Iron Ore Price Falls Back

July 1, 2013 Posted by Steel Market Intelligence

The spot reference price for 62% Fe iron ore cfr North China fell 1.8% to $116.50 for the week ending June 28, 2013, ending three consecutive weekly gains after bottoming at $110.40 for the week ending May 31.   The price dropped as low as $113.80 early in the week, but rebounded over the last three days.

The spot price for iron ore averaged , $112.12 in 3Q12, $120.57 in 4Q12, $148.16 in 1Q13 and $125.76 in 2Q13; the full-year 2012 average was $128.30.

The post-recession low was $59.10 on March 27, 2009, while the high was $190.19 on February 17, 2011.

Source: The Steel Index

U.S. Rig Count Declines for Second Week, Canadian Rig Count Nears Three-Month High

July 1, 2013 Posted by Steel Market Intelligence

The number of active oil and natural gas rigs in the United States fell for the second week to 1,748 for the week ending June 28, 2013, decreasing 0.6% from last week’s 1,759 and is now some 10.8% below the year-ago level of 1,959.

The highest weekly rig count in the United States since 1940 was recorded on December 28, 1981, at 4,530; the lowest was recorded on April 23, 1999, at 488.

The number of rigs in Canada continued to climb, increasing 4.6% from 197 to 206 this week, and nearing a three-month high.  Despite the increase, the count is still 21.1% below the year-ago level of 261.

The highest rig count for Canada was 727 on February 3, 2006; the lowest was 29, recorded on April 24, 1992.

Source: Baker Hughes Inc.

June OCTG Prices Post Surprising Uptick; Further Upward Momentum Limited

June 26, 2013 Posted by Steel Market Intelligence

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According to Pipe Logix, June OCTG prices rose 0.3% (or $5/ton) to $1,670/ton, bringing an end to 14 consecutive monthly declines. The surprising increase was driven by…

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ArcelorMittal Leads Round 3 of Sheet Price Hikes

June 26, 2013 Posted by Steel Market Intelligence

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As we expected, ArcelorMittal is leading a third round of sheet price increases with a $20/ton price hike, lifting its HRC list price to $650/ton, just two weeks after…

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Advance/Decliner Index Continues Up; China Index at Four-Month High

June 25, 2013 Posted by Steel Market Intelligence

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Our Advance/Decliner Index rose for the third straight week to the highest level in three months. The increase was driven by our China Index which rose to a four-month high…

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May Imports Rise to 11-Month High; Hot-Rolled Sheet Lowest Since February 2011

June 25, 2013 Posted by Steel Market Intelligence

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Preliminary May imports rose 4.6% from 2.68 million tons(mt) in April to 2.8 mt, the highest level since last June. The increase was primarily driven by…

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Domestic Steel Production, Capacity Utilization Increase for Third Week in a Row

June 25, 2013 Posted by Steel Market Intelligence

Weekly domestic raw steel production rose for the third consecutive week, climbing 0.6% to 1.881 million tons (mt) for the week ending June 22, 2013, and is some 1.5% above the year-ago level of 1.854 mt.

We would caution readers that only half of the AISI reporting companies release their weekly production in “real time” so the other half of this data is estimated using the last month’s reported production & operating rate. What this means is that when production is changing, the weekly data is actually understating the change.

Capacity utilization also rose for the third straight week, rising to 78.5% from 78.1% last week, and was higher than the year-ago level of 75.0%.

The lowest production since the recession began was 800,000 tons for the week of December 27, 2008, while the highest was 2.005 mt for the week of May 12, 2012. The lowest capacity utilization rate since the recession began was 33.5% for the week of December 27, 2008; the highest was 81.1% on May 12, 2012.

Source: AISI and Steel Market Intelligence

Iron Ore Price Increases for Third Straight Week

June 25, 2013 Posted by Steel Market Intelligence

The spot reference price for 62% Fe iron ore cfr North China rose 4.4% to $118.60 for the week ending June 21, 2013, up for the third consecutive week since hitting an eight-month low of $110.40.

The spot price for iron ore averaged $139.35 in 2Q12, $112.12 in 3Q12, $120.57 in 4Q12, and $148.16 in 1Q13; the full-year 2012 average was $128.30.

The post-recession low was $59.10 on March 27, 2009, while the high was $190.19 on February 17, 2011.

Source: The Steel Index

U.S. Rig Count Decreases, Canadian Rig Count Highest Since Early April

June 25, 2013 Posted by Steel Market Intelligence

The number of active oil and natural gas rigs in the United States fell to 1,759 for the week ending June 21, 2013, a 0.7% decline from last week’s 1,771 and is some 10.5% below the year-ago level of 1,966.

The highest weekly rig count in the United States since 1940 was recorded on December 28, 1981, at 4,530; the lowest was recorded on April 23, 1999, at 488.

The number of rigs in Canada increased for the sixth consecutive week, climbing 11.9% from 176 to 197 this week, and reaching an 11-week high.  Despite the increase, the count is still 17.2% below the year-ago level of 238.

The highest rig count for Canada was 727 on February 3, 2006; the lowest was 29, recorded on April 24, 1992.

Source: Baker Hughes Inc.

AK Steel (AKS) – Will Middletown Outage Rescue Flat-Rolled Market?

June 25, 2013 Posted by Steel Market Intelligence

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AK Steel announced that its primary 2.5-3.0 million ton per year blast furnace at its Middletown (OH) Works facility experienced a mechanical failure that is likely to…

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