The primary metals sector is looking much worse than manufacturing as a whole in the employment picture. The net change in employed persons was negative 20.8 million in April, positive 2.7 million in May, positive 4.8 million in June and positive 1.8 million in July. Table 1 breaks total employment down into service and goods-producing […]
Alliance Steel looks forward to hosting an open house later this month to show off its impressive new service center in Gary, Ind. No doubt the coronavirus will have a presence at the event, where Alliance personnel will pass out masks and hand sanitizer along with drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Indeed, COVID has been an […]
Industry sentiment has taken a pessimistic turn over the past four weeks as COVID-19 continues to outsmart government and health officials, who can’t seem to unite on a strategy that will stem the spread of the coronavirus. Steel Market Update’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Indexes had been improving since hitting bottom in early April, but dipped […]
Steel Market Update is pleased to share this Premium content with Executive subscribers. For more information on how to upgrade to a Premium subscription, email Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com. July was the ninth consecutive month where imports were down by more than 20 percent compared to the same month last year, according to the latest Commerce Department data. […]
“It’s official, pandemics are not great for business,” understated Mike Barnett with an ironic smile during the SMU Community Chat Webinar on Aug. 5. Barnett, President and COO at Grand Steel Products, and Lisa Goldenberg, President of Delaware Steel Co. of Pennsylvania, described the challenge of operating a service center business during the COVID-19 crisis. Delaware […]
The Dodge Momentum Index posted its first gain in 2020, moving 3.4 percent higher to 124.7. The index has declined 18 percent since December 2019 due to business shutdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. April was a particularly difficult month for construction planning. “The pullback has largely come from institutional planning, rather than commercial plans,” […]
The construction industry reported 20,000 new jobs in July, but almost all were in new housing construction, says the Associated General Contractors of America. “It is gratifying that the construction industry continued to add jobs in July, but last month’s gains were entirely in residential building and specialty trades,” said AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson. […]
By CRU Prices Analyst George Pearson, from CRU’s Steel Monitor. The U.S. Midwest sheet market was somewhat mixed this week as prices for both HR and HDG coil fell w/w, while CR coil rose by $3 /s.ton. The price of HR coil fell $5 /s.ton w/w and is at its lowest level since the prior […]
Olympic Steel posted a net loss of $6.5 million for the second quarter of 2020. Sales totaled $248 million, down from $429 million in Q2 2019 due to lower average selling prices and a significant decline in shipments as a result of pandemic-related shutdowns, including the automotive industry. “As the pandemic began to affect the […]
“The second quarter has been one of the most challenging quarters I can remember,” said Ternium CEO Máximo Vedoya. Steel demand fell in the second quarter with steel companies in many regions shutting down blast furnaces. Ternium operations in Brazil and Argentina were able to keep operating, albeit at reduced volumes, and increased shipments to […]
By CRU Research Analyst Eduardo Tinti, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor Last week, iron ore prices rallied, rising by $10.7 /dmt w/w. This was mainly due to very strong Chinese demand driven by high steelmaking margins, BFs operating at historic high capacity utilization rates and bullish market sentiment. Albeit rising iron ore inventories at […]
Steel prices declined throughout the month of July, although mills announced price increases in the third week of the month. As of last week, Steel Market Update’s hot rolled price average had declined to $450 per ton. Scrap prices declined from June to July by $18-48 per ton. SMU adjusted its Price Momentum Indicator from Lower […]
Construction spending fell for the fourth straight month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.36 trillion in June, according to an analysis of data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Public construction dipped 0.7 percent in June led by a 2.7 percent decline in educational construction and a 1.7 percent drop in highway […]
In three months through June, total construction expenditures had negative growth for the first time since November 2011. SMU Comment: Data in this report is not adjusted for seasonality. We remove this effect by considering only year-over-year data. Total construction contracted by 0.6 percent in June as a result of a 2.6 percent contraction in […]
