Construction spending declined in June, but most categories made gains in the first six months of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018, says a new analysis of federal data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Construction spending totaled $1.287 trillion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate in June, down 1.3 percent from […]
Private construction contracted in three months through June, but state and locally funded work, including infrastructure, is continuing to boom. Construction Put in Place (CPIP) expenditures data for June was released on Aug. 1. Through June, total construction has had negative momentum every month since October last year. This was entirely a result of […]
In June, China’s share of global steel production exceeded 55 percent for the first time. In May and June, the annual rate of global steel production exceeded 1.9 billion metric tons. Capacity is calculated to be 2.4 billion metric tons and capacity utilization in June was 80.0 percent, according to the latest Steel Market Update […]
Steel Market Update’s analysis of Key Market Indicators shows the present market situation was basically unchanged in the last month, based on data released in July, but half the 36 indicators trended positive and half negative. This report is designed to be a big picture summary of data on which we have reported in detail […]
Zekelman Industries plans to build what it claims will be the world’s largest continuous ERW tube mill in Blytheville, Ark., on property adjacent to its existing Atlas Tube mill. Startup of the new mill is scheduled for September 2021. “Having two mills within close proximity of each other will only increase our organization’s efficiency. We […]
Construction employment continued to grow in June, but could have been stronger if more qualified workers were available for hire, said the Associated General Contractors of America in its latest analysis of federal employment data. “Demand for construction remains robust in most metro areas,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But, with record job […]
AK Steel’s net sales for the second quarter declined by 4 percent to about $1.68 billion due primarily to lower shipments to the slowing automotive market. Yet the steelmaker’s earnings for the quarter reached $66.8 million, an improvement from the $56.6 million in Q2 2018, though down from $72.9 million in the prior quarter. Hot rolled […]
A new bipartisan Senate bill on transportation infrastructure is getting the enthusiastic support of industry associations. The America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019 will authorize $287 billion over five years to improve the nation’s roads and bridges. The legislation includes provisions to improve road safety, accelerate project delivery, improve resiliency to disasters and reduce highway […]
If you haven’t registered for the Premier Steel Conference in North America, then this is the time to do so. The Steel Market Update Events App, which all 900+ attendees have access to, was launched last week, meaning registered attendees are now busy organizing meetings with each other in advance to make the most of their time […]
If you haven’t registered for the Premier Steel Conference in North America, then this is the time to do so. The Steel Market Update Events App, which all 900+ attendees have access to, was launched last week, meaning registered attendees are now busy organizing meetings with each other in advance to make the most of their time […]
Steel Market Update and the Steel Manufacturers Association are committed to promoting youth and encouraging more young people to consider careers in the steel and manufacturing industries. The 2019 SMU NexGen Leadership Award is just one of the ways we are recognizing the existing talent within the industry. There is still time to get in […]
This week we solicited input from steel buyers (and steel mills) regarding their reaction to the third round of price increases, which was kicked off by ArcelorMittal USA yesterday. On June 24, Nucor announced the first of the latest round of mill price increases on spot flat rolled steel. Nucor advised that hot rolled, cold […]
This week we solicited input from steel buyers (and steel mills) regarding their reaction to the third round of price increases, which was kicked off by ArcelorMittal USA yesterday. On June 24, Nucor announced the first of the latest round of mill price increases on spot flat rolled steel. Nucor advised that hot rolled, cold […]
The wait is over—Steel Dynamics has announced it will build its new $1.9 billion flat rolled steel mill in Sinton, Texas, 30 miles northwest of Corpus Christi. The new steel mill will serve the four-state Texas area, the western U.S. and Mexico market regions, representing approximately 27 million tons of relevant flat rolled steel consumption—7 […]
Steel Dynamics is expecting modest growth for steel consumption in the second half of 2019 supported by the end of steel inventory destocking and further reduction of steel imports. “The team delivered a solid second-quarter performance in a challenging steel pricing environment,” said SDI President and CEO Mark Millett. “A weakening scrap price environment coupled […]
