Steel Products Prices North America
May 20, 2015
SMU Price Ranges & Indices: Still Searching For Equilibrium
Written by John Packard
This week we are seeing a “settling” of prices as buyers work with their suppliers. We are seeing a mixed market which was described to us by an executive with a large service center when he told us, “… it’s quite perplexing. The domestics certainly are seeing increased activity, slightly longer lead-times, and slightly higher spot prices, as evidenced by the various index measures. At the same time, we’re seeing import prices still at attractive and aggressive levels.”
While another executive with plants in both the Upper Midwest and the South told us, “There is precious little $540 out there John. I think the min is more like $560 with a range of $560-600. Hearing more about potential labor issues now. Are you? This may heat things up a touch in the coming weeks.”
