Ships, barges, trains and trucks move the nation’s cargo. Here is this month’s look at shipping conditions by various modes. Seaborne Freight Rates have dropped in the dry bulk market recently, but may now be plateauing, according to the latest report by MID-SHIP Group. Fleet expansion was strong during the first half of 2017, growing […]
Union members at Hamilton Works approved a new contract on Tuesday. June 7, 2017, bringing Stelco, the former U.S. Steel Canada, a step closer to emerging from three years in CCAA protection, Canada’s version of Chapter 11. Ninety percent of the membership cast ballots with 63.8 percent voting in favor of the new collective agreement. […]
Mexico is imposing antidumping duties on imports of flat coated steel from China and Taiwan, including flat carbon steel or steel alloy, corrosion resistant steel, and products with a metallic or non-metallic coating, reports the Mexico Ministry of Economic Affairs. The petition was originally filed by Ternium and Tenigal in December 2015 and concluded on […]
The Dodge Momentum Index gained 4 percent in May posting a score of 139.1 after slipping to a revised 133.7 in April. Commercial projects in planning increased 4.8 percent while institutional project planning was up 2.9 percent, recovering partially from April’s 12.0 percent decline. Despite signs of weakening occupancies and rents, the commercial component of […]
President Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement was met mostly with silence from the steel industry. Cliffs Natural Resource CEO Lourenco Goncalves was among the few to publicly voice his support for abandoning the environmental agreement signed by 194 other nations. “Cliffs applauds President Trump for his decision to withdraw from the […]
Six leading steel groups in Canada, Mexico and the United States are today urging their respective governments to ensure that negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) include key tenets that would result in growing consumption of steel in North America and increasing intra-NAFTA trade and market share for NAFTA producers. In a […]
The U.S. coal industry (Trump’s favorite: “I happen to love the coal miners.”) supports the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, citing its effect on coal and the economy. “We believe that abiding by the accord, without significant changes, would have substantially impacted the U.S. economy, increased electricity costs and required the power sector […]
Global manufacturing was at a six month low in May according the latest JP Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI. The composite index inched down to 52.6 from 52.7 in April. Developed nations showed solid steady expansion in manufacturing while growth in emerging nations was nearly flat. The PMI for the U.S. was at an 8 month […]
The European Union and China failed to reach an agreement at the 19th EU-China Business Summit on the issues of trade investment, steel overcapacity, and the EU’s assertion of dumping from China. China pressed its demand to be recognized as a market economy and to receive equal treatment in antidumping investigations before the World Trade […]
A surprise court decision on May 30, denied a request by Canadian steel mill Algoma for approval of a DIP extension agreement and the appointment of a restructuring committee. The current DIP loan expired on April 30, 2017. The agreement would have extended the maturity of the $164 million loan to August 31 with an […]
Today, US Steel Corporation president and chief executive officer David B. Burritt announced new roles and responsibilities for the company’s executive leadership team. Effective immediately, Christine Breves will become Senior Vice President – Supply Chain & Manufacturing Support; Pipasu Soni will serve as Interim Chief Financial Officer; Scott Buckiso will advance to Senior Vice President […]
The final antidumping margins for imports of CTL plate from eight countries were published in the Federal Register on May 25. The US International Trade Commission, in their final determination, said that an industry in the United States is materially injured by reason of subject imports of CTL plate from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, […]
Manufacturing activity expanded in May according to the Manufacturing ISM Report on Business. The PMI rose 0.1 percent from April to a reading of 54.9 percent. The new orders index rose 2 points to 59.5 percent while the production index declined 1.5 points to 57.1. Inventories were relatively stable in May. The inventory index rose […]
U.S. automotive sales in May are in reach of the 1.52 million units forecast by Edmunds and WardsAuto. WardsAuto is reporting a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 16.6 million for the month, just shy of its forecast for 16.8 million. Flat sales for the month would be welcomed by auto manufacturers that have seen sales […]
The Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI) submitted written testimony to the Commerce Department in support of the Section 232 Investigation of Steel Imports on National Security. MSCI president and CEO M. Robert Weidner argued that unfair trading practices and global overcapacity, particularly by China, have harmed the U.S. steel market. “MSCI believes the health of […]
