steelmaker’s Dearborn Works near Detroit. The new contract is retroactively effective from Aug. 1, 2021, through July 31, 2024. “We are extremely pleased to continue our commitment to good-paying middle-class union […]
The United States and the European Union aim to resolve their differences around Section 232 tariffs on the EU by Nov. 1, an EU official said. “On the U.S. Section 232, both sides confirmed readiness to find a solution by 1 November,” the EU official told Steel Market Update (SMU). “In terms of progress, both […]
We talk a lot about the price of steel going up. We don’t talk as much about spreads between hot-rolled coil and prime scrap – which are going up just as fast if not faster. And if you’ve listened to earnings calls over the last two weeks, you know that steel mills and industry analysts […]
We talk a lot about the price of steel going up. We don’t talk as much about spreads between hot-rolled coil and prime scrap – which are going up just as fast if not faster. And if you’ve listened to earnings calls over the last two weeks, you know that steel mills and industry analysts […]
U.S. Steel returned to the black in the second quarter on a solid showing from its flat-rolled steel operations and an even stronger performance from Big River Steel. The second quarter was “exceptional,” and the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker expects to set new profitability records again in the third, company President and Chief Executive Officer David B. […]
On Monday, Aug. 2, Steel Market Update will open the 2021 SMU Steel Summit Conference platform to all fully registered attendees. The platform, which was used to conduct last year’s conference and is being used for our virtual workshops, is replacing the App we have used in the past. Our virtual platform will enhance the conference […]
What’s this world coming to when an integrated steelmaker – a leader in an industry notorious for taking a huge toll on the environment – spends much of his earnings call talking about cutting carbon emissions? Said Lourenco Goncalves, Cleveland-Cliffs’ chief executive, last week: “Cliffs sees decarbonization as part of our license to continue to […]
2021 SMU Steel Summit Conference – Revised Agenda as of July 27, 2021 The 2021 SMU Steel Summit Conference will be held at the Georgia International Convention Center on Aug. 23-25. The convention center is conveniently located next to the Atlanta International Airport (ATL). The center and the hotels surrounding the convention center are on […]
General Motors has extended chip-related outages to assembly plants that make its highly sought-after pickup trucks. The Detroit-based automaker, the largest in the U.S., had previously tried to shield truck plants from the impacts of the semiconductor shortage. Here is the latest: • General Motor’s assembly plant in Flint, Mich., will operate on one production […]
SSAB Americas aims to increase plate prices by $150-200 per ton ($7.50-$10 per cwt) effective immediately. The $150-per-ton price hike applies to as-rolled mill plate and coil as well as to cut-to-length plate more than 72 inches wide, the steelmaker said in letters to customers on Monday, July 26. The $200-per-ton increase is for all […]
Last week our average price on hot rolled coil (HRC) was $1,850 per ton ($92.50/cwt). We are not far away from $2,000 per ton ($100.00/cwt). The idea of HRC at $100.00/cwt is so far out of my historical perspective. I go back to the late 1970s when HRC sold under $10.00/cwt…. Jeez. I saw an […]
Last week our average price on hot rolled coil (HRC) was $1,850 per ton ($92.50/cwt). We are not far away from $2,000 per ton ($100.00/cwt). The idea of HRC at $100.00/cwt is so far out of my historical perspective. I go back to the late 1970s when HRC sold under $10.00/cwt…. Jeez. I saw an […]
Record steel prices = record profits for steel mills. And so it was record second-quarter profits all around, with even better expected in the third quarter. We’re not going to guess whether spot prices will continue upward for the balance of Q3. But contract prices, which lag spot prices, will. And that alone should be […]
Record steel prices = record profits for steel mills. And so it was record second-quarter profits all around, with even better expected in the third quarter. We’re not going to guess whether spot prices will continue upward for the balance of Q3. But contract prices, which lag spot prices, will. And that alone should be […]
Editor’s note: SMU contributor Bryan Tice is a partner at Metal Edge Partners, a firm engaged in Risk Management and Strategic Advisory. In this role, he and the firm design and execute risk management strategies for clients along with providing process and analytical support. Before joining Metal Edge Partners, Bryan held a variety of commercial […]
This evening we published our SMU Mill Lead Times by Product analysis. I recently received a few questions on the subject: How do we gather our lead time data? Do we take into consideration the lead times being published by the individual domestic steel mills? How do we feel the information we report is indicative […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. reported the best quarterly results in the company’s history with net income of $795 million on revenues of $5.0 billion in the second quarter. That’s a huge turnaround from the pandemic-plagued quarter last year when the company lost $108 million on revenues of just $1.1 billion. “In the second quarter of 2021, we […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) kicked off steel earnings season by posting record second-quarter sales and record profits on ballooning metal spreads. And the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaker anticipates another record performance in the third quarter as well as strong demand into 2022. “We remain confident that macroeconomic and market conditions are […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has joined the ranks of North American steel mills planning steep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions over the next 10 years. The iron ore miner, pellet producer and flat-rolled steelmaker aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 versus 2017 levels. The company said it would do so by using less […]
Flat Rolled = 47.6 Shipping Days of Supply Plate = 44 Shipping Days of Supply Flat Rolled U.S. service center flat rolled inventories increased again in June, though service centers continue to report that they are unable to meet customer demand. At the end of June, service centers carried 47.6 shipping days of supply, up from the […]
Steel Market Update reported our service center inventories and shipment data to our data providers today. Our Premium level members will get the report at 1 p.m. ET tomorrow. I can whet your appetite by telling you that flat rolled inventories on a days of supply basis rose slightly, but are not yet at what […]
I’ve heard more than a few times now that we should keep a close eye out for falling steel prices because, “Look what happened in lumber.” In case you’ve been under a rock (or tree), lumber prices fell more than 40% in June, their biggest monthly drop on record, according to CNBC and others. What […]
One of two United Steelworkers (USW) locals at Algoma Steel is opposed to the Ontario mill’s proposed switch from integrated steelmaking to electric arc furnace (EAF) production. USW Local 2251 President Mike DaPrat went so far as to boycott an event at the mill – attended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – to announce government-funding […]
Cleveland-Cliffs has launched a cash-incentive program across all its facilities to encourage employees to get their COVID-19 vaccines. “The program works per site. The company will pay all vaccinated employees a cash bonus based upon the level of vaccination achieved by that site,” a Cliffs spokeswoman said. If 85% of workers at a given mine, mill or […]
There will be no Steel Market Update published on Sunday, July 4th, due to the national holiday (USA). We will resume coverage on Tuesday, July 6th. We wish everyone a safe holiday filled with family and friends (at least for those who have been vaccinated). Interesting comments received earlier this week from a steel executive whom I […]
Interesting comments received earlier this week from a steel executive whom I know well, and I respect his opinions. The topic of the day was one that I know drives the steel mills crazy – steel analysts’ price projections. Many of the analysts are calling for prices to peak within the next 60 days (in […]