The mill negotiation rate was mixed this week for sheet products but relatively level, while the rate for plate jumped over 15 percentage points from two weeks earlier, according to SMU’s most recent survey data.
I wrote on Sunday about U.S. Steel being for sale and Cleveland-Cliffs announcing that it was the among bidders for the iconic Pittsburgh-based steelmaker. I have heard some interesting theories on who the other bidders might be. Foreign mills, domestic mills, private equity - even Elon Musk, which I think is when things started to really jump the shark.
Sheet prices slipped again, continuing a trend of lower week-over-week tags that began in mid-July.
I planned to write this column about some of the big themes we’ll be discussing at Steel Summit. That plan changed when U.S. Steel announced on Sunday afternoon that it was conducting a formal review of a sale of all or part of the company after receiving multiple unsolicited offers. It changed yet again when Cleveland-Cliffs said its offer for U.S. Steel had been rejected.
U.S. Steel dropped a bombshell on Sunday, announcing that it started a formal process to review multiple unsolicited offers for the company. Cleveland-Cliffs followed with an explosive announcement of its own just hours later: that it had offered to buy U.S. Steel and that the board of the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker had rejected its offer as "unreasonable."
July 2023- Facetime: Steel market analyst JOSH SPOORES talks with Modern Metals about CRU steel prices Q: Josh, you have been involved in the steel industry for quite a while. Can you give MM’s readers a quick summary of your experience? A: I joined the industry in 2005 and worked at a mill, service center, my own research company and then have been at CRU since 2012. I started learning the industry at Majestic Steel USA. They bought and sold in the spot market and carry a huge amount of inventory in anticipation of sales. Working there taught me an incredible amount about procurement strategy as well as how to develop a unique brand of market analysis. It’s this real-world analysis that matters—immersing yourself in data points and information, but, at the same time, making sure to eliminate any excess noise.
First, I want to say a big “thank you” to everyone who is attending Steel Summit this year. Earlier this week, we officially broke the attendance record we set last year. Numbers continue to rise. More than 1,300 will be there when the event kicks off on Monday, Aug. 21, at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta.
Canadian steelmaker Stelco reported lower results in the second quarter year over year on decreased average selling price per net ton and lower shipping volume, but earnings improved sequentially on higher average selling prices.
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects, including steel prices, demand levels, sheet prices abroad, inventory, and what people are talking about in the market.
Steel shipments in the US rose year over year in June but decreased sequentially, according to the latest figures from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).
SMU’s hot-rolled coil price slipped a little below $800 per ton ($40 per cwt) this week for the first time in more than six months. You’d think that might have caused more of a fuss than it appears to have. Instead, many of the conversations I’ve had with folks in the market today have been […]
A strike at the Big Three Detroit automakers continues to loom on the horizon, and that potential is increasing as the United Autoworkers (UAW) union is pushing for big changes to labor contracts in the wake of soaring profits from the automakers.
Steel buyers continue to keep a close eye on prices and inventory levels as we head into the last four months of 2023.
SMU senior analyst David Schollert provides an overview of steel market indicators for the month of July.
Steel Market Update’s Demand Index has now been contracting territory for the better part of the past 3-plus months, according to the latest survey data.
US Midwest premium has continued to trend lower. Slack end-use demand is the main driver as the CME backwardation holds for dates further out in 2023. Lower freight and weak LME prices lower the replacement costs of aluminum and thus lower the floor for the premium.
The spread between hot-rolled coil (HRC) and galvanized coil base prices widened over the last month as hot rolled prices declined faster than prices for galvanized product.
US steel imports look to have fallen significantly during the month of July, based off license data from the US Department of Commerce collected through July 31.
It feels like the market is in a bit of a holding pattern. Lead times are roughly sideways, according to our latest check of the market. Will they begin to extend now that most mills are into September not only for cold-rolled and coated products but also for hot band?
The summer cycle has brought more focus around the uncertainty of where HR prices are headed. Spot indexes continue to bleed lower despite price hikes from sheet mills. Market talk is of still lower prices as the gap grows between the slow-moving index versus expectations for HR future prices declines. (The index likely reflects smaller, […]
Movements in lead times were again mixed in SMU’s market check this week, with most products mostly sideways compared to two weeks ago.
Our sheet prices are down again this week. Some of you think it’s a sign of something ominous, others think it’s just a case of seasonality. It might help to step back and put things in perspective.
Sheet prices slipped for the third consecutive week on continued discounts from certain mills for larger buyers.
In administrative reviews of the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on corrosion resistant (galvanized/Galvalume) steel from South Korea, the US Department of Commerce has preliminarily adjusted the duties downward.
Nucor has received its final federal permit to begin construction on its sheet mill in Mason County, W.Va.
Nucor has received its final federal permit to begin construction on its sheet mill in Mason County, W.Va. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said it received the permit on Friday from the US Army Corps of Engineers to start work on the ~$3.1-billion project. Construction is set to begin immediately and expected to last approximately two years, Nucor […]
The rig count roller coaster continues, with numbers dropping in the US but inching up in Canada this week, according to the latest data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The total US rig count dipped to 664 active rigs as of July 28, down five from the week prior. Active oil rigs in the US decreased […]
There is a lot going on at SMU right now. We’re going to be rolling out a new website over the next few days. We’ve also got more than 1,200 people registered to attend Steel Summit this year, putting us on pace to potentially break last year’s attendance record of nearly 1,300. The event is […]
Steel prices and shipment volumes will probably be lower in the third quarter than they were in the second, U.S. Steel executives said.
There is a lot going on at SMU right now. We’re going to be rolling out a new website over the next few days. We’ve also got more than 1,200 people registered to attend Steel Summit this year, putting us on pace to potentially break last year’s attendance record of nearly 1,300.