By CRU senior analyst, Ryan McKinley Oversupply in most markets of the world is easing. The key trend we are following (and expecting to occur) is further output cuts in China, which should keep many markets more stable than they have been recently. In China, sheet oversupply will not ease in the coming week given […]
After seeing an increase last week, the active rig count in the US is back down. Canada’s rig count, however, saw an increase from the previous week, according to the latest data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The total US rig count sat at 675 active rigs as of July 14, down five from the week prior. […]
Steel prices continued to erode in June, a trend that began halfway through April. Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices ended June at $875 per ton (43.75 per cwt) on average, falling by $115 per ton throughout the month. The SMU Price Momentum Indicator for sheet products remained shifted to Neutral halfway through June, after turning Lower […]
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects, including steel prices, demand levels, import offers, and inventory. Rather than summarizing the comments we received, we are sharing some of them in each buyer’s own words. We want to hear your thoughts, too! Contact david@steelmarketupdate.com to be included in […]
Domestic scrap prices fell for busheling and shredded grades in July, while tags were mostly sideways to slightly up on heavy melting scrap, sources said. “Between tight scrap supplies, slightly better-than-expected domestic demand in the South and Ohio Valley, and relatively stable export pricing, the market trended sideways for obsolete grades in those regions as well […]
Sheet prices inched up this week on less discounting from major mills and on expectations that activity could improve in the coming weeks as OEMs return to the market following widespread summer shutdowns in early July. SMU’s hot-rolled coil price stands at $890 per ton ($44.50 per cwt), up $10 per ton from last week […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) last week announced a two- to four-week outage on the hot mill at its Sinton, Texas, flat-rolled mill. The company said on Friday, July 7, that the unplanned outage resulted from “caster shear equipment issues” that occurred on July 1, but that it will continue to operate the cold mill and coating lines. Steel Market Update has […]
Join us for SMU’s next Community Chat webinar with Wolfe Research managing director Timna Tanners. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, July 12, at 11 a.m. ET. It’s free for all to attend. A recording will be available to SMU members. You can register here. We’ll talk about what Tanners describes as “the myth […]
Raw steel production in the US has dropped for the second week in a row, according to data released on Monday, July 10, by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Steel production in the US stood at 1,711,000 net tons for the week ended July 8, down 1.7% from 1,740,000 the previous week. Domestic production is […]
US steel exports spiked in May to the highest monthly level in nearly five years. Exports reached 914,018 net tons in May (Fig. 1), according to the latest figures from the US Department of Commerce. That’s 19% higher month-on-month and 15% higher year-on-year. Recall that exports in March neared a five-year high; May’s total was […]
It’s the time of year when I’m going to be banging the drum about Steel Summit – even in the lede to Final Thoughts 🙂 We’ll get to the latest steel market trends in a moment. But first I want to highlight that hotels are still available near the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) in Atlanta, where […]
US steel imports climbed in June to the highest monthly level over the past 12 months, based on June import license data compiled by the US Department of Commerce. Import license applications reached 2,803,597 net tons in June, according to Commerce’s license count as of July 5. This was a 20.7% spike from the month […]
Steel Dynamics (SDI) announced a two- to four-week outage on the hot mill at its flat-rolled steel mill in Sinton, Texas. The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker said it expected the hot mill to restart before July 30. The company said in a release on Friday, July 7, that the outage, which was unplanned, resulted from “caster shear equipment […]
After nine weeks of declines, the oil and gas rotary rig count is back up in the US. Canada’s count also saw an increase from the previous week, according to the latest data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The total US rig count sat at 680 active rigs as of July 7, up six from the week […]
The LME aluminum 3-month price is moving down again after the 4th of July holiday and was last trading near $2,130 per metric ton (as of the writing of this article on July 7). The fact that the price resumed sharp declines and is not challenging the next resistance at $2,200 per metric ton shows […]
