President Joe Biden will be in Pittsburgh next week to unveil his administration’s multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure spending plan. The plan will focus on both physical and technological infrastructure, the president said in a press conference. Spending on infrastructure is about both creating jobs and making the United States a more attractive place to do business, Biden […]
Canada-based Nova Steel plans to move forward on construction of a new pipe and tube steel plant in Delta, Ohio. Originally slated to begin construction in May 2020, the project was delayed due to the COVID-19 crisis. The facility will be located in proximity to North Star BlueScope and will utilize steel coil from the […]
A railway network spanning Canada, the U.S. and Mexico is in the planning by Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern Railways. The two companies have entered into a merger agreement in which CP will acquire KCS for $29 billion and assume $3.8 billion of KCS debt. If approved by the Surface Transportation Board, it will […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. forecast higher first- and second-quarter results, fueled by strong shipments and record steel prices, according to guidance issued Wednesday. “First-quarter 2021 profitability from the company’s steel operations is expected to be significantly higher than sequential fourth-quarter results, driven by flat roll metal spread expansion, as strong demand continues to support flat roll steel prices,” […]
By CRU Principal Analyst Erik Hedborg, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor Iron ore prices have fallen back to $200 /dmt as Chinese demand continues to weaken and the country’s ports have registered the highest level of iron ore inflow since Q1. On Tuesday, July 27, CRU assessed the 62% Fe fines price at $200.0 /dmt, […]
The deep freeze last month across a large swath of the U.S. showed how fragile the U.S. freight system is, said DAT Freight and Analytics. “In 2020, things bent but they didn’t break,” Ken Adamo, chief of analytics at DAT told Logistics Management. “In the last two weeks of February, things very much broke. Shipments […]
U.S. Steel is expanding its advanced high-strength steel offering with the acquisition of the flat rolled sheet patents and trademarks of The NanoSteel Company, Inc. NanoSteel technology is used to produce the most formable high-strength steel currently available. The patented proprietary alloys, designed and developed by The NanoSteel Company, derive exceptional mechanical properties from their […]
It took 20 years, but the nation’s infrastructure GPA is no longer in the D range. The 2021 Report Card issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers gives America’s infrastructure a C-, a passing grade that still leaves plenty of room for improvement. Rail transit was the brightest spot in this year’s report, receiving […]
“Life at Cleveland-Cliffs has been intense,” said CEO Lourenco Goncalves, referring to a pandemic-challenged year in 2020 and major changes to what just one year ago was an iron ore company. “Without question, 2020 was the most transformational year in our company’s 173-year history,” said Goncalves. “We completed two seminal acquisitions, AK Steel and ArcelorMittal […]
“Life at Cleveland-Cliffs has been intense,” said CEO Lourenco Goncalves, referring to a pandemic-challenged year in 2020 and major changes to what just one year ago was an iron ore company. “Without question, 2020 was the most transformational year in our company’s 173-year history,” said Goncalves. “We completed two seminal acquisitions, AK Steel and ArcelorMittal […]
This report is an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data and is intended to provide subscribers with a view of the competitive position of sheet steel, aluminum, plastic and wood. The analysis includes some downstream products and a comparison of truck and rail transportation. On Feb. 17, the BLS released its series of […]
Black Swan Events One of the areas I cover when I am teaching my segment of our Steel 101 workshop is Black Swan Events and how they can impact the steel market – especially steel prices. Most of the United States appear to be having a Black Swan Event in the form of unusually cold […]
Black Swan Events One of the areas I cover when I am teaching my segment of our Steel 101 workshop is Black Swan Events and how they can impact the steel market – especially steel prices. Most of the United States appear to be having a Black Swan Event in the form of unusually cold […]
Severe winter weather across much of the U.S. has slowed commerce to a crawl in many areas, including disruptions to steel production and shipments that could linger for days. The National Weather Service warned Tuesday that the major winter storm responsible for producing big snow and ice accumulations in parts of the central and eastern […]
