In this year’s edition of CRU Breakfast – part of LME Week – we explored three key themes that shaped the commodities markets – the global economic and commodities outlook, the changing role of China, and Navigating ESG. All three themes have been central to many developments in the industry and remain equally crucial moving […]
By Trade Attorney Lewis Leibowitz I used to love a PBS show called Connections. The title is still around, and I recall an episode years ago that explored the Space Shuttle. Thousands of “connections” were necessary before the spacecraft became a reality: chemistries to make substances capable of withstanding re-entry temperatures, power systems for rockets, […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Dimitry Popov and Analyst Wei Wang In recent weeks, China has been experiencing the worst power shortages in decades. Various industries in 20 provinces have been affected and even residential customers had power cuts in the extreme cases. Increasing electricity demand, short coal supply and the decarbonization drive are three main […]
Oil prices topped $80 per barrel this week for the first time since 2014, likely giving a boost to drilling activity and consumption of steel products such as line pipe and oil country tubular goods (OCTG). But don’t expect a big spike in the market. “The recent increases in oil and gas prices are certainly […]
By CRU Economist Frank Eich and CRU Research Analyst Clifton Hoong As addressing climate change has become an increasingly urgent political priority, policy makers have been keen to develop the available tool kit to address this challenge. Within that tool kit, carbon pricing plays an important role as it has been identified as one of […]
By CRU Economist Frank Eich, from CRU’s Global Economic Outlook COP26, the first Conference of the Parties since the outbreak of the pandemic, is widely seen as an important follow-up to the 2015 Paris Agreement. In 2015 countries committed to carbon reduction targets in the form of nationally-defined contributions. Expectations are high that governments will […]
Roughly half of the steel executives responding to Steel Market Update’s market trends questionnaire this week believe the infrastructure legislation now working its way through Congress will have a significant impact on steel demand in the next year or two. The other half are unsure if the two parties in Washington can reach agreement even […]
U.S. offshore wind energy is expected to grow rapidly, but bottlenecks in the market and a crucial lack of infrastructure mean that President Biden’s optimistic offshore wind target of 30GW by 2030 will almost certainly be missed, reports IHS Markit. Wind towers are a promising growth market for steel plate. IHS Markit expects U.S. offshore […]
Record steel prices = record profits for steel mills. And so it was record second-quarter profits all around, with even better expected in the third quarter. We’re not going to guess whether spot prices will continue upward for the balance of Q3. But contract prices, which lag spot prices, will. And that alone should be […]
Record steel prices = record profits for steel mills. And so it was record second-quarter profits all around, with even better expected in the third quarter. We’re not going to guess whether spot prices will continue upward for the balance of Q3. But contract prices, which lag spot prices, will. And that alone should be […]
One of the largest expansions in Nucor’s history – its $1.35 billion plate mill in Kentucky – is poised to come online at an opportune time should Congress pass a bipartisan infrastructure spending bill. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker anticipates the mill will be commissioned in late 2022 despite some delays in equipment deliveries, company executives said. And […]
By CRU Research Analyst Yusu Mao CRU hosted its inaugural Steel Decarbonization Strategies Virtual Conference from June 25-28. Policy makers, industry leaders and financial institutions from across the global steel value chain joined the event to discuss pathways to carbon neutrality, the financial tools to support necessary investment and the policy frameworks needed to make […]
Corporate executives in Europe have combined forces to lobby for policies to address climate change and to lead by example through their own companies’ actions. The new European CEO Alliance believes that fighting climate change will require a collective effort by all EU member states and collaboration between the public sector and industry to achieve […]
Record-high steel prices result not from Section 232 tariffs or industry consolidation but instead from uniquely strong supply-demand fundamentals, Cleveland-Cliffs’ top executive said. And an ambitious infrastructure package would go a long way toward keeping those fundamentals, and the resulting investment in the domestic steel industry, stronger for longer, he suggested. “We in this country […]
Record-high steel prices result not from Section 232 tariffs or industry consolidation but instead from uniquely strong supply-demand fundamentals, Cleveland-Cliffs’ top executive said. And an ambitious infrastructure package would go a long way toward keeping those fundamentals, and the resulting investment in the domestic steel industry, stronger for longer, he suggested. “We in this country […]
