North America could be a bright spot in the global steel industry in a mostly gloomy outlook for 2023, according to a report from Fitch Ratings. The report said that in some markets, “including North America, India, Turkey and Brazil, sentiment remains more positive than our mid-cycle assumptions.” Reasons cited included benefits from protectionist trade […]
US steel export volumes eased further from September to October, falling 4% to 697,000 net tons, according to the latest US Commerce Department data. Exports are now at a nine-month low, with October being the third slowest month of trade over the past 20 months. Exports have trended downwards since peaking in March and April of this […]
The Biden administration sent a proposition to the European Union (EU) Dec. 7 for a potential trade alliance between nations that use lower carbon emissions to produce metals. In October 2021 the US lifted the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the EU, which was replaced by the tariff rate quota (TRQ) […]
Domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) continues to hold a competitive price advantage over imported steel, according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis. US HRC is approximately 6–15% cheaper than foreign prices this week, after consideration of freight costs, trader margins, and any applicable tariffs. This is the sixth consecutive week US prices […]
Nucor Corp. has partnered with Boulder, Colo.-based startup Electra to develop “carbon-free” iron. The goal is to further reduce greenhouse gas emission in Nucor’s steelmaking operations. “Just as Nucor changed the face of the steel industry 53 years ago with our first electric arc furnace, successfully developing and scaling up a zero-carbon iron product is the […]
US Steel has idled a second blast furnace at its Košice steelworks in Slovakia. The No. 1 BF at Košice has been temporarily idled as of Dec. 2 “as a result of very high energy prices, low market demand and surging imports,” a US Steel spokeswoman confirmed to SMU in an email Tuesday, Dec. 6. […]
This past week was a rather notable one in recent memory when it comes to steel prices. We saw a wave of $60-per-ton sheet price hikes announced by domestic mills. It’s somewhat of an unfamiliar sight in the industry over the past couple of years or so, but just about everyone got in on the […]
US hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices edged up slightly last week on a wave of $60-per-ton sheet price hikes announced by domestic mills. The move appears to have at least temporarily stopped the bleeding seen over the last two months. Time will tell if the price hike attempt finds support. Just about everyone announced an increase of […]
If you’re somewhat new to the steel industry, the wave of $60-per-ton sheet price hikes announced by mills in the US and Canada this week might have seemed a little weird. Why did they all announce it at once? Why did they all pick the exact same number to go up by? Let’s say you […]
Editor’s note: SMU Contributor Michael D’Angelo is a researcher and trader at Marex. In his role, Mike performs fundamental and quantitative analysis, which directly leads to actionable trading/risk management strategies across the base, precious, and ferrous metals derivative spaces. Prior to joining Marex, Mike received a BA in economics with a minor in finance from Princeton […]
Domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) continues to hold a sizeable price advantage over imports, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis on foreign and domestic prices. US HRC is approximately 5–12% cheaper than foreign prices this week, after consideration of freight costs, trader margins and any applicable tariffs. This is the fifth consecutive week that US […]
More North American steel producers are joining in the attempt to increase prices for steel sheet products. NLMK USA said in a Dec. 1 letter to customers that “due to increased order placement and extending lead times,” its base prices will increase by a minimum of $60 per ton ($3 per cwt) for spot orders. […]
Nucor Corp. has joined other sheet producers in the US and Canada in a push to raise base prices by at least $60 per ton ($3 per cwt). The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said the move was effective immediately for new orders in a letter to customers on Wednesday, Nov. 30. “We reserve the right to […]
Stelco Holdings Inc. intends to increase spot prices for carbon steel sheet by at least CAD $80 per ton (USD $60 per ton or $4 per cwt). The move is effective immediately, the company said in a letter to customers on Tuesday, Nov. 29, and applies equally to all new orders of hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and […]
Is the market at a bottom or not? Cleveland-Cliffs and US Steel have each announced price hikes of $60 per ton ($3 per cwt). And we’re told other mills might follow. If this isn’t a bottom, it sure looks like domestic mills are trying to create one with a floor of ~$600 per ton for […]