The Chicago Business Barometer hits its highest level since January, increasing from 58.3 in April to a reading of 59.5 in May. New orders fell 4.5 points to 61.4 but production gained 3.7 points for an index reading of 62.3. Order backlogs pulled from contraction after five months of decline. Delivery times for inputs lengthened […]
Home prices continued to rise in March, setting a 33-month high, according to the latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index. The Index gained 5.8 percent in March, up from a 5.7 percent annual gain in February. The 10- and 20-City Composite year-over-year indices were unchanged from the previous month with 5.2 […]
Peter Brebach, CEO of Iron Angels of Colorado, one of the founding members of the American Institute for International Steel (AIIS) and a friend of Steel Market Update where he was a contributing writer and co-founder of SMU Steel 101 workshop, has passed away. The American Institute for International Steel sent out the following press […]
Essar Steel Algoma announced on Friday, May 26 that the company will now be known as Algoma. The rebranding was revealed during a ceremony at the St. Mary’s River facility to mark a new chapter in Algoma’s history. “Effective immediately, we will have a new name, a new brand, a new path and a renewed […]
Texas legislators have approved a “Buy American” bill that will require large state projects to purchase domestic iron and steel. Senate Bill 1289 requires use of American steel if the cost doesn’t exceed 20 percent of foreign price offerings. Foreign steel may also be used if American suppliers cannot provide the necessary material or if […]
Metalformers are expecting a downturn in business conditions during the next three months according the May 2017 Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Conditions Report. The PMA report is an economic indicator for manufacturing, sampling 117 metalforming companies in the United States and Canada. Participants were less optimistic about improvement in general economic activity during the […]
Orders of manufactured durable goods orders decreased 0.7 percent in April, according to the Department Commerce. “The shipment of capital good non-defense ex-aircrafts came in at -0.1% MoM vs. +0.5% consensus and March was revised down to +0.2% from +0.5% prior — this doesn’t bode particularly well for second-quarter GDP,” noted BMO Capital Markets. The […]
ArcelorMittal has won the bidding to take over troubled Italian steel plant Ilva. ArcelorMittal and partner Marcegaglia, an Italian steel processor, offered $2.24 billion for the facility. The two outbid a consortium that included India’s JSW Steel and, Italian specialist steelmaker Arvedi. The deal still needs to be approved by the Italy’s economic development ministry. […]
(AWMI – Mt. Royal, New Jersey, May 25, 2017) – The Association of Women in the Metal Industries (AWMI) is pleased to announce Sonya Malvick as 2016 Member of the Year! Ms. Malvick has been a member of AWMI for 22 years. In that time, she has held the position of Wisconsin Chapter Membership Chair, […]
As CEOs and association representatives presented their arguments for why the administration’s Section 232 action on steel imports should go forth, AIIS international Trade Counsel Gary Horlick talked about the unintended consequences of such actions. AIIS represents 108 members that include traders, freight forwarders, stevedores, shippers, importers, exporters, railroads, port authorities, unions and other logistics […]
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE) announced today that it is investing an estimated $176 million to build a hot band galvanizing and pickling line at its sheet mill in Ghent, Kentucky. The new galvanizing line will expand Nucor Steel Gallatin’s product capabilities and have an annual capacity of 500,000 […]
The Section 232 Investigation of steel imports on national security hearing was held on Tuesday. The testimonies included four representatives of foreign governments: China, Russia, the European Union, and Ukraine. Not surprising, none were in support of new import restrictions by a Section 232 action. China was represented by Yu Gu, First Secretary of the […]
Existing home sales dipped 2.3 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.57 million, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales were 1.6 percent higher than in April 2016. Existing home inventory increased by 7.2 percent to 1.93 million in April, representing a 4.2 month supply at the current sales pace. […]
Manufacturing grew moderately in the Tenth District in May, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. In the bank’s latest survey the composite index rose to 8 from 7 in April. Indicators were mixed, with little change overall from last month. Production and shipment indexes were slightly lower as employment and backlogs inched […]
AISI, WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Iron and Steel Institute’s (AISI) Board of Directors today elected John Ferriola, Chairman, President and CEO, Nucor Corporation, to serve another year as chairman of the Institute, through May 2018. “John is a recognized leader in the global and domestic steel industry. He is an outspoken advocate for the […]