By CRU Research Manager Charlie Durant and Peter Ghilchik, CRU Head of Multi-Commodity Analysis 2021 is shaping up to be a year of economic recovery. CRU is forecasting the fastest annual growth in the world economy for 40 years, underpinned by successful vaccination programs and supportive fiscal and monetary policy. 3+1 Macro Themes In January, we […]
By CRU Chief Economist Jumana Saleheen and CRU Head of Fertilizers Chris Lawson, from CRU’s Steel Monitor Commodity prices have continued an upwards tear in 2021. Steel and its raw materials have seen the sharpest gains, but less well-known commodities such as fertilizers are also attracting attention. With such steep price rises, calls for a […]
Nucor has signed its second Virtual Power Purchase Agreement with another Texas energy provider. The 10-year VPPA with Ørsted Onshore North America, LLC, for 100 megawatts from Ørsted’s Western Trail wind farm adds to Nucor’s commitment to clean, renewable energy, the company said. In November, Nucor signed a VPPA with EDFR Renewables North America as […]
U.S. electric-arc furnace mills have a leg up on the world when it comes to meeting new carbon emissions standards–for now, said CRU Senior Analyst Ryan Smith. That’s according to a “carbon curve” Smith presented that is part of CRU Group’s Emissions Analysis Tool. The carbon curve is similar to the cost curve many steel […]
U.S. electric-arc furnace mills have a leg up on the world when it comes to meeting new carbon emissions standards–for now, said CRU Senior Analyst Ryan Smith. That’s according to a “carbon curve” Smith presented that is part of CRU Group’s Emissions Analysis Tool. The carbon curve is similar to the cost curve many steel […]
It might be comforting to have 2020 in the rear-view mirror, but 2021 could have a few tricks up its sleeves, an ArcelorMittal USA analyst said. The good news: The U.S. should see apparent steel consumption increase 6% in 2021 after it fell 16% in 2020, according to Ping Liang, senior analyst-strategic marketing, at ArcelorMittal […]
2021 will be a year of hope for recovery after the coronavirus pandemic left its mark on the world in 2020. Monitoring the speed and nature of the recovery will be vital to understanding all markets. Drawing on conversations between market experts and people across commodity value chains, CRU expects interest in three topics to […]
By CRU Senior Cost Economist Ross Cunningham, from CRU’s Steelmaking Raw Materials Monitor Global CO2 emissions have been rising since the start of the industrial revolution. This has caused rising global temperatures and severe weather events such as wildfires, flooding and drought. In 2015 the United Nations framework convention on climate change put together the Paris […]
Nucor is demonstrating its environmental commitment with the signing of a 15-year Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) for 250 megawatts of new solar energy in Texas. The agreement with EDF Renewables North America is Nucor’s first VPPA and the largest of its kind in the steel industry. EDFR plans to begin construction on the solar […]
By CRU China CEO John Johnson and Economist Yingrui Wang 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. China’s Five-Year Plan (FYP) is a key guide to the strategic direction of China. In this Insight we explain the significance […]
Nine days to go… I don’t know about you but my cell phone is being lit up with political calls/texts from both parties – including states I don’t live in. November 4th can’t get here fast enough… Steel Dynamics reported that their mills (all products) operated at 85 percent and their sheet mills achieved a […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Ryan Smith and Research Manager Paul Butterworth CRU analyzes hydrogen-steelmaking costs in the EU and explains why CO2 prices of more than $200/t-CO2 are required to incentivize an EU industry shift to these technologies. Climate Goals vs. Economics The 2050 goal for the EU economy is to be climate-neutral, meaning that […]
By CRU Senior Consultant Ibrahim Yucel, from CRU’s Steel Monitor Efforts to reshore critical supply chains and secure access to strategic materials have become a top political issue for many countries, and trade barriers are a common tool used by governments to help protect local producers of strategic materials. However, trade policy enforcements sometimes lead […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: Editor’s note: Lewis Leibowitz will be the featured speaker during the next SMU Community Chat at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. Register for the free webinar by clicking on this link. It is hard to believe that three months […]
Yesterday’s SMU Community Chat drew nearly 500 attendees to hear John Anton, associate director of the IHS Markit Pricing and Purchasing Service, give his analysis of the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the U.S. economy and steel market. His presentation prompted nearly two dozen questions from listeners, too many to cover during the Q&A portion of […]