Ferrous scrap prices are likely to trade flat to down a further $20 per ton in August, following on a $20-40 drop in July, lending little support to the mills’ hopes to raise finished steel prices as the economy slowly recovers from the pandemic. CRU Senior Analyst Ryan McKinley said stronger demand for scrap exports […]
The trough for steel volume, particularly for flat rolled steel, has passed and the second half looks promising, said Steel Dynamics CEO Mark Millett. Back orders are strong and order intake rates have picked up due to increasing demand as businesses resume operations following COVID-19 shutdowns. “It is still not possible to determine the full […]
As expected, ferrous scrap prices declined in July, adding downward pressure to already weak finished steel prices. Steel Market Update sources report that obsolete scrap traded down $10-20 per ton, while prime grades were lower by $40 across the country. Scrap supplies have increased at a greater rate than steel production, say the experts, which […]
Ferrous scrap prices most likely will move lower in July as scrap supplies are increasing at a greater pace than steel demand. Finished steel prices have shown some weakness lately as the market struggles to get back on track and are unlikely to get any help from scrap next month. Ferrous scrap prices rose $30-40 […]
CRU analysts, speaking during a virtual version of their Annual New York Steel Briefing earlier today, said volatility is in the cards for steel pricing as demand increases and new EAF capacity comes online. CRU forecasts sheet consumption will fall 17.6 percent or 12.4 million metric tons year-over-year in 2020, and long and plate products […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) steel and financial futures markets was written by Jack Marshall of Crunch Risk LLC. Here is how Jack saw trading over the past week: Steel Uncertainty is leading to softer HR prices as optimistic forecasts are met by a slower than expected recovery process. A case […]
Raw materials prices have seen varying trends in the past month or two as the coronavirus has had varying effects on different commodities in different parts of the world. Iron ore prices have stayed relatively high due to strong demand in China, where COVID-19 restrictions have been eased. Virus-related disruptions to Brazilian mining operations have […]
By CRU Prices Analyst George Pearson, from CRU’s Steel Monitor In the U.S. Midwest market this week, sheet prices were somewhat mixed with HR coil near steady w/w while HDG coil fell by $19 /s.ton to $650 /s.ton and CR coil inched up by $4 /s.ton to $697 /s.ton. Our full HDG coil price, reflecting […]
Ferrous scrap prices, which were widely expected to move higher again in June, traded “mostly sideways” as supplies increased while demand continued to lag, report Steel Market Update sources. In May, ferrous scrap prices settled up $30 per ton for shredded and up $40-50 per ton for busheling as coronavirus shutdowns disrupted scrap generation and […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) steel and financial futures markets was written by Jack Marshall of Crunch Risk LLC. Here is how Jack saw trading over the past week: Steel There’s been more muted trading as the market reflects lower volumes and takes a more cautious wait-and-see approach. Lately the focus […]
Ferrous scrap remains in limited supply, prompting predictions that scrap prices will settle still higher in June, on top of the big increase in May. Steel Market Update sources forecast an increase of $10-20 per ton for obsolete grades and $20-30 per ton for prime grades in June from May levels. Higher scrap prices may […]
Wholesalers of HVAC products have weathered the pandemic surprisingly well so far and are more concerned about construction demand months from now than they are about their near-term prospects. Consider what has happened since April as a result of the market’s response to the virus: Steel mills are operating at just above 50 percent of […]
Pandemic is a public health issue, not a political issue. I watched just a few minutes of the Senate testimony today with Dr. Fauci, Dr. Redfield of the CDC, Dr. Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, and Admiral Giroir, the Assistant Secretary for Health. I thought one question and answer was interesting in […]
Ferrous scrap prices for May have settled up $30/GT for shredded and up $40-50/GT for busheling as the coronavirus shutdowns have disrupted scrap generation and collection, resulting in extremely tight supplies. Higher scrap prices may lend support to the higher finished steel prices announced by the mills this week. The tight supply is a more […]
Nucor has resumed production at its Louisiana direct-reduced-iron plant, but its DRI facility in Trinidad remains closed. As company executives reported during their conference call on Tuesday, the Louisiana facility was brought safely back online after a brief pause earlier this month. “Our DRI plants give us a great deal of flexibility and are a […]
