On September 8, ArcelorMittal Poland announced it would take Blast Furnace No. 3 at the Dąbrowa Górnicza steel manufacturing plant off stream starting in late September. According to the company, the temporary measure is a response to current market conditions throughout Europe. At the moment, ArcelorMittal plans to have the furnace of stream for approximately […]
Category: Ferrous Metals
Automotive MMI – Supply Shrinks, Demand Rises
The September Automotive MMI (Monthly MetalMiner Index) traded sideways, falling a modest 2.13%. The same issues continue to affect manufacturing: rising demand and too few resources. Car Manufacturing Supply Chain Woes Supply chain shortages remain a persistent problem for the global automotive industry. Indeed, many companies are still struggling to find the necessary parts and […]
Stainless Steel in a “Commodity Standoff”
Stainless steel prices continue to struggle as we approach the final quarter of the year. Meanwhile, nickel prices float just above their 2021 average, closing August at $21,320 / mt. Both indices seem to indicate an overly-cautious marketplace, with buyers and sellers seemingly waiting to see what the other will do. This sort of “commodity” […]
China’s Steel Supply Encounters Significant Hurdles.
Everyone thought a COVID-19 ravaged steel supply market in China took a turn towards recovery. However, many other hurdles now stand in the way, both long & short term. Power cuts and muted demand driven by the construction crisis in China stand in the path of growth. Even worse, the cascading effect has affected the […]
Raw Steels MMI: Steel Prices Decline Amid Record HRC / Plate Spread
The Raw Steels Monthly Metals Index (MMI) fell by 8.73% from July to August. All in all, U.S. steel prices continued their descent, leaving cold rolled coil and hot dipped galvanized prices at their lowest point since January 2021. Meanwhile, hot rolled coil prices fell well beneath the $1,000/st mark, reaching their lowest point since […]
Stainless MMI: Nickel Prices Hit Bottom by Mid-July
The Stainless Monthly Metals Index (MMI) dropped 8.87% from June to July. After nickel prices hit a bottom mid-July, they followed the base metal trend upward. By the beginning of August, however, the rebound had faltered, and prices resumed their descent. Both last month’s increases and this month’s declines were extremely narrow. For that reason, […]
Russian Steel Producer MMK Added to Latest US Sanctions List
On August 2, the United States officially added integrated steelmaker Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel (MMK) and its chairman Viktor Rashnikov to its list of sanctioned entities. The move is yet another punitive measure in response to Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine, in hopes that the steel manufacturing sanction will place more economic pain on Russia. […]
Automotive MMI: Downward Trend Continues, Experts Lose Confidence in the Automotive Market
The Automotive MMI (Monthly Metals Index) dropped by 6.32% this past month, a downward trend it has been maintaining since May. The drop comes despite valiant efforts to put out some of the fires plaguing the car manufacturing industry. But with the microchip shortage, surging inflation, and issues with both supply and demand, the automotive […]
Russia, Ukraine, and the “New Normal” of Global Steel Supply
Steel prices have waxed and waned more than usual this past year. MetalMiner has reported extensively on all of the various factors contributing to this unpredictability. Of course, you can’t ignore China’s rolling COVID lockdowns or the year-long supply chain hangups. However, we feel one of the biggest X factors for the global steel supply […]
Raw Steels MMI: Hot Rolled Coil Prices Hit New Lows
U.S. steel prices continued their decline this month alongside other steel markets. Hot rolled coil, cold rolled coil, and hot dipped galvanized prices all dropped beneath their early March bottoms. HRC prices, in particular, continue to close in on the $1,000/st mark, while plate prices saw their second consecutive month-over-month decline.The Raw Steels Monthly Metals […]