Construction spending in the private sector in September outpaced public sector investment in infrastructure and other projects, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials urged members of Congress and the Trump administration to include new funding for roads, bridges, clean water and other important infrastructure as […]
Hurricane recovery, fleet sales and rental car companies contributed to a strong month for U.S. auto sales. Pickup trucks and SUVs continue to be snapped up by consumers. “We did see continued hurricane replacement at the beginning of the month,” Michelle Krebs, an analyst at car-shopping website Autotrader, told Bloomberg. “The economic factors are also […]
Steel market indicators look good in the October data, but the trends took a turn for the worse. In the data released in October, our view of the present situation is that 47.2 percent of the 36 indicators are historically positive with only 19 percent negative. The balance are within the band of historically normal. […]
Officials at the Associated General Contractors of America said that despite expansion at construction firms in August, many firms report having a hard time finding qualified workers to hire, particularly for craft positions. “Construction firms in many parts of the country continue to expand to keep up with demand for their services,” said Ken Simonson, […]
AK Steel reported a net loss of $5.8 million in the third quarter compared to net income of $50.9 million in Q3 2016. Results were impacted by $13.1 million in acquisition and debt refinancing costs and a LIFO charge of $49.0 million, compared to a LIFO credit of $24.2 million in the prior-year third quarter. […]
NLMK USA posted revenue of $424 million in the third quarter, a 3.0 percent decrease from the second quarter due to a 5.0 percent slide in the average sales price. Shipments increased 2 percent to 558,000 metric tons. EBITDA for the segment was $38 million, down 9.0 percent from the second quarter due to higher […]
Commercial Metals Co., a Texas-based long products producer and scrap recycler, reported a profitable fiscal 2017 despite imports of rebar and other products that continue to squeeze margins. CMC management is hopeful the company will get an assist from Washington in the coming year. “The need for infrastructure renewal is overwhelming, but the issue is […]
Reliance Steel & Aluminum experienced an uptick in orders for energy and nonresidential construction during the third quarter. Demand, in general, was stronger than anticipated, however tons sold are expected to decline 4.0 to 6.0 percent in the fourth quarter due to seasonal slowdowns and fewer shipping days. Reliance anticipates the average selling price in […]
New home sales in September jumped 18.9 percent from last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 667,000, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Census Bureau. September sales were 17 percent higher than a year ago. The median sales price was $319,700 and the average sales price $385,200. Inventory […]
Economic conditions are looking positive for fourth quarter and into 2018, according to the latest report from HARDI and ITR Economics. Steel Market Update is a member of an association connected to the construction industry called the Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International. HARDI and ITR Economics, an economic forecasting company, work together to gather […]
The growth in global steel production is surging, driven by construction in the developing world, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of World Steel Association data. WSA’s October 2017 short-range outlook, while painting a generally improved picture over the April update, is no big surprise. Global steel recovery has picked up further, and there are […]
Steel Market Update is a member of an association connected to the construction industry called HARDI, which stands for Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International. HARDI and economic forecasting company ITR Economics work together to gather economic data to provide a forecast to the HARDI members in the United States and Canada. The information shared […]
China’s economy continues to show robust growth, and in August recorded its highest-ever share of total global steel production. Once each quarter, we publish the official statistics for Chinese GDP, industrial production, consumer price inflation and fixed asset investment. Currently available data is through the third quarter. Many analysts don’t believe these self-serving Party figures, […]
Construction job creation in September was muted due to the recent hurricanes, said the Associated General Contractors of America in an analysis released by the Labor Department on Friday. Twenty-six states added construction jobs between August and September, while 35 states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between September 2016 and September 2017. […]
The Steel Market Update (SMU) Steel Buyers Sentiment Index market cycle appears to have bottomed as buyers and sellers of flat rolled steel were slightly more optimistic than what we collected at the beginning of the month. We measured the single data point for those responding to our flat rolled steel market trends questionnaire this […]