Severe winter weather across much of the U.S. has slowed commerce to a crawl in many areas, including disruptions to steel production and shipments that could linger for days. The National Weather Service warned Tuesday that the major winter storm responsible for producing big snow and ice accumulations in parts of the central and eastern […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. turned in a remarkable fourth quarter and 2020 results despite a year fraught with challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. SDI posted its second highest record for yearly steel shipments at 10.7 million tons. The company’s fabrication platform shipped a record 666,000 tons. Metals recycling posted operating income of $45 million in 2020 […]
This report is an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data and is intended to provide subscribers with a view of the competitive positions of sheet steel, aluminum, plastic and wood. The analysis includes some downstream products and a comparison of truck and rail transportation. On Jan. 15, the BLS released its series of […]
This report is an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data and is intended to provide subscribers with a view of the competitive position of sheet steel, aluminum, plastic and wood. The analysis includes some downstream products and a comparison of truck and rail transportation. On Dec. 10, the BLS released its series of Producer […]
Steel Dynamics announced leadership appointments for its new Sinton Mill, Columbus Flat Roll Steel Division and a new position for SDI’s flat roll steel metallics strategy. Dennis Black will become the General Manager of the Southwest-Sinton Flat Roll Division, effective Feb. 1, 2021. Black will be responsible for operations at the new Sinton Texas Flat […]
My “final thoughts” provide me an opportunity to give my opinions on a wide range of topics. Some are directly steel related and some are not. The question we are all asking ourselves today is what will a Biden administration mean for business? Here are some thoughts I picked up from my reading over the […]
Hot rolled steel prices just keep rising. Steel Market Update puts the current benchmark price for HR at $685 per ton. How much higher can it go before correcting? Opinions vary widely. Responses to Steel Market Update’s market trends questionnaire this week indicate that a solid majority (62 percent) of industry executives believe the HR […]
North American freight volumes are almost back to 2019 levels, says Cass Information Systems. The September Cass Freight Index for shipments rose 7.1 percent from August to September and was just 1.8 percent below last year’s levels. The index recovered 27.6 percent since reaching a low in April. Cass expects shipments to remain strong through […]
The former AK Steel site near Kansas City is the location for a new Missouri River intermodal terminal thanks to a $9.88 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to the Kansas City Port Authority. “Kansas City is already a major freight hub for the central United States, and this grant will help us […]
Steel Market Update is pleased to share this Premium content with Executive members. For information on upgrading to a Premium-level subscription, email Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com. Following is an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Producer Price Index data. The PPI is a family of indexes that measure the average change over time in the prices received […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Erik Hedborg, from CRU’s Raw Materials Monitor The iron ore price has risen again in the past week as offloading activities have continued while demand from China’s steel mills has been robust. On Tuesday, Sept. 1, CRU has assessed the 62% Fe fines price at $124.5 /dmt, up by $1.5 /dmt […]
Samuel Roll Form Group, a division of Samuel, Son & Co., is expanding operations at its Iuka, Miss., facility and adding 30 jobs. “Our team is very excited about Samuel’s investment in Iuka. The additional 67,000-square-foot process bay will accommodate a number of additional rolling mills and complementary steel fabricating equipment,” said Samuel Roll Form […]
Canadian-based Nova Tube & Steel says it will delay construction of its new pipe and tube steel plant in Delta, Ohio, until next year. The company plans to build a $70 million facility that will produce structural tubing. Construction was originally scheduled to begin on May 1 of this year, but was delayed due to […]
Cleveland-Cliffs is getting back to normal after idling 15 facilities in three months due to the impacts of COVID-19. As of today, all facilities, including the AK Steel Dearborn furnace, are back to operation with the exception of North Shore and Tilden, which will resume next week. Idling costs of around $50 million will be […]
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 […]
By CRU Senior Cost Economist Ross Cunningham, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor The Brent crude price is often deemed a bellwether for the global economy. A high oil price increases inflation and impacts economic growth. It influences global confidence, affects investment decisions and weighs on exchange rates—particularly those of large oil exporters. In the […]