“The scrap market is almost certainly going to go sideways if not higher in May due to the extreme supply squeeze we have seen this month,” said CRU Senior Analyst Ryan McKinley. Ferrous scrap prices weakened for much of the first quarter, punctuated by a $30-50 per ton decrease in April. But May scrap prices […]
By John Packard and Tim Triplett Steel Market Update has been asked: How does the COVID-19 pandemic compare to the Great Recession, in terms of its impact on the steel market? The full effect of the coronavirus crisis on the U.S. economy and steel demand is still to play out, of course, but some comparisons […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) steel and financial futures markets was written by Jack Marshall of Crunch Risk LLC. Here is how Jack saw trading over the past week: Steel Falling demand and mill capacity utilization rates below 60 percent do not seem to have damped the HR futures curve since […]
With much of U.S. manufacturing on hold to control the spread of the coronavirus, it’s no surprise that steel production and demand for scrap are substantially lower than last month. Ferrous scrap prices are generally trading down $50 per ton for obsolete grades and $30 per ton for prime grades in April, reported Steel Market […]
There is going to be a rush of bad news flooding televised and online media. Here at Steel Market Update, we and our parent company The CRU Group will do everything we can to keep readers advised with the most accurate and timely information possible. This is one of the reasons we are beginning our […]
Ferrous scrap prices are expected to drop sharply in April as a result of all the market disruptions from the coronavirus. How sharply is unclear. Almost certainly lower scrap prices will add to the downward pressure already being felt on finished steel prices. Some reports claim scrap could plummet by as much as $100/GT, but […]
Ferrous scrap prices are expected to drop sharply in April as a result of all the market disruptions from the coronavirus. How sharply is unclear. Almost certainly lower scrap prices will add to the downward pressure already being felt on finished steel prices. Some reports claim scrap could plummet by as much as $100/GT, but […]
U.S. automakers are suspending production for nearly two weeks to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Ford, General Motors and FCA announced on Wednesday that they will stop all production in North America starting Thursday evening and tentatively ending March 30. “GM and the UAW have always put the health and safety of the people […]
Ferrous scrap prices surprised to the low side in March, trading sideways to up just $10 per ton, well below initial expectations of up $10-30/GT. The mills were anticipating that higher scrap prices this month would lend support to the $40 increase in finished steel prices they announced last week. “In the Ohio Valley, obsolete […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Ryan McKinley, from CRU’s Steel Metallics Monitor The CRU metallics price indicator (CRUmpi) rose by 5.9 percent m/m to 223.5 (see chart) following price increases in nearly every market, the highest level since August 2019. Solid scrap demand has offset better than seasonally typical supply due to mild winter weather in the Northern Hemisphere. […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Ryan Smith and Senior Consultant Sarah Macnaughton, from CRU’s Crude Steel Market Outlook Climate change is moving up the political agenda and putting increasing pressure on heavy industry to reduce their CO2 emissions. As the largest producer of global industrial CO2 emissions, the steel sector has a clear role to play in meeting […]
Steel Dynamics CEO Mark Millett enthusiastically spoke of the new steel mill planned for Sinton, Texas, during the company’s third-quarter earnings call. “We are excited about our Sinton, Texas, flat roll steel mill project, and the associated long-term value creation it will bring through geographic and value-added product diversification. This facility is designed to have […]
By CRU Principal Analyst Josh Spoores The North American sheet market has taken a turn for the worse. At a time when sheet demand and prices have already been stunted by a weaker trend of industrial growth and sheet demand, two recent events are only now starting to affect sheet prices: an on-going strike at […]
By CRU Analyst Ryan McKinley Domestic scrap prices in the U.S. fell by $30-40 /l.ton in September depending on region and grade—by about $20 /l.ton lower than was generally expected by the market. The steeper-than-expected decline was caused by a confluence of factors including ample supply, mill outages and a weakening export market. Obsolete prices were […]
“If you want to be successful in this business you need to understand the market you serve,” said Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves at the Credit Suisse Basic Materials Conference on Tuesday. Goncalves appears to know what he is doing, having transformed Cleveland-Cliffs from a failing enterprise into a solid business with a unique market position. […]