Last week, Steel Market Update conducted our early July flat rolled steel market analysis. One of the items we watch as a key market indicator is how the manufacturing companies and service centers report whether distributors are raising, lowering or maintaining flat rolled steel spot prices. Just as the various indexes saw little movement in […]
The SMU Steel Buyers Sentiment Index produced a new record high this week as those responding to our market questionnaire pegged Sentiment at +65. Sentiment is now +8 points higher than the +57 produced during the middle of June and is up +11 points from just one month ago. Last year at the beginning of […]
The sense, the tone of the market, is that prices are firming a bit. The slide we experienced over the past few weeks (modest as it was) has been moderating and shrinking in size. That is the sense that we have been receiving as we spoke to both buyers and steel mills over the past […]
Many within the steel industry are looking toward Washington, D.C. to right was has been perceived as a wrong committed by South Korea against the OCTG manufacturers and supporting domestic steel mills. According to the US Department of Commerce website, the final determination is supposed to be announced on Thursday of this week so we […]
Media reports that Russian steelmaker Evraz is considering selling shares of its North American operations in an effort to reduce debt are unfounded according to a spokesperson at Evraz. “EVRAZ is not planning to sell its North American assets and in fact remains completely committed to our operations and continuing to grow our business in […]
Steel buyers in the June Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Steel Buyers Survey held fast to the belief that the general trend of economic activity will remain the same for the next six months, unchanged from 66.7 percent. Incoming orders are expected to remain the same for 50 percent of steel buyers surveyed and increase […]
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report on non-farm employment indicated that 288,000 jobs were added in June, May was revised up by 7,000 to 224,000 and April up by 22,000 to 304,000. The three month moving average (3MMA) rose to 272,000 after four consecutive months of growth beginning in February at 150,000, (Figure 1). […]
Building permit values jumped 13.8 percent in Canada in May, totaling $6.9 billion and exceeding expectations for the month. The increase was due to higher construction intentions for commercial buildings in Ontario and Manitoba as well as multi-family dwellings in British Columbia, said Statistics Canada. Residential permit values rose 9.5 percent to $4.1 billion. Building […]
The fact that steel prices have been moderating and, in some cases, moving lower has not dented the enthusiasm buyers and sellers of flat rolled steel are showing based on the Steel Market Update Steel Buyers Sentiment Index. The latest market analysis produced during the middle of June is pegging Sentiment at +57, up 3 […]
For those of you who have never gone to New York City to participate in or be around the Steel Success Strategies Conference, you are missing an experience. The sheer concentration of steel mills, trading companies, service centers and manufacturing companies as well as scrap, logistics, shipping, toll processors, equipment can be overwhelming. After spending […]
Steel imports in May increased 7.4 percent from April to 4 million net tons, a 41.5 percent increase over May imports in 2013. The year-to-date total is now 17.5 million net tons, 31.7 percent higher than the same period last year. Steel imports have been a headline issue for the steel industry in the last […]
“Following the doubling of steel production from 849 million tonnes in 2000 to 1.6 million tonnes in 2014, we are likely entering a period of consolidation, or at the very least, much reduced growth.” That is the opinion of Becky Hites, analyst and president of Steel-Insights, LLC in a June 7, 2014 report, Fixed Asset […]
Hot rolled prices eroded during the month of June with the month ending at $660 per ton ($33.00/cwt) and our June monthly average $666 per ton. At the end of May our average was $680 per ton so we are down $14 per ton based on the monthly averages. The CRU hot rolled coil futures […]
The Institute of Supply Management released their June report on July 1st. The June PMI registered 55.3 percent, down slightly from 55.4 percent in May. Any number > 50 indicates expansion and this was the thirteenth straight month for which this was the case. The three month moving average (3MMA) advanced for the third consecutive […]
Hot rolled prices eroded during the month of June with the month ending at $660 per ton ($33.00/cwt) and our June monthly average $666 per ton. At the end of May our average was $680 per ton so we are down $14 per ton based on the monthly averages. The CRU hot rolled coil futures […]
