The US manufacturing sector receded for the eighth consecutive month in June, according to the latest monthly report on business from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). The ISM’s manufacturing PMI was 46% in June, 0.9% lower than May. The reading marks the seventh month of contraction following a 30-month period of expansion in the […]
Total US construction spending increased in May by 0.9% from April and 2.4% year-over-year (YoY), according to the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). “The data for May show there has been no letup in the feverish pace of manufacturing construction but a very mixed picture for other project types,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist of AGC. […]
We’re now less than two months away from the kickoff of SMU’s 2023 Steel Summit Conference, which runs from Monday-Wednesday, Aug. 21-23, in Atlanta. Registrations for Steel Summit are flooding in, with roughly 820 people already registered, and hotel availability dwindling fast. Register here. The hotels within walking distance of the event – Georgia International Convention […]
The US Department of Commerce recently updated antidumping and countervailing duty rates on a number of different welded pipe and tube products. An SMU review of the US government’s Federal Register show the following changes by Commerce in multiple administrative reviews: Welded Line Pipe from South Korea Considering the one-year period ended Nov. 30, 2021, […]
Several North American automakers have confirmed with SMU their planned summer outages for maintenance programs, facility updates, and model-year changeovers. Some outages are starting this month, while others can be seen as late as August, but the bulk of the scheduled downtime will be taken throughout the month of July. Stellantis (Chrysler’s European parent company), […]
It’s been a wild ride in the HRC futures market since we last wrote this column. The chart below shows the CME Futures curve at our last publication at the beginning of June (yellow) and the last three weeks since Nucor’s initial price announcement (blue). A month ago, the physical market was in the doldrums. […]
Worthington Industries Inc. announced strong earnings for its fiscal 2023 fourth quarter, boosted by an exceptional performance from its steel processing business. The Columbus, Ohio-based manufacturing and steel processing company reported net earnings of $129.9 million for fiscal Q4 ended May 31, a 62% increase from $80.3 million in the same period one year prior. […]
Companies should keep a watchful eye on pricing and lead times, according to members of the Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) speaking on the June 27 meeting of its Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council. During May’s meeting, most HARDI participants thought that prices would continue to drop. Over half of the individuals thought it […]
The Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act introduced into Congress earlier this month is aimed at modernizing our trade laws for the 21st century, making sure they are strong and enforceable, according to Washington-based law firm Wiley Rein’s Tim Brightbill. Brightbill, partner and co-chair of the firm’s International Trade Practice, recently sat down with SMU to discuss […]
US mills are now seeking as much as $950 per ton ($47.50 per cwt) for hot-rolled coil after the latest round of price hikes. The big question remains whether that figure will stick, “stop the bleeding,” or if it risks failing. It’s too early to provide any concrete answers to that. Our latest market survey found […]
The US Department of Energy has awarded 10 projects with a combined $31.9 million in funding to help decarbonize the iron and steel industry. Through its Low Emissions Steel Manufacturing Research Program, the DOE funding will focus on advancements enabling decarbonization in both ore-based and scrap-based steelmaking, it said. Projects that convert existing operations to […]
Positive structural trends in the North American market are supporting strong earnings results for Commercial Metals Co. The Irving, Texas-based longs producer and metals recycler reported lower fiscal third-quarter sales and earnings compared to levels seen in the year-ago quarter during the 2022 earnings boom, but its results remain strong, said CEO Barbara Smith. “CMC […]
Ternium announced this week that its new slab mill will be built in Pesquería, Nuevo León, Mexico. The Luxembourg-based Latin American steelmaker had said earlier this year it would build an electric-arc furnace (EAF) and direct-reduced iron (DRI) facility in North America. Brownsville, Texas, had been rumored to be in the running for the new […]
U.S. Steel expects stronger earnings in Q2 vs. the prior quarter but lower than a year earlier. The company also said the planned startup of an electrical steel line at its Big River Steel operation in Arkansas is crucial to Q3. The Pittsburgh based steelmaker on Monday released adjusted-net-earnings-per-diluted-share guidance of $1.81 to $1.86 for Q2. This […]
The latest Empire State Manufacturing Survey shows an increase in business activity in the state of New York in June after a drop the prior month. The headline manufacturing general business conditions index from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York jumped up into the positive, rising by 38 points to 6.6 in the survey […]