Steel Dynamics and CEO Mark Millett are expecting a tighter steel market in the fourth quarter. After surging ahead of possible Section 232 trade action, import levels have declined and, coupled with strengthening order rates and longer lead times, steel prices are expected to appreciate significantly, said Millet in remarks during the company’s quarterly conference […]
The delay by the Trump administration in making a decision on Section 232 is allowing further damage to the steel industry, said Nucor CEO, Chairman and President John Ferriola during the company’s third-quarter conference call. Ferriola said he is not surprised by the surge of imports that have come into the U.S. since spring. Countries […]
The recent hurricanes dealt a blow to housing starts and authorizations in September, with construction data showing declines in the South. “We are seeing the hurricanes take a toll on single-family production, but builder confidence is strong and production should bounce back as the recovery process gets under way,” said Granger MacDonald, chairman of the […]
The Architecture Billings Index reversed course for the first time in seven months, slipping to a score of 49.1 in September from 53.7 in August. A score below the neutral 50.0 mark indicates a decrease in design services. The new projects inquiry index slid to 59.0 from a reading of 62.5 the previous month, while […]
Global steel demand growth is expected to moderate in 2018, mainly due to slowing in China, but should maintain its momentum in the rest of the world, according to a generally optimistic short-range outlook from the World Steel Association (worldsteel). The Brussels-based trade association, whose members account for 85 percent of the world’s steel production, […]
U.S. Steel reportedly still plans to construct a new continuous galvanizing line (CGL) at its PRO-TEC Coatings Co. subsidiary in Leipsic, Ohio. In doubt is whether joint venture partner Kobe Steel will still be involved. A U.S. Steel spokesperson told the Northwest Indiana Times on Friday that “U.S. Steel remains committed to our new Advanced […]
U.S. employment contracted in September, and there was more going on than just hurricanes. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) net job creation report released on Friday was very disappointing for more reasons than the impact of hurricanes, though they undoubtedly had a big effect. Net job creation in September was negative 33,000 positions. July […]
The Dodge Momentum Index slumped 8.4 percent to a reading of 116.4 in September. The index, published by Dodge Data & Analytics, is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which has been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. Planning for […]
The construction industry added 8,000 jobs in September for its highest level since 2008, but could have hired even more if qualified workers were available, said the Associated General Contractors of America. Construction unemployment was 4.7 percent in September, its lowest September rate since 2000, said AGC. Average hourly earnings have increased 3 percent from […]
Governor Mark Dayton expressed his support of Chippewa Capital Partners to revive the Essar Steel Minnesota iron ore mining site. In an open letter to people on the Iron Range, Dayton said Chippewa has satisfied its obligations under the bankruptcy proceedings and may move forward with plans to construct a taconite pellet plant. Chippewa has […]
Total construction expenditures contracted in the three months through August year over year for the first time since November 2011, according to August data for construction put in place (CPIP) released by the Department of Commerce on Monday. Privately funded projects still have positive growth on a rolling 12-month basis, but are more than negated […]
The Associated General Contractors of America urged Congress and the Trump administration to include new spending as part of the tax reform proposal to reverse declining infrastructure investment. New investments will offset declining public sector demand and help boost overall economic activity, said AGC. “It is hard for American employers to be globally competitive when […]
Ryerson Holding Corp., a value-added processor and distributor of industrial metals, sees improved demand and sequential growth for the third quarter in the construction equipment, food processing and agricultural industries and year-over-year growth in nearly all of its end markets. In its third-quarter guidance, Ryerson noted U.S. service center volumes have increased by more than […]
Two new hot strip mills are in the works for the Mexican steel industry. Both ArcelorMittal and Ternium announced plans this week to make investments in their facilities to meet growing demand. The announcements coincide with decrees by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto creating three special economic zones that offer tax breaks to companies investing […]
Steel market indicators look good in the September data. Our view of the present situation is that 50 percent of the 36 indicators are historically positive with only 19 percent negative. The balance of them are within the band of historically normal. This was the same result as May and August. Along with September, these […]