The ISM Manufacturing PMI dipped 1.8 points in November to register 57.5, remaining in positive territory but indicating concerns related to the latest surge of COVID-19. “Manufacturing performed well for the sixth straight month, with demand, consumption and inputs registering growth, but at slower rates compared to October,” said Timothy Fiore, chairman of the Institute […]
Orders for manufactured durable goods gained 1.3 percent in October, said the Commerce Department last week, marking the sixth consecutive month of growth. Orders totaled $240.8 billion following a 2.1 percent gain in September. Transportation orders, up five of the last six months, grew 1.2 percent to $77.1 billion. Orders for commercial aircraft and parts […]
Expect another two months of uneasiness and confusion on the future of the economy, says Armada Corporate Intelligence Managing Director and Economist Chris Kuehl. Although a recovery is under way, its sustainability will depend on consumer attitude, potential lockdowns and the speed of a vaccine. In a FABTECH webinar this week, The New Global Normal: […]
By Principal Consultant Josh Spoores, from CRU’s Steel Sheet Products Monitor North American sheet prices have continued to surge after bottoming this past August. For HR coil, prices have been assessed at $712 /s.ton. Since Aug. 12, these prices have gained $237 /s.ton, or 63%. This is the fastest percent gain over three months in […]
The ISM Manufacturing PMI exceeded expectations in October posting a score of 59.3 percent, a 3.9 percent increase from September and indicating factory growth for the fifth consecutive month. “The manufacturing economy continued its recovery in October,” said Timothy Fiore, chairman of the Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. “Survey committee members reported that […]
SMU contributor Tim Stevenson is a partner at Metal Edge Partners, a firm engaged in Risk Management and Strategic Advisory. In this role, he and his firm design and execute risk management strategies for clients along with providing process and analytical support. In Tim’s previous role, he was a Director at Cargill Risk Management, and […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: The election may already have been decided, but we can’t know that until election night and perhaps not even then. While we wait for those results, I want to take the time to explore a reader’s question I’ve […]
The manufacturing sector grew again in September, indicating a fifth month of expansion for the economy, according to the latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business. The September PMI registered 55.4 percent, down 0.6 percent from August. “Manufacturing performed well in the month with demand, consumption and inputs registering growth indicative of a normal expansion cycle,” […]
Cleveland-Cliffs is about to become the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America. The company announced Monday that it will acquire the operations of ArcelorMittal USA and its subsidiaries for a purchase price of approximately $1.4 billion in equity and cash. The transaction includes 78.2 million shares of Cleveland-Cliffs common stock valued at $500 million, […]
Cleveland-Cliffs is about to become the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America. The company announced Monday that it will acquire all of the operations of ArcelorMittal USA and its subsidiaries for a purchase price of approximately $1.4 billion. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020. The ArcelorMittal assets include […]
The Trump administration has received more than 3,300 lawsuits from manufacturers alleging that the most recent rounds of tariffs against China under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 were unlawful and arbitrary. The first two rounds of tariffs covered $50 billion worth of Chinese goods. The third was implemented on $200 billion of […]
Orders for durable goods rose for the fourth consecutive month in August but at a much slower pace than July, said the Department of Commerce. New orders for manufactured goods expected to last at least three years increased 0.4 percent to $232.8 billion in August, a sharp deceleration from the 11.7 percent surge in July. The August […]
Iowa farmers are complaining that tariffs are causing opportunists to raise steel prices for materials needed to rebuild following the devastating derecho storm that damaged farms last month. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) penned a letter to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross asking that Section 232 tariffs be […]
The net change in employed persons in September was 661,000. Employment gains have slowed each month since June when 4.8 million jobs were recovered. The baseline against which future comparisons will be made is February 2020, the all-time high for nonfarm employment. Figure 1 shows the total number of people employed in the nonfarm economy. […]
The U.S manufacturing sector expanded faster in August, according the Manufacturing ISM Report on Business. The August PMI rose 1.8 points to 56.0 in August for the highest reading of the year and indicated a fourth month of expansion after a contraction in April. The new orders Index jumped 6.1 points to 67.6 percent, while […]
