Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) expects lower third-quarter earnings on the heels of “meaningfully lower” prices at its flat-rolled steel operations. The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker expects Q3’24 earnings of $1.94 to $1.98 per diluted share, according to figures released on Monday. That’s down from $2.72 per share in Q2’24 and down from $3.47 per share in Q3’23.
Domestic raw steel mill production eased last week but remains at a healthy rate, according to the latest release from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).
We got a little flack for adjusting our sheet momentum indicators to neutral last week. To be clear, we didn’t adjust them to lower. Part of the reason we moved them to neutral was because there are some unusual cross-currents in the current market. On the news side, you could make a case that there should nowhere to go but up.
It had been a relatively quiet and steady CME HRC futures market since the end of August. That was upended by Thursday’s news that instead of a two-week maintenance outage, Cleveland-Cliffs would hot idle the C-6 blast furnace at its Cleveland Works for an uncertain period of time. The CME October HRC contract, HRCV4, gained $22 per short ton (st) on the day to provisionally close at $744/st on Thursday. The first and second quarter futures strips of 2025 gained $25/st and $24/st to provisionally settle at $823/st and $829/st, respectively.
Negotiation rates have edged lower from our previous market check, a downward trend witnesses since July.
SMU’s steel price indices showed mixed signals for a second consecutive week. Our hot rolled, cold rolled, and plate price indices inched lower from last week, as the galvanized index held steady and Galvalume's ticked higher.
SMU Steel Summit 2024 speakers weighed in on an array of topics surrounding the electric vehicle movement, including advancements in technology and infrastructure, consumer adaptation, and regulatory challenges
Following May’s five-month low, US steel exports ticked higher in July, according to the latest US Department of Commerce data. The amount of steel exiting the country rose 6% month on month (m/m) to 818,000 short tons (st). This is back in line with trade levels seen in recent months.
Domestic steel producers and the United Steelworkers (USW) union filed a barrage of trade cases last week. This is hardly news. Ever since the Commerce Department ruled that Vietnam is still treated as a nonmarket economy (NME) for antidumping purposes, many in the business expected new cases on the product that Vietnam excels at—“corrosion-resistant steel.” Nor is it a surprise that these cases roped in nine countries in addition to Vietnam: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. All these countries rank in the top ten exporters of corrosion-resistant steel to the United States. These petitions are a broadside against coated flat-rolled steel imports.
July represents the second-lowest monthly rate for steel imports so far this year.
Sheet prices didn’t roar back after Labor Day. But steel market news sure came out of the gate strong (or maybe chaotically is the better way to put it). First, the nearly $15-billion proposed sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel exploded into the news. And when I say exploded, I mean that all sides seem to be escalating things now.
US mills have filed or soon will file a sprawling trade petition against imports of coated flat-rolled steel from 10 countries. The petition seeks anti-dumping margins against Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the Netherlands, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Taiwan, Australia, and South Africa. It also seeks countervailing duty margins against Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Vietnam. That’s according documents dated Sept. 5 and addressed to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and International Trade Commission (ITC) Secretary Lisa Barton.
US hot-rolled (HR) coil prices were largely flat over the past week, remaining higher than tags for offshore material on a landed basis for a second consecutive week.
Welcome back from Labor Day, from Steel Summit, and from whatever fun you might have had over the long weekend. Personally, I enjoyed camping with friends and family near Starved Rock. No one starved, there were no major injuries, and we enjoyed the many splendors of Mystical Fire. (Speaking of which, does that have industrial uses? But I digress.)
SMU indices moved higher on cold rolled products this week, while galvanized prices were flat. Our indices for plate, hot rolled, and Galvalume all edged lower.
Steel Market Update will be taking time off in observance of Labor Day. We will not publish an issue on Sunday, Sept. 1, and our offices will be closed on Monday, Sept. 2. Our weekly pricing service will not be impacted. We will resume our regular publication schedule and our pricing service on Tuesday, Sept. […]
Current steel mill lead time averages are a few days longer than levels seen one month prior, but remain near historical lows for both sheet and plate products.
Both our Current and Future Indices are now up to multi-month highs, indicating continued optimism among steel buyers.
Having risen for three weeks in a row, weekly production is now at the highest rate seen since February 2023.
Nucor’s weekly consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil increased $15 per short ton (st) from last week to $710/st.
The big show is just about here. SMU Steel Summit will be getting underway on Monday. Where does the networking begin? I’d say at the airport. So don’t forget your business cards. And it can't hurt to wear a company golf shirt.
The utility industry has sounded the alarm over potential increases in Section 301 tariffs affecting solar photovoltaic cells, batteries and transformers. The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) and the White House have unveiled proposals to increase the current 7.5% tariffs to 25% after the end of this month. An announcement is pending.
Steelmaking raw material prices have moved in differing directions across August, a change of pace from the declines seen in June and July, according to SMU’s latest analysis.
Global steel output fell 5% in July according to World Steel Association’s (worldsteel) latest release. Total steel mill production around the world tallied up to 152.8 million metric tons (mt) for the month of July, the second-lowest monthly rate seen this year.
Cleveland-Cliffs aims to fetch $730 per short ton (st) for hot-rolled coil, up $30/st from its last published price. The steelmaker said the move was effectively immediately and “due to ongoing market developments” in a letter to customers on Wednesday, Aug. 21.
Sheet prices trended sideways to modestly up this week in a market that appears to be in “wait-and-see” mode.
Three out of four of our market survey respondents report that steel mills are open to negotiating new order prices this week, a slight decline compared to our previous market check.
SMU’s sheet prices increased across the board this week, marking the third consecutive week of rising prices, while plate prices held stable.
Specialty steel maker Metallus, formerly known as TimkenSteel, has officially begun work on a bloom reheating furnace at its Faircrest plant in Ohio.
Nucor’s weekly consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil is unchanged from last week at $690/ton.