In the first half of 2013 the profit on one ton of steel sold in China was only 0.43 Yuan. At that rate, it took the sale of two tons to earn just enough money to buy an ice cream bar or Popsicle. A far cry from peak profits of 1000 Yuan per ton. The […]
Final October import data was released earlier this week, showing total imports for the month at 3,101,063 net tons (2,813,240 metric tons). This figure is the highest tonnage seen since April 2012 when imports were 3,144,947 NT (2,853,051 MT). Total October imports are well above both the 3 and 12 month-moving-averages (MMA). Compared to September, […]
The JP Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI rose to 53.2 in November from 52.1 in October, indicating a faster improvement in overall operating conditions. Manufacturing output and new orders rose at the quickest pace since February 2011. A moderate rise in employment was reported the US, Japan, the UK, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Turkey, Vietnam, Canada […]
The November ISM Report for November 2013 indicated expansion in the manufacturing sector for the sixth consecutive month and the highest PMI (purchasing mangers index) reading for the year. The PMI registered 57.3 percent, up from 56.4 percent in October. Indices for new orders, production, employment and exports picked up their pace of growth in […]
The recent resurgence of the steel industry in Japan has resulted in a scrap shortage in the Far East, despite lackluster finished steel sales. Japan’s resurgence is a partial result of Abenomics due to the weakening yen (currently at 101). Automobile sales, appliances and public infrastructure spending/reconstruction has resulted in very healthy steel demand in […]
Once per month Steel Market Update publishes reports on flat rolled imports into the United States by product, port and country of origin. The result is a fairly massive report which is difficult to reproduce in our newsletter but is in our new website. The totals in the report are accurate. However, we have removed countries […]
September ferrous scrap exports totaled 1,548,020 metric tons (1,706,398 net tons) with Turkey, Korea, Taiwan, China, Mexico, and Canada being the top five recipients of U.S. collected scrap. Of the higher ranking countries in the table below, there was month-over-month increase in exports going to Korea and Mexico over the August figures, but a decrease […]
Total steel mill product exports in September were 1,022,050 net tons, a 10.93 percent decrease from October tonnage of 1,147,411 NT. September exports are reported to be at their lowest levels since December 2012. Semi-finished exports were reported to be 2,678 NT, down 93.55 percent from August tonnage of 86,065 NT, but this is most […]
Apparent steel supply for September was 9,043,000 net tons, a 10.38 percent increase compared to the same month one year ago. This is due to an 8 to 9 percent increase in domestic shipments and all imports, and was slightly offset by a decrease in exports, down 3.38 percent. The net trade balance from the […]
Last week Bhushan Steel, an Indian steel mill known for its exports of coated steel products to the United States, suffered a devastating explosion and fire which has killed at least one person and injured five others. The blast occurred when Bhushan was attempting to commission a blast furnace. Reports out of India suggest that […]
Severstal NA reported sales volume increased 2.6 percent quarter-over-quarter to 1.2 million tonnes in the third quarter due to improved sales of CRC and galvanized products. Revenue was reported at $993 million, up 4.2 percent from $953 million in the second quarter. Higher sales volume and pricing along with lower costs at Severstal Columbus resulted […]
Cia Siderúrgica Nacional SA (CSN) reported a record third quarter with net revenue of $4.7 billion reais ($2.02 billion) , up 15 percent from the second quarter and 23 percent from third quarter 2012. EBITDA rose 51 percent from second quarter to $1.7 billion reais ($731 million) due to strong performance in its steel and […]
This morning’s report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis surprised on the upside with a growth of 0.7 percent from Q2 and 2.82 percent annualized. GDP in Q3 2013 was 1.65 percent higher than in Q3 2012. This data is the first estimate for the third quarter; revisions have often been substantial recently. The following […]
Global manufacturing picked up in October with production, new orders and international trade volumes all improving. The JP Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI rose to 52.1 in October from 51.8 in September. Expansion was seen all regions of the PMI composite except France, India and Greece which were still in the negative growth range below a […]
Apparent steel supply for August 2013 was up 1.62 percent compared to the same month one year ago. This is primarily due to higher total steel imports and higher semi-finished steel imports for this year. The net trade surplus from imports versus exports was 1,730,960 net tons in August of this year, up from 1,502,420 […]
