John Packard is traveling… The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak in China a global public health emergency earlier today. Six patients in the United States have been confirmed as infected by the potentially deadly virus…so far. Makes those seasonal sniffles you’re feeling even more disconcerting, doesn’t it? And what does it mean for […]
By CRU Chief Economist Jumana Saleheen Given the importance of China to our industry, this Insight sets out the potential impact of the Wuhan coronavirus on commodity markets. Using the SARS episode as a benchmark, the impact on Chinese GDP and industrial production could be as large as 1 percent—but that estimate comes with a […]
Prices of all five of the raw materials considered in this report advanced in the last month. Table 1 summarizes the price changes through Jan. 22 of the five materials considered in this analysis. It reports the month/month, 3 months/3 months and 12 months/12 months changes on a percentage basis. All five materials had a […]
Looking ahead to February, Steel Market Update sources predict ferrous scrap prices will decline by $10-20/GT, which has implications for finished steel prices next month. February is the shortest month of the year, so buying programs will be somewhat weaker, said CRU Senior Analyst Ryan McKinley. “It looks like the February scrap market will trade […]
On Thursday I provided some of the feedback I was getting from those involved in both the sales and purchasing of flat rolled steel into the North American markets. The comments continued to flow in and here are a couple more that I found interesting: The general manager of a service center provided these insights […]
The following calculation is used by Steel Market Update to identify the theoretical spread between foreign hot rolled steel prices (delivered to U.S. ports) and domestic hot rolled coil prices (FOB domestic mills). We want our readers to be aware that this is only a “theoretical” calculation as freight costs, trader margin and other costs […]
Import/export steel prices lead the market higher, reported CRU experts in a webinar recorded on Jan. 17 as part of the monthly webcast series within CRU’s Global Steel Trade Service. The 25-minute presentation can be viewed any time by clicking the link below. Overview Matt Watkins discusses developments at the global level in the internationally […]
I have been spending time looking at market momentum, lead times (real, not from our survey), who is buying and who is not (and why), and what the market should be concentrating on over the next couple of months (not just today). I am going to start with comments I got from a couple of […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Erik Hedborg, Principal Economist Lisa Morrison, Principal Analyst Josh Spoores and Senior Analyst Ryan McKinley, from CRU’s Iron Ore Market Outlook In a recent insight series, CRU highlighted some of the challenges facing the three U.S. iron ore producers, Cleveland-Cliffs, U.S. Steel and ArcelorMittal. The location of the mines and pellet plants […]
Acknowledging that “it’s a lot easier to sell steel when the price is going up,” distributors of steel products to the HVAC sector reported strong sales in the first month of the new year despite galvanized base prices that have risen by about $130 in the past 12 weeks to the current $800 per ton. […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Manjot Singh, from CRU’s Raw Materials Monitor In the past week the coking coal market was characterized by mixed signals, keeping buyers cautious. We heard from a few sources that restrictions on coal intakes at major Chinese ports of Caofeidian and Jingtang could return soon. Currently there is no confirmation of […]
By CRU Analyst Chris Bandmann, from CRU’s Steel Long Products Monitor Europe: Germany has not seen any significant snowfall yet this winter, and these mild conditions had the potential to support the continuation of construction activities. Construction companies entered their holidays regardless, however, and steel demand has settled into a seasonal low point. Even so, […]
By CRU Senior Cost Economist Ross Cunningham, from CRU’s Global Steel Trade Service The oil market in 2020 started with a bang—multiple in fact, over the skies of Baghdad. On Jan. 3, U.S. missiles killed Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani and four others. Iran vowed “severe revenge” and on Jan. 8 fired missiles at air […]
Steel Market Update’s 31st Steel 101: Introduction to Steel Making & Market Fundamentals Workshop, set for Merrillville, Ind., on March 31 and April 1, is now taking registrations. We will be working out of the Hilton Garden Inn in Merrillville, a short drive away from the NLMK Portage steel mill, which we will tour on […]
Steel Market Update’s 31st Steel 101: Introduction to Steel Making & Market Fundamentals Workshop, set for Merrillville, Ind., on March 31 and April 1, is now taking registrations. We will be working out of the Hilton Garden Inn in Merrillville, a short drive away from the NLMK Portage steel mill, which we will tour on […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Erik Hedborg, from the CRU Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor In the past week, iron ore prices have remained at a high level as restocking in China has continued and there are increasing fears of Australian supply disruptions caused by Cyclone Claudia that passed north of the major iron ore ports in […]
