Sky-high prices not just for steel, but for construction materials of all kinds, are threatening the prospects for construction demand. And federal infrastructure spending proposed by the Biden administration could carry an even heftier price tag for taxpayers. The Associated General Contractors of America reports that the construction industry is experiencing an unprecedented mix of […]
Nucor plans to build a new tube mill at Nucor Steel Gallatin in Kentucky. The tube mill will have the capacity to produce approximately 250,000 tons of hollow structural section (HSS) steel tubing, mechanical steel tubing and galvanized solar torque tube. The mill will be advantageously near to growing solar markets and the largest consuming […]
Worthington Industries completed a successful third quarter in FY 2021, shed underperforming businesses, and now looks forward to accelerating strategic growth initiatives. “Our fiscal third quarter was a record financial performance,” said CEO Andy Rose. “We faced some lingering operational challenges including steel supply shortages, staffing issues related to COVID quarantines and some extreme weather, […]
I want to write a few words today about Section 232. Not for or against it. Just some reflections on a trade action that’s been with us for a lot longer than I expected. The catalyst for that reflection was a conference call the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington policy think tank, held earlier this […]
Nucor has signed its second Virtual Power Purchase Agreement with another Texas energy provider. The 10-year VPPA with Ørsted Onshore North America, LLC, for 100 megawatts from Ørsted’s Western Trail wind farm adds to Nucor’s commitment to clean, renewable energy, the company said. In November, Nucor signed a VPPA with EDFR Renewables North America as […]
Ken Simonson, chief economist at the Associated General Contractors of America, will be the featured speaker at the next SMU Community Chat beginning at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 31. Simonson will speak to the status of the residential, commercial and industrial construction markets and forecasts for construction in the coming months. He will also cover […]
Ken Simonson, chief economist at the Associated General Contractors of America, will be the featured speaker at the next SMU Community Chat beginning at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 31. Simonson will speak to the status of the residential, commercial and industrial construction markets and forecasts for construction in the coming months. He will also cover […]
Canada-based Nova Steel plans to move forward on construction of a new pipe and tube steel plant in Delta, Ohio. Originally slated to begin construction in May 2020, the project was delayed due to the COVID-19 crisis. The facility will be located in proximity to North Star BlueScope and will utilize steel coil from the […]
Mill Steel Co. has strengthened its geographic footprint in the South and West with the acquisition of Los Angeles-based Prassas Metal Products. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. “When favorable opportunities such as this present, our aggressive acquisition strategy allows us to transact quickly to the benefit of our customers,” said Mill Steel President […]
New home sales slowed in February, falling 18.2% from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 775,000, according to estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. “After sales exceeded construction starts by a historic margin at the end of the summer, the pace of sales has now […]
Steel buyers believe benchmark hot rolled prices will peak at $1,350 to $1,400 per ton ($67.50/cwt-$70.00/cwt) based on our canvassing of the flat rolled and plate markets this week. We are seeing spot HRC orders at $1,300 per ton with a few buyers telling us there are offers up to $1,340 per ton from the […]
Steel buyers believe benchmark hot rolled prices will peak at $1,350 to $1,400 per ton ($67.50/cwt-$70.00/cwt) based on our canvassing of the flat rolled and plate steel markets this week. We are seeing spot HRC orders at $1,300 per ton with a few buyers telling us there are offers up to $1,340 per ton from […]
The U.S. steel market could lose one million tons of production in the months ahead because of several lengthy blast furnaces outages, and the volume of iron and steel impacted could be well over one million tons when shorter-duration electric-arc furnace (EAF) and hot strip mill outages are considered. The issue is particularly relevant because […]
Commercial Metals Co. achieved a strong second quarter in its 2021 fiscal year despite a challenging period beset by rising scrap costs and weather disruptions. Earnings from continuing operations totaled $66.2 million on net sales of $1.6 billion. Shipments of finished steel totaled 1.44 million tons, the steelmaker reported. CMC Chairman, President and CEO Barbara […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. forecast higher first- and second-quarter results, fueled by strong shipments and record steel prices, according to guidance issued Wednesday. “First-quarter 2021 profitability from the company’s steel operations is expected to be significantly higher than sequential fourth-quarter results, driven by flat roll metal spread expansion, as strong demand continues to support flat roll steel prices,” […]
