The Chicago Business Barometer hit a six-month high in June, gaining 1.4 points to post at 65.5. New orders and production also reached six-month highs, increasing 8.0 percent and 10.6 percent, respectively. Increasing demand led to a third month of growth for order backlogs. The indicator posted a nine-month high with firms reporting unfinished work […]
Many steel buyers, and investors in steel futures, are betting that steel prices will follow the typical seasonal pattern and decline in the last few months of the year, even with the Trump tariffs boosting the market. While that may prove true for flat roll, it will most likely not be the case for steel […]
Trading in steel futures shows many companies betting that prices will decline as the year-end approaches, following the normal seasonal pattern. But current market conditions, under the influence of unprecedented government trade action, are anything but normal, leaving steel executives deeply divided over what to expect. Steel Market Update canvassed the market this week, asking […]
Steel Dynamics reported net sales of $3.1 billion and net income of $362 million for the second quarter of 2018, more than doubling its year-over-year income. First-quarter 2018 net sales totaled $2.6 billion with net income of $228 million. “Our second-quarter 2018 income from operations increased 55 percent sequentially to a record $502 million, and […]
The following calculation is used by Steel Market Update to identify the theoretical spread between foreign hot rolled steel import prices (delivered to USA 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 […]
Lead times, especially on hot rolled steel, have continued to gradually shorten over the past couple of months, according to Steel Market Update’s latest market trends data. Lead times for hot rolled now average just above five weeks, for cold rolled a bit less than seven and a half weeks, for galvanized a bit more […]
Imports of foreign steel continue at a brisk pace, despite the Section 232 tariffs placed on steel imports from every country in the world except Australia (no quota), South Korea (with quota), Brazil (with quota) and Argentina (with quota). Since the Section 232 tariffs began at the beginning of May, and most foreign mill lead […]
Zinc prices were trading at $1.18 per pound this afternoon. Earlier this week, the metal traded as low as $1.13 per pound, but has since rallied off those one-year lows. Even so, the $1.18 per pound level is lower than at any point over the past 12 months (see graphic below). Does SMU expect galvanized […]
My life these days is consumed by our upcoming SMU Steel Summit Conference, our brand-new Steel 201: Introduction to Advanced High Strength & Other New Steels workshop and the next SMU Steel 101: Introduction to Steel Making & Market Fundamentals workshop, as well as writing articles and trying to stay on top of the flat […]
We saw either sideways or modest gains in flat rolled steel pricing this week. Lead times continue to be extended by historical standards and, of course, the 25 percent tariff on most of the foreign steel coming into the United States continues and it does not appear it will be withdrawn at any time soon. […]
The market has been relatively quiet this past week with only minor adjustments to the flat rolled indices. Steel Market Update is hearing steel buyers’ concerns about possible price declines. At the same time, there are others who are positive that prices will remain within $50 per ton of today’s levels through the end of […]
How sustainable are the high steel prices in the United States? Steel Market Update sources point to a number of risk factors that buyers should consider. One service center general manager told us flat rolled and plate prices could only be threatened by an increase in imports. “Sharp price declines are caused by sharp increases […]
The following calculation is used by Steel Market Update to identify the theoretical spread between foreign hot rolled steel import prices (delivered to USA 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 […]
Flat rolled steel prices were stable to moderately lower this week. Benchmark hot rolled coil was unchanged and, along with plate, is the strongest of the products followed by Steel Market Update. Cold rolled and galvanized index averages were lower compared to one week ago, while Galvalume was unchanged. September orders for plate delivered to […]
Steel Market Update has adjusted our SMU Price Momentum to Neutral from Higher on all products except plate, which remains at Higher for the moment. We chose to move at this time due to weakness we are seeing in the cold rolled and coated steel markets, with mild price erosion already evident in certain markets. […]
The following calculation is used by Steel Market Update to identify the theoretical spread between foreign hot rolled steel import prices (delivered to USA 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 […]
Steel executives canvassed by Steel Market Update this week reported that demand remains strong, though they are less confident about conditions later in the year. Many expressed concern about the tariffs and trade issues unfolding in Washington, difficulty with trucking and logistics, and the impact of high steel prices on their customers. Following are some […]
Mill lead times on most flat rolled steel products saw little change in the past two weeks, according to Steel Market Update’s latest market trends data. Lead times for hot rolled now average nearly five and a half weeks, cold rolled a bit less than seven and a half weeks, and galvanized a bit more […]
Global manufacturing is losing its momentum, said JP Morgan and IHS Markit in their latest Global Manufacturing PMI. The June PMI was at an 11-month low of 53.0 in June, still in expansion territory but at a gentler pace. Production grew at its slowest pace since July 2017 and new orders were at a 19-month […]
Manufacturers saw business rise in June at the fastest pace in four months. The ISM Manufacturing Index surpassed expectations by jumping to 60.1 percent from 58.7 percent in May. A reading above 50 indicates growth. New orders expanded for the 14th consecutive month, but inventories remained too low for a fourth month as suppliers struggled […]
The Chicago Business Barometer hit its highest level since January, rising 1.4 points to 64.1 in June. Four of five components of the headline index strengthened in June, said MNI Indicators. Orders flowed in for a five-month high and order backlogs were 11.4 percent higher than in June 2017. Supplier lead times continued to lengthen, […]
Artificial Intelligence is no longer just the stuff of science fiction. It has real-world application and is attracting real money from investors. Noodle.ai, a leading provider of enterprise AI applications, announced that it has raised more than $50 million to expand the company’s suite of applications. AI is one of the many topics to be […]
Steel Market Update canvassed steel buyers over the past two days and found that flat rolled prices are mixed and plate prices are rising. Two of our flat rolled indices increased over the prior week, and two of them declined, while the plate index rose. Here is how we see prices this week: Hot Rolled […]
We are in the middle of a U.S. holiday week, and the Fourth of July on a Wednesday gave plenty of steel buyers and sellers an excuse for taking the week off, or at least an extended long weekend. Benchmark hot rolled prices were seen as being modestly lower based on the responses received from […]
Mill lead times on all flat rolled steel products shortened in the past two weeks, according to Steel Market Update’s latest market trends data. Lead times for hot rolled now average a bit over five weeks, cold rolled a bit over seven weeks, and galvanized and Galvalume at roughly seven and a half weeks. Lead […]
The following calculation is used by Steel Market Update to identify the theoretical spread between foreign hot rolled steel import prices (delivered to USA 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 […]
Twice each month, Steel Market Update conducts a review of the flat rolled and plate steel industries. We do this through a web-based questionnaire, which is sent to approximately 640 individuals associated with either the flat rolled or plate steel industries. The individuals invited are from manufacturing, steel distribution, steel mills, trading companies and toll […]
Flat rolled and plate steel prices remained essentially unchanged over the past seven days. As one steel buyer commented to Steel Market Update last week, the steel mills seem to be content at the current price levels and they don’t want to be seen as getting “greedy.” This doesn’t mean they won’t try to get […]
Steel Market Update canvassed flat rolled and plate steel buyers over the past two days and discovered hot rolled coil is by far the strongest product, followed by demand for plate. Both are connected to the energy markets, which are very strong right now. Our sources are also telling us construction, especially commercial construction, is […]
Mill lead times for hot rolled steel appear to have peaked in the current market cycle, while lead times for coated steels extended a bit in the past few weeks, according to Steel Market Update’s latest market trends data. Lead times for hot rolled now average about five and a half weeks, cold rolled about […]