Lewis Leibowitz, trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, offers the following commentary on the latest developments in Washington: The Trump administration announced new tariffs on China on Friday, covering about $36 billion in imports (2017 figures). Two lists were released. The first list consists of 863 tariff lines that will be subject to […]
Steel Dynamics is expecting second-quarter profitability to be “meaningfully” higher than the first quarter due to increased steel shipments and metal spread expansion. Steel pricing is outpacing scrap costs in Q2. Profitability has improved across all of SDI’s steel platform, but especially in sheet operations. The metals recycling division is expected to be level with […]
Foreign-made automobiles and parts may soon be facing tariffs if the administration is successful in its investigation to determine whether imports of automobiles and auto parts threaten to impair national security. On May 23, the Commerce Department initiated a Section 232 investigation on imported automobiles and parts, noting that during the past 20 years imports […]
Editor’s Note: Not a Premium-level subscriber to SMU? See the sample Premium report below: Imports of hot-dipped galvanized sheet into the U.S. as a whole declined by 8 percent year to date through April, but the Great Lakes region was up by 14.1 percent and the South Pacific was down by 33.8 percent. Imports can […]
Nucor expects earnings for its second quarter to increase significantly compared to first-quarter 2018 due to higher average selling prices and increased profitability. Deregulation, tax reform and higher, stable oil prices have contributed to stronger market conditions, said Nucor in the company’s earnings guidance statement. Profitability increased across all of Nucor’s steel mill product groups […]
Steel Market Update canvassed industry executives this week to gauge their expectations for steel prices and to see if they have felt any effects yet from the Trump administration’s tariffs on steel from Canada and Mexico. Most anticipate fallout from the tariffs in the coming weeks and months, including upward pressure on prices. Following are […]
This Steel Market Update analysis breaks down the imported tonnage of six flat rolled products into the district of entry and the source country. We believe that misinformation (or lack of) about regional import volumes is often used to influence purchase decisions. Our intent with this analysis is to describe in detail what is going […]
This Steel Market Update report examines the import share of sheet, plate, long and tubular products and 18 subcategories. Table 1 (click to enlarge) shows total supply to the market in three months through April and in 12 months through April for the four product groups and the 18 sub-categories. Supply to the market is […]
Premium subscribers to Steel Market Update receive reports on imports broken down into district of entry and source nation. This new report from SMU takes the analysis to the product detail level. Our rationale is that the more information steel buyers have about product coming into their region, the better job they can do of […]
Total rolled steel product imports declined in May, but increased by 24.1 percent from March through May, compared with the prior three-month period. Total rolled steel product imports in May declined by 18.8 percent following April’s 17.0 percent increase. Sheet products were down by 22.6 percent, longs were down by 8.9 percent and tubular goods […]
ArcelorMittal Mexico is requesting that government officials impose permanent tariffs on the import of steel slabs into Mexico from non-free-trade agreement countries. “Mexican slabs are without protection and we are working jointly and permanently with the SE to find a mechanism that could protect domestic production of slab from imports, which are impacting our ability […]
Many of you are already customers of CRU but for those who don’t know us as well, John thought it would be useful to say a little about what we do. CRU has been growing our services since we were formed in 1969 in London, and we now have about 260 employees in 12 countries […]
Many of you are already customers of CRU but for those who don’t know us as well, John thought it would be useful to say a little about what we do. CRU has been growing our services since we were formed in 1969 in London, and we now have about 260 employees in 12 countries […]
Two venerable Chicago-based metals distributors are joining forces, marking the latest big merger in the consolidating service center sector. Ryerson Holding Corp. has agreed to acquire Central Steel & Wire Co. in a transaction valued at $140 million. Acquisition of Central Steel and Wire will solidify Ryerson’s position as the second largest service center organization […]
The U.S. packaging industry, which relies on imports of tinplate, is among the many concerned about the effects of President Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. The Can Manufacturers Institute estimates that 42 percent of tinplate steel needs to be imported to manufacture food cans for American consumers. More than 60 percent of primary aluminum […]