Housing starts tumbled to a six-month low in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.421 million, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. Starts were 10.3% below January’s rate and down 9.3% from February 2020. Part of the decline was due to the unusual winter weather across […]
Foreign or domestic? “More risk buying domestic….” I had some interesting conversations with steel buyers today as I have been trying to gauge the strength of domestic price support, and what will be the catalyst that will turn the tide. One large manufacturing steel buyer with operations around the world told me, “The prices will […]
Foreign or domestic? “More risk buying domestic….” I had some interesting conversations with steel buyers today as I have been trying to gauge the strength of domestic steel price support, and what will be the catalyst that will turn the tide. One large manufacturing steel buyer with operations around the world told me, “The prices […]
Nucor expects first-quarter 2021 earnings to be the highest quarterly profits in the company’s history, surpassing the previous record set in the third quarter of 2008. Earnings are expected to be in the range of $3.00 to $3.10 per diluted share. Strong steel demand and pricing are generating record results in the steel mills and […]
U.S. raw steel production rose again, a trend that has continued for five weeks and counting. Weekly steel production by U.S. mills totaled 1,761,000 tons in the week ending March 16, pushing production up 0.3% compared with the week prior when production was 1,755,000 tons. The small increase may reflect some seasonality as construction and […]
By CRU Principal Analyst Matt Watkins from CRU’s Global Steel Trade Service International prices have rebounded in March from a dip that happened in February (see chart 1). Larger m/m gains have occurred in flats than in longs, which have been more impacted by a pullback in scrap costs, but almost all prices are up […]
By CRU Analyst Sam Grant, from CRU’s Zinc Monitor The U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program has continued to make impressive headway over the past month, with over 100 M doses now administered across the country. With more transmissible strains of the virus now present in the U.S., and with many states continuing to roll back containment […]
By CRU Principal Economist Alex Tuckett and CRU Chief Economist Jumana Saleheen, from CRU’s March Global Economic Outlook In March, we received good news on the outlook for the world’s two largest economies: the U.S. stimulus package was larger than expected, and economic growth in China is stronger. We expect a temporary rise in inflation in […]
By CRU Analyst Dave Thewlis, from CRU’s Steel Long Products Monitor Prices among all types of long products rose again in April, the most challenged of which remains wire rod. February’s winter storms, which were extreme enough to cause a 2.2% m/m decline in U.S. industrial production, made a difficult situation worse for wire rod […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Helen O’Cleary from CRU’s Zinc Monitor. Zinc use has been optimized on an ongoing basis for decades as technological advances lead to lower raw materials usage and the development of higher-performing alloys with a lower zinc content. This is particularly true of the galvanizing industry, which accounts for around 60% of […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Helen O’Cleary from CRU’s Zinc Monitor After a month of sideways trading in April, zinc’s price has entered ever more overbought territory in recent weeks, following copper’s price higher and benefiting from booming ex. China steel demand and the news this week of output cuts at zinc smelters in China’s Yunnan […]
Construction employment continues to lag pre-pandemic levels in most of the U.S., says a new analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America. Only eight states added construction jobs from February to January 2021 while 42 states remained below February 2020 levels. “Despite improvement in many sectors of the economy, nonresidential contractors are coping with […]
Steel Market Update’s monthly analysis of Key Market Indicators–a host of data on the economy, raw materials, manufacturing, construction, and steel sheet and long products–shows that the marketplace continues to improve, albeit cautiously. At the onset of COVID-19 a year ago, the impact of the pandemic on the economy was delayed, with only 3 of […]
Editor’s note: Steel Market Update is pleased to share this Premium content–an edited version of our Key Market Indicators analysis–with Executive members. For information on how to upgrade to a Premium-level subscription, email Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com. Steel Market Update’s monthly analysis of Key Market Indicators–a host of data on the economy, raw materials, manufacturing, construction, and steel […]
The construction industry remains optimistic despite still facing many challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Out of 1,400 contractors responding to the Associated General Contractors of America’s Coronavirus Survey, 62% said they plan to add employees this year. A bullish perspective typical of the construction industry, said AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson. “No matter how bad […]