Contributor: Tim Triplett

As “the next precious metal,” prime scrap is a growth opportunity and a logical fit for Cleveland-Cliffs, which announced Monday that it plans to acquire Detroit-based Ferrous Processing and Trading  Co. (FPT). The $775-million deal, Cliffs’ first foray into scrap, comes as no big surprise to most market observers. Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest producer of […] The post Market Reaction: Cliffs’ Deal for FPT Could Shift Scrap Flows appeared first on Steel Market Update.

After a small decline in October, ferrous scrap prices are expected to strengthen in November and beyond on strong export demand and tightening seasonal supplies, sources tell Steel Market Update. CRU Senior Analyst Ryan McKinley sees upward momentum for scrap prices in the weeks and months ahead. Export demand is increasing, he said, pointing to […] The post Ferrous Scrap Prices Likely to Rise in November appeared first on Steel Market Update.

With trading still winding down today, it appears ferrous scrap prices for October will settle down $20/GT on prime grades and sideways for obsoletes. Most Steel Market Update sources expect scrap prices to start moving higher in the months ahead. “After Cleveland-Cliffs bought busheling last week basically sideways, the U.S. mills stubbornly waited a week […] The post Prime Scrap Trades Down $20/GT in October appeared first on Steel Market Update.

Following a big drop in scrap prices in September, sources tell Steel Market Update they expect an increase in the price of obsolete grades in October, with prime grades seeing some downward pressure. “I think we will see an increase specifically for shred in October. The consensus is building that prices in October for these grades […] The post Mixed Outlook for Ferrous Scrap Prices in October appeared first on Steel Market Update.

Prime scrap prices saw a big drop in September, down $40-50 per gross ton (GT), report Steel Market Update sources. Obsolete grades also declined, though not as much, at down $20-25/GT in most parts of the country. Declining scrap prices may contribute to downward pressure on finished steel prices in the fourth quarter. Prices for […] The post Prime Scrap Prices See Big Drop in September appeared first on Steel Market Update.

In the near term, ferrous scrap prices are heading down. But in the long term – with the proliferation of electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking around the globe putting added pressure on scrap supplies – the price trend for scrap is definitely pointing upward. The cost of scrap and other metallics is of high interest […] The post Ferrous Scrap Trends: Lower in September, But Higher Long Term appeared first on Steel Market Update.

Settling on the direction of SMU’s Price Momentum Indicators has been an easy task for the past year. Prices on all products were clearly moving upward week after week as demand continued to outstrip supplies. Today, the market is changing, and the trend is less clear. Determining price momentum is considerably trickier. SMU does not […] The post Final Thoughts appeared first on Steel Market Update.

The 2021 SMU Steel Summit started with a bang on Monday morning. Turns out it was a transformer that blew. Just as the opening video and music was revving up and host John Packard was getting into his opening remarks, the Georgia International Convention Center was plunged into darkness save for some emergency lighting. Thinking […] The post Final Thoughts appeared first on Steel Market Update.

As scrap prices for August were settling today, obsolete grades generally traded down $20/GT, while prime grades traded sideways, sources tell Steel Market Update. Late reports indicated busheling may be down $10 in the South. Ferrous scrap prices factor into the mills’ costs and how much they charge for finished steel products. The drop in […] The post Ferrous Scrap: Down $20 for Obsoletes in August appeared first on Steel Market Update.

What’s this world coming to when an integrated steelmaker – a leader in an industry notorious for taking a huge toll on the environment – spends much of his earnings call talking about cutting carbon emissions? Said Lourenco Goncalves, Cleveland-Cliffs’ chief executive, last week: “Cliffs sees decarbonization as part of our license to continue to […] The post Final Thoughts appeared first on Steel Market Update.