I spent today working on two projects. First was contacting and communicating with flat rolled and plate steel buyers in order to get a sense of the current spot price offers/transactions and where the markets are heading over the near term. The second project was working on the 2020 SMU Steel Summit Conference. As with […]
An update on the 2020 SMU Steel Summit Conference. My team has been very active in soliciting and confirming agenda slots and speakers to go with those spots. Today we confirmed CNN’s Michael Smerconish as a special keynote speaker on Wednesday, Aug. 26. He will be covering the Republican National Convention (which is happening at […]
By CRU Analyst James Campbell, from the Steel Sheet Products Market Outlook 2019 was a bad year for the steel industry. Prices and margins collapsed and, outside of China, demand contracted. However, the combination of a new restocking cycle and reduced output in many markets allowed producers to raise prices and margins at the end […]
As widely expected, Nucor was the first to announce another $40 increase in flat rolled steel prices Wednesday, followed closely by ArcelorMittal USA, NLMK USA, California Steel Industries, USS-POSCO Industries and Algoma Steel. This represents the fifth round of price hikes by the major mills since late October totaling around $190 per ton. In a […]
The following calculation is used by Steel Market Update to identify the theoretical spread between foreign hot rolled steel prices (delivered to U.S. ports) and domestic hot rolled coil prices (FOB domestic mills). We want our readers to be aware that this is only a “theoretical” calculation as freight costs, trader margin and other costs […]
Ferrous scrap prices are up another $20-30/GT in January, on top of similar increases the prior two months, lending support to the finished steel price increases announced this week. Sources put January scrap prices around the following: Shred, $315-330; HMS, $270-275; Bush, $320; and Plate, $285- $310 per ton. Scrap prices typically rise in January […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Ryan McKinley, from CRU’s Steel Metallics Monitor The CRU metallics price indicator (CRUmpi) rose by 5.9 percent m/m to 223.5 (see chart) following price increases in nearly every market, the highest level since August 2019. Solid scrap demand has offset better than seasonally typical supply due to mild winter weather in the Northern Hemisphere. […]
The following article discussing the global ferrous derivatives markets was written by David Feldstein. As an independent steel market analyst, advisor and trader, we believe he provides insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Note that Steel Market Update does not take any positions on HRC or scrap trading, and any recommendations or comments […]
By CRU Research Analyst Eduardo Tinti and Senior Analyst Erik Hedborg, from CRU’s Iron Ore Costs Following suspensions of iron ore production in Minas Gerais, Vale’s Northern System located in the Pará state will account for a growing share of the company’s total production. Despite some supply issues in 2019, production is ramping up and […]
By CRU Analysts, from CRU’s Bulk Ferroalloys Monitor U.S. finished steel prices have risen following price increase announcements that found support from service center restocking. Adding to this price support was the scrap market, where scarcer supply and increased mill demand put prices on an upward trajectory. Some steel products have enjoyed quicker price gains […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Erik Hedborg, from CRU’s Iron Ore Market Outlook Iron ore prices rose sharply in the past week as Chinese restocking has continued and concerns about a cyclone forming northeast of Pilbara have increased. On Tuesday, Jan. 7, CRU has assessed the 62% Fe fines price at $95.5 /t, up $4.5 /t […]
At the end of August, Steel Market Update will host our 10th SMU Steel Summit Conference. Our conference will be the largest flat rolled and plate steel event in North America during this calendar year. The 2020 SMU Steel Summit Conference is going to be our best attended and most informative conference yet as 1,200 […]
At the end of August, Steel Market Update will host our 10th SMU Steel Summit Conference. Our conference will be the largest flat rolled and plate steel event in North America during this calendar year. The 2020 SMU Steel Summit Conference is going to be our best attended and most informative conference yet as 1,200 […]
The three themes which will run through CRU analysis this year: China’s economic re-balancing, FX currency movements, and Environmental and Social Governance. 2020 brings opportunities and challenges for commodity markets. CRU has drawn on conversations between our market experts and people from all parts of commodity market value chains—from miner to end-use consumer—and we have […]