NLMK USA turned in a dismal quarter after cutting production in response to a months-long strike at the Pennsylvania mill and a dearth of duty-free slabs from the import market. Year-over-year, quarterly sales plummeted 22 percent to 370,000 metric tons and total sales for 2020 plunged 27 percent to 1.6 million MT, the company reported. […]
Tonnage on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system dropped just 1.7 percent during one of the most challenging years in recent history. Shipments on the water system, including commodities such as grain, iron ore and coal, totaled 37.7 million metric tons in 2020. “The Seaway’s 62nd navigation season was one of the most remarkable in […]
U.S. Steel has closed its $774 million deal for the remaining stake in electric-arc furnace steelmaker (EAF) Big River Steel. “Taking a page from the Big River Steel playbook, we are closing on this world competitive green steel asset purchase under budget and ahead of schedule,” said U.S. Steel President and Chief Executive Officer David […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Erik Hedborg, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor In the past week, iron ore has witnessed its steepest price fall since July 2019. Declining steel margins in China and mills having successfully built up inventories, in combination with an upcoming Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday, resulted in weaker buying interest. Supply side […]
By CRU Principal Analyst Josh Spoores, from CRU’s Steel Sheet Products Monitor Higher steel sheet prices continue to be assessed across most global markets. Reflecting this, CRU’s Global Flat Products Steel Price Indicator (CRUspi flats), has risen for the seventh consecutive month, reaching 238.2, its highest reading since September 2008. This indicator is now 56% […]
By CRU Principal Analyst Matthew Watkins, from CRU’s Steel Sheet Products Monitor Prices in Europe have surged higher once more over the past month, though the pace of weekly increases is showing signs of changing. Overall, our 2nd Wednesday price in February is much higher m/m for all sheet products across Europe. This continues what is […]
By Senior Analyst Ryan McKinley, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor The CRU metallics price indicator (CRUmpi) increased by 8.3% m/m in May to 370.7. Following China’s removal of a VAT rebate for steel exports, scrap markets in Asia surged. This momentum carried over to Turkey, where scrap import prices rose substantially m/m, although upward […]
By Josh Spoores, from CRU’s Steel Sheet Products Monitor One year ago, the title of our May Steel Sheet Products Monitor was “Global sheet markets move past bottom of demand cycle.” Today, global sheet consumption continues to rise, reaching levels where current global production cannot keep pace. In addition to the continued demand rebound from […]
By CRU Principal Analyst Erik Hedborg, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor The iron ore market has experienced one of the most volatile weeks on record. Prices have traded within a $40 /dmt range within the past week due to demand uncertainty in China. On Tuesday, May 18, CRU assessed the 62% Fe fines price […]
By CRU Principal Analyst Josh Spoores, from CRU’s Steel Monitor Global steel prices, as measured by the CRUspi index, have increased for the 10th consecutive month, gaining 9.4% m/m and 116% y/y. This index now stands at 301.1, a new record high. This index continues to be supported by higher finished steel prices across all regions. […]
By CRU Research Analyst Eduardo Tinti, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor Iron ore prices continued to rise over the past week. Due to offloading constraints at Chinese ports, iron ore port inventories declined, contributing to the recent price hike. On Tuesday, Jan. 12, CRU assessed the 62% Fe fines price at $172.0 /dmt, $5.0 […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Erik Hedborg, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor Iron ore prices have held steady in the past week as restocking activities in China have continued and iron ore inventories at mills have been built up. At the same time, further disruptions in the supply chain have renewed supply fears in the […]
I’m looking forward to next month’s Tampa Steel Conference, where we will discuss lots of steel-related policy issues. The conference provides an opportunity to weigh the importance of the steel industry in the American economy and the global economy. We cannot realistically discuss what to do about steel (or any industry) from either a government […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Erik Hedborg from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor Iron ore prices have risen at the start of 2021 on continued strong appetite in China, while we have seen new short-term disruptions in the supply chain. On Tuesday, Jan. 5, CRU assessed the 62% Fe fines price at $167 /dmt, up by […]
Looking back at the past year, 2020 was not the disaster many in the steel industry had feared. And looking ahead, 2021 appears even more promising, say OEM and service center executives polled by Steel Market Update last week. Despite an economy that struggled with the COVID pandemic, as well as civil unrest and an […]