The bottom end of SMU’s sheet price ranges firmed up this week following price hikes of $60 per ton ($3 per cwt) announced by Cleveland-Cliffs and US Steel on Monday. It’s not clear yet whether the price increases will stick in full, in part, or simply stop the bleeding. Case in point: Our sheet price […]
US Steel Corp. will keep the No. 3 blast furnace at its Mon Valley Works near Pittsburgh idled until market dynamics improve, a company spokeswoman confirmed to SMU. The blast furnace was originally taken offline on Aug. 30 for a month-long planned maintenance outage. The shotcrete (sprayed concrete) reline was completed on Saturday, Sept. 24. […]
US Steel Corp. aims to increase spot prices for carbon steel sheet by at least $60 per ton ($3 per cwt). The move is effective immediately, the company said in a press release on Monday, Nov. 28, and applies equally to all new orders of hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and coated steel products in North America. This […]
A new international initiative aimed at setting a global standard for green steel has been launched and is being led by major players in the US steel industry. The founding members of the new Global Steel Climate Council (GSCC) include Nucor Corp., Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI), Commercial Metals Co. (CMC), Spain’s Celsa Group, the Steel […]
Demand for low-carbon steel is picking up, with two US steel producers bagging significant contracts to provide green steel for a global HVAC producer. Sustainable HVAC provider Trane Technologies announced it will be purchasing low-carbon steel from Nucor Corp., its primary supplier, as well as from US Steel. Nucor’s Econiq™ steel and US Steel’s verdeX® […]
The BMW Group is taking another step in its initiative to achieve its decarbonization goal. The German automaker announced CO2-reduced steel supply agreements with Steel Dynamics Inc. and US Steel’s Big River Steel on Nov. 15. “Steel is one of the main sources of CO2 emissions in our supply chain. That is why we are comprehensively […]
Is this the week that prices bottomed, or do we still have room to fall? If you think ~$600 per ton ($30 cwt) is the bottom, you might point to some positive big-picture developments: strong energy prices, moves by China to prop up its property sector, or the weakening of the US dollar. You might […]
I wish I could offer you some hope about steel prices getting better. But at the moment, the thing that strikes me most is that $600 per ton ($30 per cwt) for hot-rolled coil (HRC) sure looks like the “new” $600 per ton. That’s a joke of course. I make it in remembrance of all that […]
The flat rolled steel market can be a challenging environment to manage risk. Much like a boxer, you must engage in various strategies to protect yourself. When the hits start coming, fancy footwork may not be enough. Steel Market Update (SMU) caught up with David Feldstein, owner of Rock Trading Advisors, and got some insight […]
Steel prices continue to slide, and apparently so does sentiment. Based on SMU’s latest check of the market, sheet prices once again fell across the board, grinding lower and nearing levels some never expected to see again. Speculation that hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices will be at or near the $600-per-ton mark takes center stage with […]
Equipment from the 2023 “complete” closure of a carbon steel, tin, and sheet material cold-rolling mill in Pittsburg, Calif., is up for sale. It is believed to be the assets of the USS-UPI finishing plant owned by US Steel. The mill equipment — including a pickle line tandem cold reduction mill, a No. 1 continuous […]
US apparent steel supply eased further in September, down 8% from August to 8.29 million net tons, according to data from the US Department of Commerce and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). As the lowest monthly figure since February 2021, this was a 19-month low. September supply was 10% below the average monthly rate […]
The news of the day, outside of politics (I hear we have an election), is that US Steel and the United Steelworkers (USW) finally struck a deal. That’s good news if you were hoping to take an unknown factor out of the market. It’s bad news if you were hoping for higher prices on a […]
US steel export volumes shrunk 10% from August to September, according to the latest US Commerce Department data. 723,000 net tons of steel products exited the country during the month, now the fourth-lowest monthly export rate over the past year and a half. Recall that exports levels in August were at the third-highest monthly rate […]
The US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA) is updating import duties on hot-rolled steel flat products from Turkey and South Korea. The agency just released preliminary results in reviews of the countervailing duties on Turkish product and antidumping duties on South Korean product, according to Federal Register filings. In the initial results of […]