Section: News

Among steelmaking raw materials, the prices of iron ore, pig iron, zinc and aluminum rose through mid-April, on top of large gains seen in previous months. Prices increased as much as 10% month-over-month for those four products. Iron ore prices have reached record levels, while coking coal prices remain down. Pig iron and scrap prices […] The post Raw Materials Prices: Iron Ore, Coking Coal, Pig Iron, Scrap, Zinc appeared first on Steel Market Update.

Cleveland-Cliffs expects historically high steel prices and record profits to continue for the balance of the year. The integrated steelmaker forecasts that U.S. hot-rolled coil prices will average $1,100 per ton for the remaining three quarters the year, according to guidance released with first quarter earnings data on Thursday, April 22. That’s 21.5% below SMU’s […] The post Bigger Is Better, More Profitable for Cliffs: Goncalves appeared first on Steel Market Update.

Cleveland-Cliffs expects historically high steel prices and record profits to continue for the balance of the year. The integrated steelmaker forecasts that U.S. hot-rolled coil prices will average $1,100 per ton for the remaining three quarters the year, according to guidance released with first quarter earnings data on Thursday, April 22. That’s 21.5% below SMU’s […] The post Bigger Is Better, More Profitable for Cliffs: Goncalves appeared first on Steel Market Update.

Nucor posted its best quarter ever with net earnings of $942.4 million in first-quarter 2021. Net sales soared 33% to $7.02 billion in the quarter on higher steel prices and shipments. “The first quarter of 2021 was the most profitable quarter in our company’s history. We are clearly reaping the rewards from our prior investments […] The post Nucor Sets New Profit Record in the First Quarter appeared first on Steel Market Update.

The global semiconductor shortage continues to disrupt North American vehicle production roughly four months after the issue emerged in a key steel end market. The result: Production at multiple North American assembly plants is down through the end of this month, and some are down in May as well.  Here is where things stand to date. General Motors […] The post Auto Outage Update: Some Plants Restarting, Others Down Through May appeared first on Steel Market Update.

My first job in the steel industry started in July 1977. I have been involved with the industry ever since. I’m coming up on 44 years in a few months. That either makes me old or wise…well, old anyway. What I can tell you is during those 44 years I have never seen a market […] The post Final Thoughts appeared first on Steel Market Update.

Steel Dynamics Inc. had a stellar first quarter and looks forward to its new Sinton, Texas, mill beginning production later this summer. The $1.9 billion EAF mill is designed with production capabilities that will compete with traditional integrated steel producers, providing a differentiated product portfolio with a climate-conscious focus, SDI said. Four customers have committed […] The post Steel Dynamics CEO: “It’s Going to Be a Great Year!” appeared first on Steel Market Update.

Hot-rolled coil lead times at some mills are well into June, so steel buyers have to ask themselves now whether a year-long upswing in prices is sustainable. In short, can hot-rolled coil prices continue their record run upward? First a Look Back at Where We’ve Been Steel Market Update’s average hot-rolled coil price was $1,340 […] The post SMU Deep Dive: How High Can HRC Go? appeared first on Steel Market Update.

There are specific reasons for the tightness of supply that exists in the market today. Events have been in motion for the past 25 years that have culminated in the limitations of supply. For those of you who have attended SMU Steel Summit Conferences you may recall a presentation done by Paul Lowrey, Managing Director […] The post Final Thoughts appeared first on Steel Market Update.

Given the heightened urgency to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change, nearly all the world’s automakers plan to replace at least some of the internal combustion cars and trucks in their lineups with fully electric vehicles (EVs). GM, notably, has pledged to introduce 30 new EVs by 2025 and to produce nothing but EVs […] The post What Does the Trend Toward Electric Vehicles Mean for Steel? appeared first on Steel Market Update.