The Institute of Supply Management released their June report on July 1st. The June PMI registered 55.3 percent, down slightly from 55.4 percent in May. Any number > 50 indicates expansion and this was the thirteenth straight month for which this was the case. The three month moving average (3MMA) advanced for the third consecutive […]
An explanation of the Key Indicators concept is given at the end of this piece for those readers who are unfamiliar with it. We have made two changes this month to try to make this even more representative of the market. Both the long and flat products shipment rows have been changed from “shipments” to […]
The JP Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI rose moderately to 52.7 in June from 52.1 in May, an expansion of the manufacturing sector for the 19th month. Production increased at the fastest rate since February due to a flow of new orders. International trade volumes were subdued in June reported JP Morgan and Markit. The June […]
“When the rules are ignored, circumvented or broken, all Americans lose,” said US Steel President and CEO Mario Longhi to the United States Senate Committee on Finance. Mr. Longhi’s testimony on trade enforcement regarding foreign steel imports is reprinted below for our readers. United States Senate Committee on Finance Testimony of Mario Longhi President and […]
“USW members and non-union workers alike know firsthand the pain inflicted by foreign predatory, protectionist and unfair trade practices,” said Leo W. Gerard, International President, United Steelworkers (USW) before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance on June 25. Gerard told Senate members that the only way the USW wins at its efforts to counter unfair […]
Steel imports in May increased 7.4 percent from April to 4 million net tons, a 41.5 percent increase over May imports in 2013. The year-to-date total is now 17.5 million net tons, 31.7 percent higher than the same period last year. Steel imports have been a headline issue for the steel industry in the last […]
Durable Goods, a measure of the health of the steel industry and economy, saw new orders fall 1 percent after three months of increases. Shipments, Unfilled Orders, and Inventories all increased 1 percent or less. Capital goods orders for non-defense and defense items decreased in May. The Commerce Department’s GDP report showed a decline of […]
The following is an abridged version of the Chicago Federal Reserve statement plus our own graphical analysis. The Chicago Federal Reserve National Activity Index (CFNAI) is an excellent reality check for much of the economic analysis that we routinely provide in The Steel Market Update. An explanation of the Index is provided at the end […]
Each month the Bureau of Labor Statistics, (BLS) puts out its series of producer price indexes, for thousands of goods and materials. The latest release on Friday reported May results. These statistics are a useful way to evaluate any changes in the competitive position of steel against competing materials and this month for the first […]
Steel Market Update spent an extraordinary amount of time on today’s price ranges and averages. There has been a lot written recently about demand supporting prices and the lack of supply supporting prices. However, the deeper we dug the more questions we began to ask about what is real and what is a little murky. […]
Manufacturing companies as well as their service center suppliers, reported spot service centers prices as basically stable with a tilt toward the beginning of a downward price cycle for service center flat rolled steel spot pricing. Again, this is service center spot price offers to their manufacturing customers which is being measured as opposed to […]
Last week Steel Market Update conducted our mid-June flat rolled steel market analysis. We sent invitations to slightly more than 600 companies which are involved in the flat rolled steel industries as buyers, sellers or toll processors of the steel. The participants in last week’s analysis came from the manufacturing industry (45 percent), service center/wholesalers […]
We have two markets developing for flat rolled steel imports: hot rolled imports are expected to actually begin to shrink from here as the offers out of Russia and Turkey for hot rolled pricing are approximately $600 per ton or higher. Since most foreign steel buyers tend to be buyers of large tonnage and thus […]
The fact that steel prices have been moderating and, in some cases, moving lower has not dented the enthusiasm buyers and sellers of flat rolled steel are showing based on the Steel Market Update Steel Buyers Sentiment Index. The latest market analysis is pegging Sentiment at +57, up 3 points from our last measurement conducted […]
For those of you who have never gone to New York City to participate in or be around the Steel Success Strategies Conference, you are missing an experience. The sheer concentration of steel mills, trading companies, service centers and manufacturing companies as well as scrap, logistics, shipping, toll processors, equipment can be overwhelming. After spending […]