U.S. steel capacity utilization picked back up to 85.0% for the week ending Aug. 21, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported. Receive the latest short-term and long-term outlook for the full range of industrial metals (base and ferrous) at the annual MetalMiner Forecasting Workshop on Aug. 25. Steel capacity rises U.S. steel capacity […]
Category: Ferrous Metals
This Morning in Metals: Chinese steelmakers Ansteel, Ben Gang to merge
This morning in metals news: two Chinese steelmakers are merging to form the world’s third-largest steelmaker; the LME aluminum price lost some ground last week; and, lastly, July construction employment continued to lag in the U.S. The MetalMiner Best Practice Library offers a wealth of knowledge and tips to help buyers stay on top of […]
Week in Review: Shipping sector woes; oil prices fall; Toyota announces production cuts
Before we head into the weekend, let’s take a look back at the week that was and some of the metals storylines here on MetalMiner: Receive the latest short-term and long-term outlook for the full range of industrial metals (base and ferrous) at the annual MetalMiner Forecasting Workshop on Aug. 25. Week of Aug. 16-20 […]
This Morning in Metals: Steel capacity utilization dips to 84.7%
This morning in metals news: U.S. steel capacity utilization fell to 84.7% last week, the American Iron and Steel Institute reported; meanwhile, Glencore signed a cobalt supply deal with Britishvolt; and, lastly, the Department of Energy released a brief on investment in solar energy. Do you know which market conditions are best with different steel […]
Steel prices in China looking more vulnerable in the face of falling input costs
Unusually, the global steel market is diverging in the opposite direction from “normal.” Historically, China would show signs of strength driven by robust construction activity while Europe and the U.S. struggled, facing more mature markets and relatively higher levels of foreign penetration. The U.S. continues to power ahead. There, mill lead times remain stubbornly protracted. […]
This Morning in Metals: US import prices up 0.3% in July
This morning in metals news: the pace of the rise of U.S. import prices slowed in July compared with the previous month; meanwhile, Nucor completed the acquisition of an insulated metal panels business; and, lastly, U.S. steel prices continue to move upward. Want an occasional email from MetalMiner that highlights new content with NO sales […]
Stainless MMI: Strong stainless demand to continue into 2022
The Stainless Monthly Metals Index (MMI) increased by 8.2% for this month’s reading. Stop obsessing about the actual forecasted nickel price — it’s more important to spot the trend. Outokumpu demand outlook Stainless steel producer Outokumpu released its half-year report, reporting that their sales increased by 16.8% for the first half of 2021 compared to […]
Raw Steels MMI: Steel demand on the rise
The Raw Steels Monthly Metals Index (MMI) rose by 7.8% as U.S. and Chinese steel prices continued their rally. Volatility is the name of the game. Do you have a steel buying strategy that can handle the ups and downs? Executive order on zero emissions, electric vehicles On Thursday, Aug. 5, President Joe Biden’s office […]
Tata Steel Europe mulls reline of blast furnaces at Netherlands plant
Tata Steel Europe is eyeing a refractory reline of one of the two blast furnaces at its IJmuiden works (Tata Steel Netherlands) in 2022, a source close to the company told MetalMiner. He declined to say either which of IJmuiden’s two furnaces – BF 6 or BF 7 – would undergo a refractory reline or […]
This Morning in Metals: Steel capacity utilization dips to 84.8%
This morning in metals news: the U.S. steel capacity utilization rate dipped to 84.8% for the week ending Aug. 7; BHP and the labor union representing workers at the Escondida mine reportedly extended contract talks by a day; and, lastly, nonfarm labor productivity rose by 2.3% in Q2 2021. Cut-to-length adders. Width and gauge adders. […]
