SMU Data and Models
August 21, 2014
SMU Steel Buyers Sentiment Index Sees a 9 Point Drop
Written by John Packard
SMU Steel Buyers Sentiment, which measures how buyers and sellers of flat rolled steel feel about their company’s ability to be successful in the current market environment, continues at very optimistic levels. However, our Index has seen some erosion of enthusiasm as our Index has dropped 9 points since we recorded our record high of +68 at the beginning of August.
We are not seeing any significant changes in demand and most of the variables we measure in our surveys do not point to any major changes in flat rolled steel market trends. The one area which we believe may be having some impact is the amount of foreign steel arriving at the ports in the United States and concerns as to how that material may affect steel prices going forward.
