Tag: demand

A large Detroit-area scrap buyer has settled scrap prices for November, with busheling, shredded, and plate and structurals (P&S) all notching gains vs. October, a scrap source told SMU.

Construction spending edged higher in September, but a shortage of workers continues to constrain project completion rates, according to the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

Manufacturing activity in the US contracted once again during the month of October.

Nucor’s plate price cut notice caught many off guard this week, especially after the company had maintained its pricing position in late September.

Latin American flat-rolled steelmaker Ternium is seeing strong demand in Mexico, its main market. With its new mill in Pesquería, Mexico, up and running, more lines there set to come online, and the company now holding an increased stake in Brazilian mining and steel company Usiminas, Luxembourg-based Ternium is optimistic about the future direction of the company.

SMU will host a Community Chat on Wednesday Nov. 15 at 12 pm ET with Alan Amici, president and CEO of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR). The webinar is free for all to attend live. A recording will be available to SMU subscribers. You can register here.

SSAB reported lower earnings in the third quarter on weaker demand in Europe that was only partially offset by solid demand for plate in North America.

The ferrous export market in the US has experienced several geopolitical events and natural disasters during 2023.

SMU’s Current and Future Steel Buyers Sentiment Indices both increased this week, based on our most recent survey data. Every other week we poll steel buyers about sentiment. The Steel Buyers Sentiment Indices measure how steel buyers feel about their company’s chances of success in the current market, as well as three to six months down the road. We have historical data going back to 2008. Check our interactive graphing tool here.

With the aluminum industry assembled in Nashville, Tenn., for the Aluminum USA 2023 conference, word was breaking of a tentative deal between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and Ford.

CRU forecasts a stronger year for steel sheet demand in 2024 than in 2023 as growth continues in Asia and a recent period of contraction in the West ends.

U.S. Steel’s third-quarter earnings call with analysts on Friday, Oct. 27, was packed full of insight into the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker’s current state of affairs.

I wrote on Sunday that it could be a busy week for steel. It has been.

Reliance Steel & Aluminum is anticipating overall demand to remain healthy through year’s end despite some weakening in some sectors and normal seasonality.

Mill lead times for flat-rolled products pushed out this week once again across the board.

Sheet prices rose for a fourth consecutive week following a second wave of price hikes announced by domestic mills.

Nucor Corp. remains incredibly bullish long-term on steel demand, but an underlining theme during the steelmaker’s third-quarter earnings conference call with analysts on Tuesday, Oct. 24, was tempered near-term expectations.

Electricity demand worldwide is growing significantly, requiring massive investments in the electric grid to supply increased needs and desire for electricity. A recent report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicates that global demand for electricity will double from 2020 to 2050. In developed economies, the growth rate will be somewhat lower. But it will […]

As the ferrous scrap market in the US enters the home stretch for 2023, it faces an array of issues and uncertainties.

Well, what a difference a month makes…

Much effort has been made in examining the supply chain of commodities related to electrification: everything from copper to aluminum to critical battery materials such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt. One overlooked material, however, is electrical steel.

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects, including steel prices, demand, inventories, imports, the UAW strike, and what people were talking about in the market.

If you think prices will continue to rise, you might point to longer lead times and stable order entry.

Sheet prices notched a third consecutive week of gains on limited supply and stable demand outside of automotive operations impacted by the UAW strike.

Global steel demand will reach 1.81 million metric tons in 2023, a 1.8% year-on-year boost, the World Steel Association (worldsteel) said in its updated Short Range Outlook report.

US service center flat-rolled steel inventories declined for a second month as shipping rates picked up in September.

Steel Market Update’s Steel Demand Index remains in contraction territory despite repeated improvements since mid-September, according to our latest survey data.

Specialty steel producer Grupo Simec has permanently closed down its Republic Steel mills in Canton, Ohio, and Lackawanna, in New York state, it has emerged.

SMU’s latest survey data are out, and they reflect a consensus among steel buyers that sheet prices have bottomed out and might rebound. Lead times continue to extend. Fewer sheet and plate mills are willing to negotiate lower spot prices. And 70% of survey respondents think prices have already bottomed out or will later this […]

Prices for ore-based metallics were mixed month-on-month (MoM) as lower finished steel production weighs on pig iron demand.