Economy
May 7, 2019
Census Bureau Shipment Data for March Shows Slowing Growth Rate
Written by Peter Wright
Steel mill shipments have declined slightly since November on a seasonally adjusted basis, while the inventory-to-shipment ratio has increased slightly since October, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of Census Bureau data.
Steel trade association data from the AISI and MSCI is most widely used to assess the state of the industry. In addition, the Census Bureau provides monthly data on manufacturing inventories, shipments and new orders for total U.S. manufacturing and for individual industries, one of which is steel products. Therefore, the Census Bureau provides a useful reality check for association data. Total shipments and inventories are reported in millions of dollars, seasonally adjusted. Steel shipments and new orders have shown a slight downward trend but are still healthy.