Residents in Hamilton, Ontario, were startled by explosions and reddish-brown smoke emanating from ArcelorMittal Dofasco on Christmas day. At around 11:10 a.m., a reaction between water and liquid iron ore occurred during the slag casting process at the No. 4 blast furnace, creating a series of eruptions and air emissions. There were no injuries from […]
By CRU Senior Cost Economist Ross Cunningham, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor Global CO2 emissions have been rising since the start of the industrial revolution. This has caused rising global temperatures and severe weather events such as wildfires, flooding and drought. In 2015 the United Nations framework convention on climate change put together the Paris […]
The U.S. dollar weakened against 15 of the 16 steel and raw materials trading nation currencies in both the last 30 and 90 days. The biggest changes in the last 90 days were in the value of the South African rand, up 12.2 percent, the Korean won and the Mexican peso, both up by 6.0 […]
Among steelmaking raw materials, the prices of iron ore, pig iron, scrap, zinc and aluminum continue to see large gains in December compared to months prior, up as much as 65 percent year over year. Iron ore, pig iron and scrap prices have seen significant increases compared to the late summer months. Coking coal prices […]
U.S. Steel is optimistic about its financial outlook for 2021. The addition of a strong performer to their portfolio with the acquisition of Big River Steel and improved demand and higher prices in the fourth quarter bode well for the new year. Positive EBITDA is expected in the flat rolled segment for the fourth quarter, […]
November was a busy month for ports on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as businesses stockpiled year-end inventory prior to the closure of the 2020 shipping season. The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership reports international trade of agriculture and wind turbine components remained steady last month, while steel shipments increased. “As the 2020 Seaway […]
By CRU Analyst Estelle Trans, from CRU’s Global Steel Trade Service U.S. buyers have been watching sheet steel prices skyrocket and found themselves weighing high-priced imports out of necessity. The steel market remains supply short, even with the restart of U.S. Steel Gary No. 4 this month, and market contacts expect that the market will […]
By CRU Principal Analyst Chris Asgill, from CRU’s Global Steel Trade Service Scrap prices have surged over the past month, with import prices up $50-90 /t m/m. Turkish prices have gained the most significant ground, though were below Asian prices a month ago. At the time of our assessment last week Turkish prices were approaching $400 /t […]
Flat Rolled = 40.0 Shipping Days of Supply Plate = 45.7 Shipping Days of Supply Flat Rolled Service center flat rolled steel inventories continue to reach new lows. At the end of November, service centers carried 40 shipping days of supply, down from 43.1 days in October. November had 19 shipping days, compared to October’s […]
Not only are wholesalers who service the HVAC and construction industries wondering how high galvanized steel prices can possibly go, they’re even more worried about how low prices could go once the market normalizes next year. In a conference call this morning, members of the Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) reported firm […]
How much higher can steel prices go? It’s impossible to know, but given the current lead times, level of demand and the support higher prices are getting from distribution, and it appears prices may have some more upside. Steel Market Update estimated the average HRC price this past week at $865 per ton, with reports […]
Iron ore surged in early-December as Vale’s lowered guidance fueled concerns about iron ore availability going into 2021. Short-term market tightness also contributed to the rise as Chinese demand remained strong, while seaborne supply has continued to struggle. On Tuesday, Dec. 8, CRU assessed the 62% Fe fines price at $147.0 /dmt, an increase of $15.5 /dmt […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Erik Hedborg from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor The iron ore price rally has continued in the past week as the market tightness worsened, with continued strong demand while seaborne supply has taken a major hit following the halting of operations at Australia’s two largest iron ore ports due to bad weather. […]
Editor’s note: SMU Contributor David Feldstein is president of Rock Trading Advisors. David has over 20 years of trading experience in financial markets and has been active in the ferrous futures space for over eight years. You can learn more at www.thefeldstein.com or add him on twitter @TheFeldstein and on Instragram at #thefeldstein. During the […]
Editor’s note: SMU Contributor David Feldstein is president of Rock Trading Advisors. David has over 20 years of trading experience in financial markets and has been active in the ferrous futures space for over eight years. You can learn more at www.thefeldstein.com or add him on twitter @TheFeldstein and on Instragram at #thefeldstein. It now […]