What to make of the latest round of sheet prices hikes: Are they aimed at stopping the bleeding, getting buyers off the sidelines, or actually getting sheet prices back up again? These are serious questions now in a way that they weren’t after U. S. Steel first announced its price hike last Wednesday. That hike […]
We are counting down the days until SMU’s Steel Summit Conference on Monday-Wednesday, Aug. 21-23, in Atlanta. It’s only a little over two months away. Approximately 755 people have already registered. Our discounted room blocks are almost gone. Register here. The event will again be held at the Georgia International Convention Center, a massive conference center in close […]
The Biden administration over the last few months has articulated the need for a new global economic order. But to date, there is little in the way of ideas for implanting that order. Mostly, Katherine Tai, the US Trade Representative and Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor, have spoken about what’s wrong with the economic […]
Worthington Industries’ plan to split into two separate companies by early 2024 is full-steam ahead, and the man getting ready to helm the ship of the new Worthington Steel is Geoff Gilmore. Gilmore joined Worthington in 1998, and has served as EVP and COO since August 2018. He will be the CEO of Worthington Steel, […]
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects, including steel prices, demand levels, and import offers. Rather than summarizing the comments we received, we are sharing some of them in each buyer’s own words. We want to hear your thoughts, too! Contact david@steelmarketupdate.com to be included in our […]
A poll commissioned by the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) shows the vast majority of American voters support strong trade remedies and bringing manufacturing back to the US. The poll found nearly nine-in-10 voters (87%) agree the federal government should crack down on unfair trade, and four-in-five voters (82%) think the federal government should offer […]
General Motors said Monday it plans to invest $632 million in its Fort Wayne, Ind., assembly operation for future truck production. The Detroit-based automaker said the investment will prepare the plant for production of “the next-generation internal combustion engine (ICE) full-size light-duty trucks,” adding that product details and timing related to future trucks are not […]
The US and European Union are working on an agreement dealing with carbon emissions in the steel industry. The impact on bilateral trade could be high. In 2021, the US and EU agreed that the US would suspend the 25% Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum, and the EU would drop its World Trade […]
The LME aluminum three-month price is moving higher again as the week ending June 9 closes trading at $2,230/t. Failing to dip below the critical transition price of $2,000/t, The LME steadied itself despite very lackluster demand anywhere in the world. Trading in China also kept the regional exchange there neutral, if not a bit […]
General Motors Co. recently announced a series of investments to bolster its automobile manufacturing in the US – and it’s not all just for electric vehicles (EVs). Internal Combustion Engines The Detroit-based automaker plans to inject $1 billion into two of its manufacturing sites in Flint, Mich., for the production of heavy-duty trucks with internal […]
General Motors Co. recently announced a series of investments to bolster its automobile manufacturing in the US – and it’s not all just for electric vehicles (EVs). Internal Combustion Engines The Detroit-based automaker plans to inject $1 billion into two of its manufacturing sites in Flint, Mich., for the production of heavy-duty trucks with internal […]
Go figure, in the last month, HR spot has continued to decline. The index tied to CME HR futures has given up $140/ST ($1,130/ST to $990/ST). A look at the fundamentals would appear to support the latest market direction. The list includes declining steelmaking component prices (zinc, coking coal, iron ore and scrap), a sharply […]
Bipartisan legislation was introduced in Congress on Wednesday to level the playing field for American workers. The Leveling the Playing Field Act 2.0 would enhance US trade remedy laws to protect American workers and “combat China’s unfair, anti-free market trade practices that distort the global market,” according to a release from Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio). […]
H2 Green Steel has signed a memorandum of understanding with Mercedes-Benz for the potential supply of green steel made in North America. In the same news release on Wednesday, the Swedish sustainable steelmaker said it has signed a binding agreement with Germany-based Mercedes-Benz to deliver ~50,000 metric tons of green steel annually for use in the […]
I wanted a fresh perspective on the steel market this week, so I turned to a new voice – namely, ChatGPT. I won’t weigh in on whether the AI-driven chatbot is a useful tool, an extinction-level threat, or just another shiny object. That said, ChatGPT has been available publicly since Nov. 30, 2022. And it […]