Orders for durable goods jumped 11.2 percent in July after rising 7.7 percent in June, posting gains for the third straight month and beating all expectations. Automotive orders drove the increase, leaping 22 percent following a robust 24 percent increase in June. Orders for core capital goods–nondefense goods excluding aircraft which are considered an indicator […]
We have passed through 700 registered attendees for this year’s SMU Virtual Steel Summit Conference. Activity has been high and we are confident we will reach our 800+ registered attendee goal. We will be the largest steel conference (live or virtual) in North America this calendar year. Those who have seen our platform are excited. […]
We have passed through 700 registered attendees for this year’s SMU Virtual Steel Summit Conference. Activity has been high and we are confident we will reach our 800+ registered attendee goal. We will be the largest steel conference (live or virtual) in North America this calendar year. Those who have seen our platform are excited. […]
By CRU Chief Economist Jumana Saleheen and Economist Ippolito Tarabini, from CRU’s Steel Sheet Products Monitor The economy is in the midst of a recession triggered by a health crisis. That makes this recession unusual and different. Here we examine how this recession compares to previous recessions. From that we infer key features of the […]
The primary metals sector is looking much worse than manufacturing as a whole in the employment picture. The net change in employed persons was negative 20.8 million in April, positive 2.7 million in May, positive 4.8 million in June and positive 1.8 million in July. Table 1 breaks total employment down into service and goods-producing […]
The U.S. manufacturing sector expanded again in July indicating a third consecutive month of growth for the overall economy, said the Institute for Supply Management in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business. The July PMI rose 1.6 points from June to register 54.2. “The growth cycle continues for the second straight month after three […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: On an earnings call last week, Aditya Mittal, president and CFO of ArcelorMittal, the single largest steel producer in the world, stated that “Section 232 has been successful because it has spurred a lot of investment in the […]
Durable goods orders rose again in June gaining 7.3 percent as a surge in auto sales helped offset a heavy decline in commercial aircraft orders. Orders for commercial aircraft and parts plummeted an astounding 462 percent last month while orders for new trucks and cars rebounded 86 percent after pandemic shutdowns. Core capital goods, non-defense […]
Here is a listing of the companies registered for the SMU Steel Summit 2020 Virtual Conference as of last week. Note that those companies with an * after their name means more than one person is attending. If your company is missing, or if you have questions about your registration, please contact Events@SteelMarketUpdate.com. You can […]
Here is a listing of the companies registered for the SMU Steel Summit 2020 Virtual Conference as of last week. Note that those companies with an * after their name means more than one person is attending. If your company is missing, or if you have questions about your registration, please contact Events@SteelMarketUpdate.com. You can […]
SSAB Americas’ third-quarter results were impacted by lower prices and volumes, which were somewhat offset by cost savings and lower raw material prices. SSAB Americas posted an operating loss of SEK 10 million ($1.13 million) versus a profit of SEK 106 million ($12 million) in the first quarter. Sales totaled $3.2 billion SEK ($361 million) […]
Quite a bit has happened over the past two days as we have added new speakers and have had quite a few new registrations for the 2020 SMU Virtual Steel Summit Conference. First the speakers: SMU is pleased to announce the addition of Mark Millett, President & CEO of Steel Dynamics, and Maximo Vedoya, CEO […]
Quite a bit has happened over the past two days as we have added new speakers and have had quite a few new registrations for the 2020 SMU Virtual Steel Summit Conference. First the speakers: SMU is pleased to announce the addition of Mark Millett, President & CEO of Steel Dynamics, and Maximo Vedoya, CEO […]
“Blunt force demand trauma.” That is how Ryerson President & CEO Eddie Lehner described the market environment as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. One really can’t use the word “unprecedented” too much when discussing the effects of the pandemic on the economy and industry, said Lehner. Losing 30 percent of demand in 30 days […]
The U.S. manufacturing sector is gaining strength after months of contraction, say supply executives surveyed in the June Manufacturing ISM Report on Business. The June PMI jumped 9.5 points to 52.6 indicating an expansion in the overall economy for a second straight month. “June signifies manufacturing entering an expected expansion cycle after the disruption caused […]