Category: Market

Editor’s note: SMU Contributor David Feldstein is president of Rock Trading Advisors. Rock provides customers attached to the steel industry with commodity price risk management services and market intelligence. RTA is registered with the National Futures Association as a Commodity Trade Advisor. David has over 20 years of professional trading experience and has been active […] The post Hot Rolled Coil Futures: HRC Curve Flattens Near $965; Busheling Rebounds to $565 appeared first on Steel Market Update.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. might shut a blast furnace this year, the company’s top executive said. “When we make a move, we make a move. … You might see a blast furnace going down for good still in 2022,” Cliffs Chairman, President and CEO Lourenco Goncalves said during a fireside chat at the Tampa Steel Conference this […] The post Cliffs Could ‘Stretch’ Hot Metal and Take Down a Blast Furnace in ’22: Goncalves appeared first on Steel Market Update.

According to the latest Steel Market Update data, the spread between hot rolled coil prices and prime scrap is slowly shrinking from the September 2021 peak. The latest spread is in line with levels seen in early-2021 but two times higher than pre-pandemic spreads. {loadposition reserved_message} Last week, the SMU hot rolled price average declined for the […] The post Hot Rolled Coil vs Busheling Scrap Prices: Spread Narrowing appeared first on Steel Market Update.

According to the latest Steel Market Update data, the spread between hot rolled coil prices and prime scrap is slowly shrinking from the September 2021 peak. The latest spread is in line with levels seen in early-2021 but two times higher than pre-pandemic spreads. Last week, the SMU hot rolled price average declined for the 18th consecutive […] The post Hot Rolled Coil vs Busheling Scrap Prices: Spread Narrowing appeared first on Steel Market Update.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. could join other steel producers in adding electric-arc furnace (EAF) capacity, the company’s top executive said. The Cleveland-based steelmaker is considering that because the cost of relining a blast furnace – and investing in the supply chains needed to feed it – are roughly the same as those for of building a new EAF. […] The post Cliffs Considers Converting BF to EAF Amid Mine Idling, Coke Plant Closure: CEO appeared first on Steel Market Update.

The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC), scrap and financial futures markets was written by Jack Marshall of Crunch Risk LLC. Here is how Jack saw trading over the past week: Hot Rolled Will the velocity of the down move in hot rolled prices be maintained as HR price spreads to global prices […] The post Hot Rolled Futures: Declines Pick Up Steam appeared first on Steel Market Update.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is expected to take an approximately 80-90 day planned outage on the No. 5 blast furnace at its Cleveland Works starting in mid to late March, according to market participants. The outage is expected to last until roughly mid-June. It is not expected to impact customers because the Cleveland-based steelmaker can stock slabs […] The post Cliffs Expected to Take 80-90 Day Outage on Cleveland No. 5 Furnace: Sources appeared first on Steel Market Update.

Ferrous scrap prices declined again in February after an unexpectedly big drop in January. Prime scrap traded down $35/GT in most regions, while obsolete grades traded sideways, sources tell Steel Market Update.  That puts the February price for busheling at around $525-535/GT, shred at $470-480/GT and HMS at $430-440/GT. “Tepid demand is being offset by […] The post Prime Scrap Price Drops Again in February, Bottom in Sight? appeared first on Steel Market Update.

Were it not for persistently strong steel demand, the plunging steel prices would be an unmitigated disaster. About 70% of the service center and manufacturing execs responding to SMU’s survey a week ago described demand for their products as stable. Another 20% even said they see demand improving. Just 10% have registered declines in demand […] The post Final Thoughts appeared first on Steel Market Update.

January marked the fifth consecutive month of declining steel prices, following a year-long streak of continuous price increases. Hot rolled prices declined $200 per ton throughout the month, with the SMU index averaging $1,335 per ton ($66.75 per cwt) as of Tuesday, Jan. 25. The SMU Price Momentum Indicator for sheet products remains at Lower since its mid-October adjustment. January […] The post SMU’s January at a Glance appeared first on Steel Market Update.