Steel Mills
March 19, 2015
Nucor Q1 Guidance Reflects Impact of Imports
Written by Sandy Williams
Nucor Corporation expects first quarter results to “decrease significantly” compared to fourth quarter and exceed first quarter 2014 levels only slightly. High levels of imports have lowered selling prices and squeezed margins.
Nucor notes that total steel imports rose 38 percent in 2014 and account for 34 percent of the total domestic shipments last year. The trend has continued in 2015 with January import levels up 37 percent year over year. “Global overcapacity built by state-owned enterprises is the biggest risk factor to our business,” said Nucor in its first quarter earnings guidance.
