Steel market chatter this week
Earlier this week, SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics, ranging from market prices, demand, and inventories to imports and evolving market events.
Earlier this week, SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics, ranging from market prices, demand, and inventories to imports and evolving market events.
Nucor plans to add a new rebar fabrication facility adjacent to its new micro-mill in North Carolina.
US sheet prices continue to fall, with SMU’s average hot-rolled (HR) coil price now at $670 per short ton (st). Prices for cold-rolled and coated products are now in the mid/high $900s/st. As I noted in my last Final thoughts, the consensus among our readers is that prices will bottom out in July. And that makes intuitive sense. Lead times in mid/late July should be stretching into the typically busier fall months. The question then is where prices bottom.
US sheet prices continued to drift lower this week on lackluster demand, short lead times, and ample supply. SMU’s hot-rolled (HR) coil price now stands at $670 per short ton (st) on average, down $15/st from last week. Hot band is down $175/st from a recent high of $845/st in early April. It is also […]
Cleveland-Cliffs on Tuesday announced its monthly hot-rolled (HR) coil price of $720 per short ton (st) with the official opening of its August order book. The rate is down from last month’s price of $800/st.
The city of Quincy, Wash., in Grant County is being considered among possible locations for Nucor’s proposed rebar micro-mill in the Pacific Northwest, according to a local report.
Nucor's weekly hot-rolled (HR) coil price registered a notable decline this week.
Many of our contacts remain bearish about the very short-term direction of steel prices. But a consensus seems to be forming, according to our latest survey results, that a bottom will occur in July. Consensus is also that hot-rolled (HR) coil prices won't fall below $600 per short ton (st).
US sheet prices edged lower this week as discounting continues. Major factors remain ample supply, shorter lead times, and lower input costs. Meanwhile, demand had remained steady to soft, depending on the end market. SMU’s hot-rolled (HR) coil price now stands at $685 per short ton (st) on average, down $25/st from last week. Hot […]
Nucor priced its weekly hot-rolled (HR) coil consumer spot price (CSP) at $715 per short ton (st) this week, down $5/st from last week.
The conventional wisdom is that sheet prices will trend down for the next few weeks (maybe the next two months) before rising again in August – around when lead times stretch into the busier fall months. We see that reflected in our survey results and in market chatter. And there are plenty of data points to choose from if you want to support of that position.
Nucor Corp. has guided to much lower second-quarter earnings, as profitability in its steel mills segment suffers due to lower prices and volumes.
We’ve been writing a lot about sheet prices, and those for hot-rolled (HR) in particular, coming down. Here's one thing that hasn't dropped: The wide spread between HR and cold-rolled (CR) prices. That's what's in a chart below. And I'm using it as a rough proxy for galv and G'lume base prices as well
Trading activity for the CME HRC futures contract has been sporadic so far in June, with a few days seeing transacted volumes exceed 25,000 short tons (st), but overall activity remains muted. This follows a pattern that emerged over the course of May.
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics, ranging from market prices, demand, and inventories to imports and evolving market events.
Sometimes, words can lead you in interesting directions. Specifically, crosswords. For the last six weeks we have been making steel-themed crosswords in the lead-up to SMU's Steel 101 course in Fort Wayne, Ind., which is taking place today and tomorrow. I’ve learned snippets of steel history and educated myself on the finer points of sponge iron.
US sheet prices continued to tick down this week as supply seems to outweigh demand, and deep discounts are not only for large-ton buys.
Nucor said on Monday that it would lower its weekly hot-rolled (HR) coil price effective immediately. In a letter to customers, the company said its consumer spot price (CSP) for the week of June 10 would be $720 per short ton (st), a $60/st cut vs. the prior week. This is not the first big […]
Where do sheet prices go from here? How is the state of steel demand? And is the dip in prices we've seen just a case of the summer doldrums, or is it something more significant?
Now that June has arrived, the official countdown until SMU’s Steel Summit 2024 – North America’s premier flat-rolled steel conference – has begun. If you haven’t already registered, don’t delay. More than 700 attendees from more than 300 companies have already registered to be in Atlanta this August. In short, it’s poised to be another […]
Let’s start by asking this: Were the proclamations that Nucor’s published index prices would drift lower with the reality of a bear market for flat rolled ultimately a bit premature with the benefit of hindsight?
It feels like the summer doldrums arrived a little earlier than usual this year. I know there had been rumors of a price hike. The prospect of a sharply lower June scrap trade probably didn't help the chances of that actually happening.
US sheet prices remained on a downward course again this week amid chatter in some corners about a potential broader slowdown in demand. SMU’s hot-rolled (HR) coil price now stands at $730 per short ton (st) on average, down $20/st from last week and down $115/st from a recent high of $845/st in early April. […]
Nucor will increase galvanized and galvannealed coating extras effective July 6, 2024.
Nucor Corp. is adding another commercial door manufacturer to its growing portfolio of downstream companies. Charlotte, N.C.-based Nucor announced on Monday that it has agreed to purchase Rytec Corp. for $565 million in cash. Rytec produces high-speed, high-performance commercial doors at its two Wisconsin manufacturing facilities. The company’s rolling doors are used in warehouses, manufacturing […]
Nucor said on Monday that it would keep its weekly hot-rolled (HR) coil price flat this week. In a letter to customers, the company said its consumer spot price (CSP) for the week of June 3 will remain $780 per short ton (st). The sideways move comes after two consecutive weeks of a $10/st increases […]
There seems to be more question than usual about which way prices will go over the next few weeks. There is talk in some corners that Nucor’s announced $760 per short ton (st) for HR through mid-May, and subsequent increases marked a public attempt to call a price bottom. (Our price announcement calendar here is […]
We’re just a few months away from SMU’s Steel Summit 2024 – North America’s premier flat-rolled steel conference.
Hot-rolled coil prices are known for their volatility. There are a variety of hedging strategies industry players have used to manage it, one of them being the use of HRC futures. However, some have been hesitant to dip in their toe, and their money, in futures and have preferred other approaches.
Week over week, the futures curve saw minimal change.