Apparent steel supply for August 2013 was up slightly compared to the same month one year ago by 1.62 percent. This is primarily due to higher total imports and higher semi-finished imports for this year. The net trade from imports and exports was a surplus of 1,730,960 net tons in August of this year, up […]
It has now been three consecutive months that the SMU Price Momentum Indicator has been at Neutral. Flat rolled steel prices have broken out of the $640 per ton doldrums with benchmark hot rolled coil haven risen to $665 as of earlier this week. The monthly average for benchmark hot rolled is $651 per ton […]
Based on recently released data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, exports of steel rose slightly during the month of August to 1,147,411 net tons (all products). This represents an increase of 60,102 tons compared to the exports shipped during the month of July which totaled 1,087,309 tons. August exports of hot rolled totaled 86,065 […]
The European Steel Association (Eurofer) says the year-over-year decline in the European Union (EU) steel industry is beginning to lessen and should show positive growth in 2014, according to the Eurofer Economic and Steel Market Outlook 2013-2014. The SWIP (Steel Weighted Industrial Production) Index is expected to be down -1.1 percent in the third quarter […]
The Chinese economy grew 7.8 percent in the third quarter, compared to 7.5 percent in the second quarter and 7.7 percent in the first quarter. Growth for the first nine months of 2013 was 7.7 percent keeping China on target for a 7.5 percent GDP for the year. According to the China National Bureau of […]
The U.S. Treasury defines the debt ceiling or limit as “the total amount of money that the United States government is authorized to borrow to meet its existing legal obligations, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, military salaries, interest on the national debt, tax refunds, and other payments.” The current debt ceiling is set at […]
Shipping in the Capesize Market is beginning to slow down after a strong September driven by iron ore restocking in China and exports of ore from Brazil. According to the MID-SHIP Report on Oct. 10, average Capesize earnings fell to $33,368 from $42,211 two weeks ago. Time charters averaged $30,000 prompting owners to turnover cargo […]
Steel Market Update (SMU) asked David Phelps, president of the American Institute for International Steel if there were any issues involving steel imports which our readers needed to be aware. He sent us an email with the following: “…the Customs officials employed at the ports to process imports and exports are considered essential. The licensing […]
The Federal Reserve publishes a trade weighted index of the value of the US$ (dollar) against a basket of the currencies of our major trading partners on a daily and monthly basis. As a result of the government shut-down we don’t have the very latest data for this index. The latest data we do have […]
Chinese pig iron steel production in August 2013 was 59,931,000 metric tons, a slight decline of 0.15 percent over July figures but an 11.1 percent increase over the same month one year ago. Total crude steel production was 66,277,000 tons in August, a slight increase from the 65,474,000 tons reported for July but a large […]
A quick note about ferrous scrap. From the early deals being done – and there are still a number yet which need to be completed. Our sources are advising us that scrap prices have been trading lower by $5 to $10 per gross ton in the east. However, in the Midwest there have been trades […]
The Baker Hughes North American Rotary Rig Count is a weekly census of the number of drilling rigs actively exploring for or developing oil or natural gas in the United States and Canada. Rigs are considered active from the time they break ground until the time they reach their target depth and may be establishing […]
Manufacturing activity in the Tenth District slowed in September according to a survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. The month-over-month composite index that factors in production, new orders, employment, supplier delivery times, and raw materials inventory indices, was 2, dropping from 8 in August and 6 in July. The production index slid […]
This week the domestic steel mills and their scrap suppliers will be locked in negotiations to determine the price of ferrous scrap used in the EAF’s and BOF’s to make steel. Steel Market Update sources have been advising that the October scrap market looks to be down $10 per gross ton before firming later in […]
When I last wrote two weeks back the SP 500 had failed to break down as expected and technicals suggested we were headed to 1775 as next long term target. Well within one week of that report the SP 500 hit 1730 from that Sep 12th 1685 area. This rally was in large part due […]