Nucor Corp.’s first quarter 2018 consolidated net sales increased 9 percent from the previous quarter to $5.57 billion. Total tons shipped jumped 6 percent to 6.967 million tons. Consolidated net earnings were $354.2 million. Earnings in the steel segment improved in the first quarter due to higher steel prices and an 8 percent increase in […]
Nucor Executive Vice President of Raw Materials James Darsey will retire on June 9, 2018, after 39 years of service with the company. As of June 10, Craig A. Feldman, President of David J. Joseph Company and Nucor Vice President and General Manager, will be promoted to Executive Vice President of Raw Materials. Feldman will […]
Steel Market Update’s sources report that ferrous scrap prices have increased by $5 to $15 per gross ton in April, depending on the type and region. Some predict scrap prices are likely to decline in May. Strong domestic demand is the key driver of rising scrap prices, said one dealer in the North. “With few […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) futures market was written by David Feldstein. As the Flack Global Metals Director of Risk Management, Dave is an active participant in the hot rolled futures market, and we believe he provides insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Besides writing futures articles for Steel […]
The London Metal Exchange is planning to launch three regional futures contracts for hot rolled coil. The HRC contracts would be for North America, Northern Europe and FOB China. Timing and other details of the launch are not yet available, said an LME spokesperson. Metal Bulletin reported in a March 15 interview with LME CEO […]
The value of the U.S. dollar has strengthened in the last six weeks, though it remains down for the year. So far in 2018, the dollar has weakened by 8.1 percent, after a turnaround of 2.9 percent from Feb. 2 to March 16. Please see the end of this report for an explanation of data […]
The Associated General Contractors of America warn that tariffs on aluminum and steel will drive construction costs up. The February report from AGC follows: Construction costs escalated in February, driven by price increases for a wide range of building materials including steel and aluminum, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America […]
Anticipating the U.S. Commerce Department will soon begin considering applications for exemptions from the Trump administration tariffs on steel and aluminum, South Korea’s Dongkuk Steel has reportedly suspended its April exports to the United States. Reuters quoted a company spokesman who said the steelmaker has put its exports to the U.S. temporarily on hold while […]
The Associated General Contractors of America warn that tariffs on aluminum and steel will drive construction costs up. The February report from AGC follows: Construction costs escalated in February, driven by price increases for a wide range of building materials including steel and aluminum, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America […]
Nucor will add another rebar micro mill to its portfolio. On Monday, the company announced it will build a $240 million micro mill in Frostproof, Fla. This is the second rebar micro mill project Nucor has committed to in the past five months. In November, the company announced it will build a rebar micro mill […]
Total rolled steel imports declined by 14.8 percent, and sheet products by 13.6 percent, in the three months through February compared to the prior three-month period, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of federal Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data. This is the second edition of our new and expanded import report that now […]
Ferrous scrap prices have risen at a greater rate than expected by sources quoted in Steel Market Update last month. Scrap guru Mike Marley of World Steel Exchange Marketing reports that recent price increases have varied by region to region, and even within a few regions. In the North, shredded and cut grades are up […]
Key market indicators, and the trends they reveal, are the best they have ever been in Steel Market Update’s analysis. Data released in February shows that 18 of the 36 indicators are historically positive with only six negative. The balance is within the band of historically normal. Trends improved with 32 of the indicators heading […]
Liberty Steel, part of the GFG Alliance, will start recruiting workers for its recently acquired mill in Georgetown, S.C. The company hopes to restart production in the second quarter, following maintenance and upgrade of equipment and rampup of its electric arc furnace to full capacity as soon as feasible. Over the remainder of 2018, Liberty […]
Steel prices have been on an upward trajectory since October, but are likely to change direction by this summer, predicts John Anton, director of steel analytics for IHS Markit. Anton is scheduled to make another appearance as a panelist at Steel Market Update’s premier event, the 2018 Steel Summit Conference, set for Aug. 27-29 at […]