Consumers in the United States may soon see their favorite products increase in price or become harder to find. In retaliation for Section 232 tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum, Canada plans to impose its own 25 percent and 10 percent tariffs on a wide variety of goods. The 25 percent tariff is restricted to […]
Based on the latest license data from the U.S. Department of Commerce reported earlier this week, we are expecting the trend for May steel imports to total approximatley 2.6 million net tons. That’s just over one million tons less than what was imported in April. We continue to see strength in coil and sheet plate […]
The American iron and steel industry supports nearly two million jobs and contributes more than $520 billion to the U.S. economy, when considering the direct, indirect (supplier) and induced impacts of related commerce, claims a study released last week by the research firm John Dunham & Associates. The study also shows that the iron and […]
The steel market is waiting anxiously to see what happens June 1 when the tariff exclusions are set to expire for Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Some expect the exclusions to be extended as trade negotiations continue. Most expect steel prices to remain steady or move higher, based on an informal canvass of Steel […]
Based on the latest license data from the U.S. Department of Commerce reported earlier this week, we are expecting the trend for May steel imports to total 2.5 million to 2.6 million net tons. We continue to see strength in plate imports, in both coil and sheet. Finished imports are trending toward 2.1 million net […]
With the price of oil now above $70 per barrel, the prospects appear positive for oil country tubular goods. But economic and political tensions on a global scale will keep energy prices uncertain. The spot price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) broke through $70 on May 7 for the first time since Nov. 27, 2014. […]
Service centers held essentially the same number of months of supply of flat rolled steel inventories at the end of April as they did as of the end of March 2018. SMU Service Center Months of Supply Index for flat rolled (sheet) steel is 2.7 months based on responses from 95 percent of the steel […]
Flat rolled prices increased slightly on most products this past week, according to the steel price indexes followed by Steel Market Update. Plate prices were seen as being slightly lower than what was published one week ago. Benchmark hot rolled has been relatively stable over the past few weeks. SteelBenchmarker, which only publishes prices twice […]
In its final determination in the Vietnam CORE anti-circumvention case, the Commerce Department ruled Thursday that imports of corrosion-resistant galvanized steel from Vietnam will still be subject to substantial antidumping and countervailing duties unless the importer can prove the substrate used in the production process was not sourced from China. “Commerce may face challenges to […]
In its final determination in the Vietnam CORE anti-circumvention case, the Commerce Department ruled Thursday that imports of corrosion-resistant galvanized steel from Vietnam will still be subject to substantial antidumping and countervailing duties unless the importer can prove the substrate used in the production process was not sourced from China. “Commerce may face challenges to […]
Demand remains strong and prices for galvanized steel have begun to level off after rising for most of the year, which is positive news for the HVAC industry. However, a big decline in foreign imports could dramatically reduce the availability of coated steel later in the year. “In the fourth quarter, there could be quite […]
Steel prices are way up and likely to move even higher given events on the trade front. But, so far, they have not hurt demand in the HVAC sector, reported members of the Heating, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) on Tuesday during the trade association’s monthly steel conference call. John Packard, publisher of Steel […]
Demand remains strong in the HVAC sector despite the high steel prices, but distributors share an uncomfortable feeling that the favorable conditions may not last. “Business is good, and prices are high, but they are going to fall. When is anyone’s guess. You just have to try to protect yourself and have the least amount […]
Distributors of products for the HVAC sector expect prices for steel, especially galvanized, to drop in the coming weeks or months. Demand remains strong, they report, but they are keeping inventories lean in anticipation of declining prices. “There is a greater likelihood that prices will go down than go up. With the lead times being […]
March was a strong month for both steel mill shipments and demand for rolled steel products, but this was partly a seasonal effect. This conclusion is based on Steel Market Update’s analysis of data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the U.S. Department of Commerce. March was a good month for both […]