Brian Harroun, founder and president of Nobilis Pipe Co., sees an opportunity for a new domestic steel mill to bring production of specialty pipe and tube products back to the United States—and to do it in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way. Nobilis Pipe is now working to secure financing for construction of one of […]
By Fouad Egbaria, MetalMiner Editor’s note: The following article, Chatting with CRU’s Josh Spoores Ahead of the 2019 SMU Steel Summit, originally appeared in MetalMiner’s July 18 edition. Those in the steel sector will have a chance to learn about all of the trends impacting the steel industry during the upcoming SMU Steel Summit, scheduled […]
Cleveland Cliffs reported a dramatic increase to $249 million in adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter compared to $21 million in the first quarter of this year. Seasonality and stronger than expected demand resulted in shipping volumes of 6.2 million long tons. The full year pellet forecast remains at 20 million long tons despite reduced […]
Construction employment continued to climb in June said the Associated General Contractors of America in its latest analysis of Labor Department data. Construction employment increased in 30 states from May to June while 42 states added jobs between June 2018 and June 2019. Association officials said worker shortage remains a concern for the industry. “Construction […]
By CRU Principal Analyst Josh Spoores and CRU North America Analyst Ryan McKinley U.S. domestic scrap prices fell by $10 /l.ton m/m in the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley for most grades prior to the Independence Day holiday, but dealers the following week pushed back on the price decline, with some successfully securing little to […]
The Producer Price Index, inclusive of all commodities, has been relatively stable in 2019. In the last 12 months the prices of cold-rolled steel sheet and aluminum have declined in unison, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data performed by Steel market Update. This report is intended to provide subscribers with a […]
Housing starts declined slightly in June as single-family starts failed to offset a decline in multi-family construction. Starts in June dropped just under 1 percent from the revised May rate to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,253,000. Single-family housing starts rose 3.5 percent from May to a SAAR of 847,000, while construction of apartment […]
Economic activity continued to expand at a modest pace from mid-May through early July, although manufacturing production was generally flat, reported the Federal Reserve in its July 17 Beige Book. The Fed’s periodic survey of the market found businesses have a generally positive outlook for the coming months, with expectations of continued modest growth despite […]
Liberty Steel is continuing its rapid expansion with completion of the €740 million ($833 million) acquisition of ArcelorMittal’s European assets. The company, owned by Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliances, has been on a worldwide buying spree, including a June purchase of former Bethlehem Steel property Johnston Wire Technologies. The ArcelorMittal assets include ArcelorMittal Ostrava (Czech Republic), […]
The rate of job creation in the U.S. in 2019 is slowing, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The recent employment reports provide mixed signals. Job openings are high, unemployment is low, but the rate of job creation is slowing. This is probably due to […]
In the last 12 months the rate of job creation in the primary metals industries has been slower than in manufacturing as a whole, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. In June, 191,000 jobs were created in the private sector and government gained 33,000 positions. Table 1 breaks […]
Demand for long products is very strong, driven by the construction industry. Demand for sheet products is declining. This analysis by Steel Market Update is based on steel mill shipment data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and imports/export data from the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC). The analysis summarizes total steel supply […]
By CRU Principal Analyst Josh Spoores Sheet price movements have varied across the major markets since mid-June. There were slight gains in China and South East Asia, while prices in Europe were primarily steady m/m. However, for all other markets including North & South America, CIS, India and Japan, prices were lower by 3-9 percent […]
Construction employment increased by 224,000 jobs, or 3.2 percent, in the last 12 months and by 21,000 jobs in June, said the Associated General Contractors of America in its latest analysis of government data. Most job creation occurred in the nonresidential construction sector in June and in the past year. Non-residential contractors added 14,900 jobs […]
Manufacturing technology orders in May rose 7.3 percent from April to $378.4 million. The Association for Manufacturing Technology reported orders for metal cutting technologies increased 4.5 percent from the previous month while orders for forming and fabricating jumped 64.8 percent. Total orders fell almost 22 percent from May 2018. Orders for the first five months […]