Steel shipments in the US fell 2.4% in May compared with a year earlier, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) said Thursday. Domestic steel mills shipped 7,721,633 net tons in May vs. 7,910,730 net tons in May 2022, but shipments increased 3% from the 7,499,979 net tons shipped in April, according to AISI. Year-to-date […]
Lead times were broadly stable this week, with sheet products rising modestly and plate unchanged from SMU’s market check two weeks ago. More meaningful movements in lead times should be seen in the coming weeks as buyers return to the market after the Fourth of July holiday. Should the mills’ recent sheet price hikes take […]
Sheet prices were little changed this week amid typically slower activity around the Fourth of July. Market participants said that another round of sheet price hikes might come later this week or early next to shore up an initial round of price increases announced in mid-June. In the meantime, some of the heavy discounting that […]
Join us for SMU’s next Community Chat webinar with Wolfe Research managing director Timna Tanners. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, July 12, at 11 am ET. It’s free for all to attend. A recording will be available to SMU members. You can register here. We’ll talk about what Tanners describes as “the myth […]
The US rig count fell yet again for the week ended June 30. This marks the ninth consecutive week rig counts have declined in the US. Canada also saw a decline after an increase the week prior, according to the latest data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The total US rig count stood at 674 active […]
As sheet prices continued to decline throughout June, the spread between hot-rolled coil (HRC) and galvanized coil base prices also shrank further. Recall that at the end of May, the galvanized premium over hot-rolled coil (HRC) averaged $175 per ton. As of this week, that premium had fallen to $150 per ton. Let’s look at […]
Our HRC price is flat this week, and there is a roughly 50/50 split between those who think the $50-per-ton sheet price hikes announced earlier this month will stick and those who think they won’t. I’m not going to weigh in on which side could be right. But it doesn’t appear to have fazed domestic mills, […]
A round of price increases announced by domestic mills in mid-June appears to have stabilized pricing for hot-rolled coil for the time being. Meanwhile, rumors of another round of price hikes ping-ponged around the market on Tuesday, with sources predicting another wave of hikes sometime between this week and mid-July. SMU’s average HRC prices stands […]
Companies should keep a watchful eye on pricing and lead times, according to members of the Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) speaking on the June 27 meeting of its Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council. During May’s meeting, most HARDI participants thought that prices would continue to drop. Over half of the individuals thought it […]
In May’s preliminary count, total US steel imports came in below import licenses tallied for the month. At the same time, however, flat-rolled steel imports came in higher than licenses originally suggested, according to the latest data from the International Trade Administration’s (ITA’s) steel import monitor. SMU’s previous analysis of May import data showed 2,395,039 […]
Our latest survey results indicate that the round of $50/ton ($2.50/cwt) sheet price hikes have a good chance of at least stabilizing prices or increasing them modestly. To be clear, SMU does not make formal forecasts. I’m basing this on what we’re seeing in past survey results following price hikes compared to what we’re seeing […]
Editor’s note: Steel Market Update is pleased to share this Premium content with Executive members. For information on how to upgrade to a Premium-level subscription, contact Lindsey Fox at lindsey@steelmarketupdate.com. Steel Market Update’s Demand Index reached a seven-month low this past week, according to the latest survey data. Apparent demand for flat-rolled steel in the […]
European sheet prices have declined sharply by €112-146 per metric ton ($110-144 per net ton) month-on-month (MoM), around 12-18% across all sheet products. In CRU’s latest assessment, German hot-rolled coil decreased by €125 MoM to €689 per metric ton ($680 per net ton), while Italian HR coil saw a drop of €146 to €657 per […]
US rig counts dropped for the week ended June 23, while Canada’s count increased, according to the latest data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. This marks the eighth consecutive week-over-week decline in the US and fifth consecutive weekly increase in Canada. The total US rig count stood at 682 active rigs as of June 23, off five from the […]
CRU research manager Stephen Williamson shares an update on the aluminum market and pricing with SMU readers. This article was written The LME rallied in the days following the debt ceiling resolution by Congress and the price of aluminum pressed towards $2,300 per metric ton. This week, however, the price fell back through a key […]