Steel prices have been on an upward trajectory since October, but are likely to change direction by this summer, predicts John Anton, director of steel analytics for IHS Markit. Anton is scheduled to make another appearance as a panelist at Steel Market Update’s premier event, the 2018 Steel Summit Conference, set for Aug. 27-29 at […]
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 The HR futures prices continue to grind higher in the near dates but have been lagging in the latter half of […]
Total rolled steel imports declined by 15 percent in the three months through January compared to the previous three-month period, August through October. Sheet product imports declined by 17.3 percent on the same basis, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of U.S. Department of Commerce data released Feb. 6. The data is reported within the […]
The Chinese government is changing the accounting procedures at both banks and the companies they loan money to, saying there can no longer be two sets of books. Steel Market Update has learned from one of our trading sources inside of China that the latest hot rolled price, Ex-Works (FOB Mill) for ASTM A36 in […]
Gerdau SA is divesting its Beaumont, Texas, wire rod mill and two downstream operations, Beaumont Wire Products and Carrollton Wire Products, to reduce its footprint in the U.S. long products market. Optimus Steel LLC will acquire the facilities for $92.5 million in a deal to close by the end of the year. The sale is […]
Steel Market Update publisher, John Packard, traded comments with a financial analysts who was of the opinion that demand was under duress and the future of the steel using markets was in doubt. This does not match our belief based on a review of the SMU Key Market Indicators. We are sharing this report with […]
In its year-end 2017 financial report, Nucor delivered its highest annual earnings since 2008. Consolidated net sales increased 25 percent to $20.25 billion, compared with $16.21 billion for fiscal 2016. Shipments to outside customers during 2017 totaled 26,492,000 tons, an increase of 9 percent from fiscal 2016. Average sales price per ton increased 15 percent. […]
As plugged into Washington as they may be, the leadership of the Steel Manufacturers Association is in the dark on Section 232, just like everyone else. Queried by reporters last week during SMA’s board meeting in Florida, the trade group’s officers could offer no inside information on what to expect from President Trump as he […]
Gerdau is making changes in its North American leadership. Peter Campo, president of the North American long steel division, will leave the company effective Jan. 23. Gerdau CEO Gustavo Werneck will lead operations until a new leader for the division is selected. “The recent change in our business portfolio in North America demanded a shift […]
Last year was a record breaker for Steel Dynamics in multiple areas. The company reported records for steel shipments, fabrication shipments, net sales, operating income and EBITDA. Annual net income totaled $813 million compared to $382 million in 2016. Net sales for the full year totaled $9.5 billion compared to $7.8 million the previous year. […]
Imports of rolled steel into the United States have been on the decline since peaking in July, based on a three-month moving average of government import data through the end of 2017. In three months through December compared to three months through September, total rolled steel imports declined by 16.8 percent, while sheet products dropped […]
In Q1 2018, long product imports increased by 9.5 percent compared to Q4 2017. Total long product imports were down by 150,000 tons per month year over year on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis, but there was a turn for the worse in the first quarter, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of federal […]
The January buy period saw ferrous scrap prices move significantly higher, lending support to recent mill price increases. While February is historically a down month for scrap, sources predict that February prices will be as high or even higher than January’s. January ferrous markets ended higher by $30 per gross ton for obsolete grades and […]
Zinc reached a 10-year high on Thursday, closing at $3,364 per metric ton on the London Metal Exchange. Zinc, used for galvanizing metals, has nearly doubled in price over the past two years as supplies have tightened. At the same time, demand has increased. Chinese demand grew by 2.1 percent last year, and U.S. demand […]
Key market indicators bode well for business conditions in the first quarter of 2018. Steel Market Update’s view of the present situation based on our examination of data released in December shows that 47.2 percent of the 36 indicators are historically positive with only 19 percent negative. The balance is within the historically normal band. […]