Construction is slowing but still has positive growth driven by state and local building and infrastructure expenditures. Privately funded work is contracting. In August, construction expenditures were at an all-time high. Steel Market Update analyzes the Construction Put In Place (CPIP) data to provide a detailed description of activity that accounts for about 45 percent […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: On an earnings call last week, Aditya Mittal, president and CFO of ArcelorMittal, the single largest steel producer in the world, stated that “Section 232 has been successful because it has spurred a lot of investment in the […]
“Second-quarter results are a reminder of why we have to change,” said U.S. Steel President and CEO David Burritt, during his quarterly conference. The second quarter marked the trough of a challenging year, he said, as U.S. Steel remains focused on its “best of both” strategy, which includes the acquisition of EAF mill Big River […]
Metals processor and distributor Ryerson Holding Corp. recorded revenue of $772 million for the second quarter of 2020, a plunge of 35.9 percent from a year ago and 23.6 percent sequentially. Shipments fell 25.8 percent to 462,000 tons. Average selling price declined 13.6 percent to $1,671 per ton. The company reduced warehousing, delivery, general and […]
Construction employment decreased in 225 out of 358 metro areas, or 62 percent, between June 2019 and last month despite widespread increases from May to June, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. The AGC urged government officials to enact liability reform, boost infrastructure investments and extend […]
By CRU Analyst Iris Speelmanns, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor The following is excerpted from CRU’s weekly report on steel supply disruptions and restarts. Several weeks after national lockdowns were eased, activity in steel-consuming sectors continues to resume and mills are restarting or ramping up production in some regions. Outside China, the spread of […]
Steel Dynamics CEO Mark Millett is “incredibly excited” about the company’s new flat rolled mill currently under construction in Sinton, Texas. The new mill will have a capacity of 3 million tons and include a 550,000 ton galvanizing line and 250,000 ton paint line. Millett will offer an update on the project and his perspective […]
Steel Dynamics CEO Mark Millett is “incredibly excited” about the company’s new flat rolled mill currently under construction in Sinton, Texas. The new mill will have a capacity of 3 million tons and include a 550,000 ton galvanizing line and 250,000 ton paint line. Millett will offer an update on the project and his perspective […]
Industry sentiment had been trending positive since bottoming out in the first week of April—until this week. Steel Market Update’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Indexes slid back from levels earlier in the month on continued uncertainty over the coronavirus and its effects on the economy and steel demand. SMU asks steel buyers how they view their […]
Here is a listing of the companies registered for the SMU Steel Summit 2020 Virtual Conference as of last week. Note that those companies with an * after their name means more than one person is attending. If your company is missing, or if you have questions about your registration, please contact Events@SteelMarketUpdate.com. You can […]
Here is a listing of the companies registered for the SMU Steel Summit 2020 Virtual Conference as of last week. Note that those companies with an * after their name means more than one person is attending. If your company is missing, or if you have questions about your registration, please contact Events@SteelMarketUpdate.com. You can […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: Readers have asked frequently about the staying power of Section 232 tariffs and quotas on steel and aluminum. There are many ways to look at the question—from the effectiveness of the remedy to change behavior of China and […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: Readers have asked frequently about the staying power of Section 232 tariffs and quotas on steel and aluminum. There are many ways to look at the question—from the effectiveness of the remedy to change behavior of China and […]
Steel industry trade groups have joined voices in calling for significant funding for state departments of transportation (DOTs) in the next phase of COVID-19 stimulus legislation. Members of The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), The Committee on Pipe and Tube Imports (CPTI) and the […]
SSAB Americas’ third-quarter results were impacted by lower prices and volumes, which were somewhat offset by cost savings and lower raw material prices. SSAB Americas posted an operating loss of SEK 10 million ($1.13 million) versus a profit of SEK 106 million ($12 million) in the first quarter. Sales totaled $3.2 billion SEK ($361 million) […]
NLMK USA saw shipments plummet 39 percent quarter-over-quarter to 330,000 metric tons as steel demand dropped in Q2 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Revenue fell 37 percent to $238 million. EBITDA was $3 million compared to -$22 million in Q1 and was attributed to “widening of the slabs to rolled product price spread” as well […]